Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 4

Sony Suspends Wheel of Fortune's Jim Thornton, Recasts Show as Flight Photos Trigger Probe

Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 4

Sony Suspends Wheel of Fortune's Jim Thornton, Recasts Show as Flight Photos Trigger Probe

Q: How did a search for a suicide prevention hotline allegedly lead the Wheel of Fortune announcer to a disturbing chat room?

According to Thornton’s attorney, the detour happened because he was trying to reach suicide-prevention support but was allegedly sent to the wrong site. She said he had previously used 988lifeline.org and its chat service, chat.988lifeline.org, after becoming involved in suicide-prevention advocacy following a family member’s death. The lawyer said an acquaintance in that advocacy space directed him to a different web address with a similar name: lifeline.chat. Thornton allegedly believed it was another legitimate mental-health support forum connected to suicide prevention. Instead, the site was described in reports as a chat platform for people with pedophilic thoughts. Hart maintains Thornton entered the site by mistake, realized what it was, and left, saying he did not view or download illegal material and was never arrested or charged. Law enforcement questioned him briefly after the flight landed and released him, with his attorney saying officers determined no crime had occurred. That explanation is central to his defense, though it remains under scrutiny because photos taken by a fellow passenger appear to show the chat room open on his laptop during the May 14 American Airlines flight, and timestamps published by TMZ suggested he was on the site for nearly an hour. Sony has suspended Thornton while it investigates.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 4

Sony Pictures Television suspended Jim Thornton and began recasting "Wheel of Fortune" after photos allegedly showed him viewing a pedophile support-group chat room on a May 14 American Airlines flight.
TMZ-published images came from a fellow passenger on Flight 1276 from Charlotte to Los Angeles, who alerted airline staff after seeing chat messages about looking at children at a Golden Corral.
Law enforcement questioned Thornton when the plane landed but released him without arrest or charges, according to reports and a letter from his attorney.
Attorney Allison Hart said Thornton reached the site by mistake while seeking suicide-prevention forums, confusing lifeline.chat with 988lifeline.org and leaving once he understood the forum's purpose.
Thornton, the show's announcer since 2011, has worked alongside Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest since Pat Sajak retired in 2024.