Updated
Updated · Yahoo New Zealand News · Sep 4
Jim Thornton Lawyer Says May Flight Chatroom Mix-Up Led to Suspension as Sony Recasts Sept. 14 Premiere
Updated
Updated · Yahoo New Zealand News · Sep 4

Jim Thornton Lawyer Says May Flight Chatroom Mix-Up Led to Suspension as Sony Recasts Sept. 14 Premiere

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo New Zealand News · Sep 4

Summary

  • Allison Hart said Jim Thornton was mistakenly routed to a chatroom for people with pedophilic thoughts while trying to enter a suicide-prevention forum during a May American Airlines flight.
  • Hart said Thornton became active in suicide-prevention advocacy after a family suicide two years ago and denied he ever viewed, downloaded or consumed child sexual-abuse material.
  • Sony Pictures Television suspended the longtime "Wheel of Fortune" announcer earlier this week after learning of allegations tied to the flight incident; Hart said officers questioned him for about five minutes after landing and released him.
  • "Wheel of Fortune" returns Sept. 14, with producers reportedly seeking a replacement for Thornton and editing him out of already filmed episodes.

Insights

Why did Sony erase their veteran announcer from upcoming episodes before police even filed criminal charges?
Will digital forensics validate a tragic online misunderstanding, or expose a beloved television voice's dark secret?
Could a simple URL redirect really end a decade-long TV career, or do the flight photos reveal more?