Wheel of Fortune Tapes Season 44 Without Announcer as Jim Thornton's Voice Is Scrubbed

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 8

Season 44 began taping Tuesday at Sony Studios without any announcer, leaving hosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White to open the show without the usual introductions.
Editors have also started removing longtime announcer Jim Thornton's voice from episodes already taped after his firing.
Thornton was dismissed after allegations he was caught in a chatroom for pedophiles during a May American Airlines flight, according to TMZ's account of the incident.
Thornton denied intentionally entering the chatroom, saying a suicide prevention hotline colleague accidentally sent him the link, but reported timestamps showed him there for nearly an hour.

Sources

How will the beloved game show hide the sudden erasure of its longtime announcer in the upcoming season?

Will police uncover new evidence against the former announcer, or was his chatroom visit a tragic mistake?

Could the suicide hotline link defense actually save this television veteran from permanent career ruin?