“Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended following an alleged airplane incident earlier this year.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” a spokesperson for Sony told Page Six Tuesday.
“He has been suspended from ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.”
While Sony didn’t disclose additional details, insiders told TMZ that Thornton was on a flight in May when a fellow passenger allegedly complained about him to a flight attendant.
Law enforcement officers were notified about the alleged incident and met Thornton at the gate upon arrival at his destination.
The TV personality, who wore a “Wheel of Fortune” jacket, was questioned by officers and then released.
American Airlines confirmed to the outlet that an alleged incident occurred onboard a flight heading to Los Angeles International Airport on May 14, and officers were notified.
Thornton first joined “Wheel of Fortune” in 2011 after former announcer Charlie O’Donnell passed away from congestive heart failure at the age of 78.
O’Donnell was a part of the competition series from 1975 to 1980, and then again from 1989 to 2010.
Thornton notably worked alongside former “WOF” host Pat Sajak up until the latter retired from the show after more than four decades in 2024.
Additionally, Thornton has previously briefly appeared on “The Soup,” “The Price Is Right,” “The Soup” and “Celebrity Deathmatch.”
He’s also taken on the role as a voice actor in the 2001 animated Disney movie, “Monsters, Inc.”
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