'Wheel of Fortune' Announcer Jim Thornton Suspended Amid Investigation

For fifteen years, Jim Thornton's voice was the sound of Wheel of Fortune, the steady announcer who followed a broadcasting legend into the booth. Now he's off the show, suspended amid an investigation into an alleged incident on a flight in May.

Longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended by Sony Pictures Television while it investigates an alleged incident on an American Airlines flight in May.

Jim Thornton at the 2026 Voice Arts Awards on January 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images

Details of what happened on the flight remain unclear. A studio spokeswoman confirmed Thornton's suspension, saying the company is temporarily recasting the role while it conducts a thorough investigation.

TMZ first reported the story of a passenger complaining to a flight attendant about Thornton, who was reportedly wearing a “Wheel of Fortune”-branded jacket at the time.

"On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport following concerns reported by a customer onboard," an American Airlines spokesperson confirmed to TMZ, but the airline did not elaborate on the nature of the concerns raised on board.

Announcer Jim Thornton behind the microphone for "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune," dated October 7, 2024 | Source: Getty Images

Thornton began his career in broadcasting in the mid-1980s and spent decades as a Los Angeles radio broadcaster, most notably as an afternoon news anchor on KNX 1070.

The West Virginia native joined “Wheel of Fortune” in 2011, following the death of announcer Charlie O'Donnell and has since voiced more than 2,200 episodes of the show, along with its ABC spinoff, “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” since 2021.

No timeline has been given for how long the investigation or Thornton's suspension will last. Sony has not released further details on the nature of the allegations.