Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton terminated after alleged participation in online chat on flight

Jim Thornton, the former announcer for "Wheel of Fortune," was dismissed from his position after a passenger on a May 14 American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles reported that Thornton accessed a website called lifeline.chat, which claims to provide mental-health support for individuals with pedophilic thoughts. Photographs taken by the passenger showed Thornton’s screen displaying messages sent under the username “NicholasB77.”

The chat logs, captured in the images, included remarks about seeing children at a restaurant and references to “Lifeline” and other illicit-sounding terms. Law-enforcement officials boarded the aircraft after it landed at Los Angeles International Airport, though details of any investigation were not disclosed.

Sony Pictures Television confirmed that Thornton’s employment was terminated following a “thorough investigation.” The company had previously announced a suspension after becoming aware of the allegations. An attorney for Thornton, Allison Hart, said her client was mistakenly directed to the site, left it immediately, and has not been charged with any crime. She added that the website itself does not host illegal content.

Representatives for American Airlines, the Los Angeles International Airport Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI did not provide further comment.