'Wheel of Fortune' announcer Jim Thornton fired after pedophilia chat room incident

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Set us as preferred “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton’s longtime tenure on the popular game show is officially over.A spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television, which produces “Wheel of Fortune,” confirmed in a statement shared with The Times on Friday that Thornton’s “employment with ‘Wheel of Fortune’ has been terminated, effective immediately,” following an investigation.

Sony suspended Thornton on Tuesday amid an ongoing probe into then-unspecified allegations.A legal representative for Thornton, 61, did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Friday.

A day before TMZ first reported on the announcer‘s firing, the outlet published numerous photos that show Thornton on his laptop aboard a flight visiting a website that describes itself as a support chat for “people who are attracted to children.” In photos taken by a neighboring passenger, Thornton’s computer screen appears to show messages of one user saying they “saw a couple of cute boys and a hot little girl” at a restaurant they referred to as an “All-you-can-eat Boyfett” and a second user referring to “CP,” commonly shorthand for child pornography.The photos published by TMZ also show Thornton, who is wearing a black jacket embroidered with the “Wheel of Fortune” logo on his sleeve, appearing to type into the chat room.

Entertainment & Arts New allegations emerge in the controversy surrounding longtime ‘Wheel of Fortune’ announcer Jim Thornton, who was suspended this week amid an ongoing probe by its production studio.Thornton’s attorney Allison Hart told TMZ that he became a suicide-prevention advocate after a loved one took their life two years ago and he has since spent time visiting crisis chat rooms to offer “support to individuals suffering from suicidal ideation.” Ac...