‘Wheel of Fortune’ Announcer Jim Thornton Suspended, Position Will Be Recast

“Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended from the game show, producer Sony Pictures Television has confirmed.

The decision to remove Thornton, who has been with “Wheel of Fortune” since 2010 (and “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” since 2021), was first reported by TMZ. The website reported that the suspension came in light of an incident on a commercial flight in May, when a passenger told a flight attendant expressed concerns about Thornton. TMZ wrote that “sources with direct knowledge tell us the pilot called ahead to have law enforcement meet Thornton when they arrived at the gate.”

“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” Sony Pictures TV said in a statement. “He has been suspended from ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.”  

Thornton has been a local media presence in Los Angeles for decades, having previously worked as an afternoon anchor on KNX 1070 Newsradio, which he first joined in 1985 as a traffic reporter with Metro Traffic. He also provided traffic reports on KCBS-TV.

His other broadcast credits include Westwood One Radio Networks, and he was the voice of L.A.’s KCOP-TV for four years. He has received an Edward R. Murrow award, Golden Mike awards and an Emmy. 

The announcer joined “Wheel” after the death of the show’s previous announcer, Charlie O’Donnell, and has also worked as a substitute announcer on “The Price Is Right.”

Thornton’s other credits include “Celebrity Deathmatch,” where he voiced Johnny Gomez, and as an announcer on “The Cleveland Show” and “Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” He’s also been heard on several video games and appeared as a commercial narrator in the 2001 animated film “Monsters, Inc.” He also voiced the 2011 Oscar-nominated short animated film “Let’s Pollute.”