“Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton was fired by Sony after an investigation, following a mid-flight incident in May.
The performer was interrogated by police after his behavior during a flight was flagged by another passenger. TMZ, who first reported Thornton’s initial suspension, later shared screenshots of troubling chat room activity captured by the passenger.
“Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with ‘Wheel of Fortune’ has been terminated, effectively immediately,” the studio said in a statement to media.
Thornton’s termination comes just three days after he was suspended by Sony Pictures Television, which followed the initial report from TMZ that an incident occurred on a commercial plane that was escalated from a complaint from a passenger to a flight attendent.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” a Sony Pictures TV spokesperson said in a statement at the time. “He has been suspended from ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.”
The company did not provide details regarding the allegations, but the incident eventually made it up the chain high enough for the pilot to call ahead to law enforcement to have them meet Thornton at the gate. He was questioned before being released from law enforcement.
“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,” American Airlines said in a statement to media.
The announcer’s lawyer told TMZ Wednesday he “did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested and has not been charged with any crime.”
“When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go,” the attorney continued.