Fired 'Wheel of Fortune' Host Accused of Online Pedophilia Chatroom Activity
Former 'Wheel of Fortune' announcer Jim Thornton's employment has been terminated after he was accused of engaging in an alleged online pedophilia chatroom on a flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles in May. A passenger took photos of Thornton's laptop, showing him in the chatroom, and alerted a flight attendant. According to the photos, shortly after being asked to close his laptop, Thornton searched for 'panic' on Google, with the AI response reading: 'No link to your room: Unless you explicitly told someone 'I am hosting this specific chatroom on for right now,' nobody ... at your internet ... and link your ... identity to ... room.'
A line in the search results was obscured by Thornton's hand, but it appeared to read 'Why You … to Panic.' The passenger who took photos said Thornton seemed nervous after being asked to close his laptop. A spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television Studios confirmed that Thornton had been fired from his position on 'Wheel of Fortune' following a thorough investigation.
A lawyer for Thornton claimed that he did not engage in any illegal conduct and was not arrested or charged with any crime. The lawyer stated that law enforcement spoke to Thornton for five minutes or less, determined that no wrongdoing had occurred, and told him he was free to go. However, the passenger who took photos disputed this account, saying that the flight attendant asked Thornton to close his laptop due to concerns about the chatroom.