‘Wheel of Fortune’ announcer Jim Thornton suspended amid investigation

Sony Pictures Television has suspended longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton while the studio investigates unspecified allegations against him.

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

It was not immediately clear if that means episodes already produced will be recut to replace Thornton’s voice, though removing that audio would likely be a relatively simple change. 

Things could get more complicated if any hosts refer to Thornton on-air, though, in many cases that could prove to be a simple edit. If Thornton made an on-camera appearance during an episode, which is relatively rare, it could likely be removed without affecting the gameplay. 

Thornton was still featured in the Sept. 1, 2026, episode of the show, likely because news of the suspension happened too late to provide stations with an updated episode file. 

Sony did not disclose the nature of the allegations. TMZ reported that the investigation is connected to an incident aboard a commercial flight earlier this year.

Thornton has served as the announcer for “Wheel” since 2011. The syndicated game show is hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White.

Before joining “Wheel,” Thornton also provided announcing work for episodes of CBS’s “The Price is Right.”

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Sony Pictures Television produces both “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!,” which have both been two of the highest-rated programs in first-run syndication for years.