Overview
- Sony Pictures Television confirmed Tuesday that Jim Thornton has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and that producers are seeking a replacement while they conduct a formal internal probe.
- Multiple outlets report the action traces to an alleged in-flight incident on American Airlines Flight 1276 that prompted a passenger complaint and led law enforcement to meet the plane at Los Angeles International Airport on May 14, 2026.
- Reports say officers questioned Thornton at the gate and then released him without charges, and both Sony and American Airlines have declined to disclose specific details about the allegations.
- Thornton has served as Wheel of Fortune’s announcer since about 2011 and also voices Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, so the temporary recast affects both the syndicated show and the primetime spinoff.
- Further developments are expected as Sony’s investigation proceeds, with Thornton not yet commenting publicly and media accounts relying so far on studio and airline statements plus reporting that cites TMZ sources.