Wheel of Fortune fans will know the voice of Jim Thornton well, as Jim has been the announcer on the game show for 16 years. But moving forward there will be a new voice, as the broadcaster has been suspended from the show amid unspecified allegations.
"We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton. He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation," a spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television said in a statement.
Jim has been at the mic since 2010 when he took over from Wheel of Fortune's longtime announcer Charlie O'Donnell.
TMZ reports that the suspension comes almost four months after an alleged incident on a commercial flight when a passenger expressed concerns about Jim's behavior. Law enforcement reportedly met Jim when they arrived at the gate.
Family life
Born in West Virginia, Jim studied linguistics at Marshall University in his hometown of Huntington before moving to Los Angeles to begin his broadcasting career.
It was here he met his wife Sue, and the pair welcomed their son, Sam.
Very little is known about Jim's family, with son Sam keeping a low profile. Sam was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2009, and Jim became a supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (now known as Breakthrough T1D).
West Virginia history
Jim and Sue have maintained a close connection to his hometown, and in recent years have been preserving his childhood home, a Federal-era property on the banks of the Ohio River with incredibly important history to the region.
The home was a former local post office, and may have been part of the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe houses and routes used by enslaved people to escape to free states and Canada, before and during the Civil War.
Early years in LA
Jim's career began in 1983, and he has had a long local media presence, hosting his own morning show on Magic 94.3 FM in the San Fernando Valley, and later working as the afternoon anchor of KNX 1070 Newsradio for decades.
His work scaled back when he joined Wheel of Fortune in 2010.
He has also provided traffic reports on KCBS-TV, and was a voice on Westwood One Radio Networks and LA's KCOP-TV for four years.
He is an Emmys winner and has also received the Edward R. Murrow award and Golden Mike awards.
In 2021 Jim also became the announcer for Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on ABC.
TV appearance
In 2023 Jim made an unexpected TV appearance on Wheel of Fortune, swapping places with then-host Pat Sajak to surprise a fan during the Bonus round.
"I love Jim Thornton so much," said Sarah, a New Hampshire resident, to Pat. "And how could someone not? His voice? So soothing and energizing. He's hilarious, and he just is such a good person. And when he’s not on the show, when I don’t see his face, I just hear his voice, I worry about him. So, I’m so glad he’s here."
"I'm starstruck," Jim later joked after hosting the round and meeting Sarah.
Jim has also provided the voice of Johnny Gomez in Celebrity Deathmatch, and appeared in video games, including Hitman: Blood Money and Mafia II.
