Wheel of Fortune star Jim Thornton suspended after 'allegations concerning' him
Sony has launched a "thorough investigation" into claims made against Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton.
Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended due to "allegations" concerning him.
The star, who has appeared as the announcer on the iconic game show since 2011, has been suspended by Sony Pictures Television Studios amid a "thorough investigation" into claims made against him.
In a statement, the studio told PEOPLE magazine: "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.”
The nature of the allegations has not been confirmed.
However, TMZ has reported that the alleged incident involved Thornton and a fellow passenger on a flight back in May.
It's claimed that the passenger complained to a flight attendant about the TV star during the flight to Los Angeles.
American Airlines told PEOPLE: "On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) following concerns reported by a customer onboard.”
The airline has not identified Thornton, and no further details have been given.
The star's attorney later told TMZ: "[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 announcer first joined Wheel of Fortune 15 years ago, following the death of longtime announcer Charlie O'Donnell, who appeared on the show from 1979 to 1980, and again from 1989 to 2010.
Thornton also had a run as a try-out announcer on 10 episodes of The Price Is Right in 2004, while he later voiced Johnny Gomez in Celebrity Deathmatch across 16 episodes in 2006 and 2007, and was heard in two 2009 episodes of The Cleveland Show.
On the big screen, he lent his voice to Monsters, Inc. as a commercial narrator in the 2001 animated classic.
