Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended from the show while Sony Pictures Television conducts a "thorough investigation" into allegations involving him. A studio spokeswoman confirmed the suspension and said the show is currently recasting the announcer role during the investigation. According to TMZ, the allegations stem from an incident that reportedly occurred on an American Airlines flight in May. American Airlines confirmed to Deadline that law enforcement met the plane upon its arrival in Los Angeles on May 14 after a passenger raised concerns. The airline did not provide further details about the nature of the reported concerns. Thornton's attorney told TMZ that the announcer "did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested, and has not been charged with any crime." The attorney added that law enforcement spoke to Thornton for less than five minutes, determined no wrongdoing had occurred, and allowed him to leave. Despite the suspension, Thornton appeared in a pre-taped episode of Wheel of Fortune that aired on Tuesday. The 61-year-old has been the show's announcer since 2011, taking over after the death of longtime announcer Charlie O'Donnell in 2010. He has also appeared on ABC's Celebrity Wheel of Fortune since its 2021 debut and has participated in over 2,200 episodes of the show. Thornton has had a long and varied career in media. He currently serves as the afternoon anchor on Los Angeles' all-news radio station KNX 1070. He has also provided voice acting for characters such as Johnny Gomez in Celebrity Deathmatch and the announcer in The Cleveland Show. His work extends to video games, where he has contributed to titles like Hitman: Blood Money and Mafia II.