Veteran Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended while his role in the game show is being recast as an investigation is conducted, Sony Pictures Television has confirmed.
“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 spokeswoman for the studio told multiple outlets.
The studio has not publicly identified Thornton’s temporary replacement.
The suspension relates to an alleged incident on an American Airlines flight back in May, according to TMZ, which first reported the news.
For its part, Sony Pictures Television did not provide a direct reason for the 61-year-old’s suspension from the show other than to confirm the allegations are now being tested.
However, TMZ maintains the alleged incident arose while Thornton was on a commercial flight back in May, and a passenger complained to a flight attendant about Thornton.
The pilot allegedly called ahead to have law enforcement meet Thornton when they arrived at the gate.
Jim Thornton’s lawyer released a statement on the allegation to TMZ which went into more detail while affirming his client’s innocence.
His lawyer said, via TMZ, that the accused, “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.”
Thornton became announcer of Wheel of Fortune in September 2011. He auditioned for the role in December 2010 after previous announcer Charlie O’Donnell’s death and was confirmed as the show’s new announcer on June 13, 2011.