‘Wheel of Fortune’ fires announcer Jim Thornton after alleged in-flight incident

Editor's note: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.

"Wheel of Fortune" has fired longtime announcer Jim Thornton following an investigation stemming from an alleged incident aboard a flight in May.

"Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately," a spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television said in a Sept. 4 statement to USA TODAY.

Sony previously confirmed on Sept. 1 that Thornton had been suspended and that the show had begun recasting his role while the investigation was underway.

USA TODAY has reached out to Thornton's attorney for comment.

TMZ was first to report Thornton's firing.

His firing comes after TMZ published photos on Sept. 3 purportedly showing Thornton, 61, browsing a website on his laptop while on a flight in May.

The outlet said the images were provided by a passenger who filed a complaint with American Airlines. According to TMZ, the website shown on Thornton's laptop was a chat forum containing exchanges that referenced sexual content, including minors, as well as a link to an Instagram post about the arrest of a man in London for viewing indecent images of children on his phone while using public transportation.

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/entertainment/