Sony Pictures Television says that it is suspending Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton while it conducts an investigation into unspecified allegations. The long-running game show will recast the announcer position in the meantime.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” the company said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.”
While SPT didn’t specify what sparked the investigation, TMZ reported that it involved something that happened on a commercial flight earlier this year.
While Thornton is not the most public-facing figure on Wheel of Fortune, which is hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White, he has been the game show’s announcer since 2011. He earlier voiced episodes of fellow long-running game show The Price Is Right, which airs on CBS.
Sony Pictures Television produces Wheel, as well as Jeopardy!, which are the two most popular syndicated game shows in the country. As of Nielsen’s latest snapshot of early August, Wheel of Fortune was No. 1 in the syndicated TV space, with more than 8 million viewers, leading staples like Jeopardy!, Family Feud and Dateline. The flagship Wheel usually doubles its spinoff, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, on ABC.