MARSHALL SCRUBBED JIM THORNTON FROM ITS WEBSITE
Marshall University appeared to scrub Jim Thornton from its website after the Wheel of Fortune announcer was fired.
By September 8, 2026, multiple references to Thornton had vanished from the school’s site, TMZ reported. The deleted pages had identified him as the university’s 2026 Spring Commencement speaker and its 2025 Homecoming Grand Marshal. Links to those pages led to error pages.
A Marshall spokesperson stayed measured when TMZ asked about it.
“At this time, Marshall University is aware of the media reports regarding Jim Thornton and is actively monitoring the situation.”
Thornton has deep ties to the school. USA TODAY reported he began working in broadcast as a Marshall student in 1983.
The airline incident behind the firing
TMZ reported Sony investigated an incident aboard an American Airlines flight before Thornton lost his job. Headline Reporter identified the flight as one on May 14, 2026.
A passenger allegedly told a flight attendant she saw Thornton in an online chatroom she believed was for pedophiles, TMZ reported. That is the passenger’s allegation.
Police questioned Thornton after the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport, TMZ reported. He was not arrested or charged.
Thornton’s attorney denied any wrongdoing, Headline Reporter reported.
What happened next
On September 1, 2026, Sony Pictures Television confirmed Thornton had been suspended. A spokesperson gave USA TODAY a statement.
“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.”
Headline Reporter reported Sony terminated Thornton as the show’s announcer on September 4, 2026.
A Sony spokesperson later said in a statement that the company had finished its review. “Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately,” the statement said, as reported on TMZ’s Thornton coverage page.
Wheel of Fortune began re-editing already-taped episodes to replace his announcing work, TMZ reported.
The show’s latest taping went ahead without an announcer after his firing, TMZ reported.
