{"id":8415,"date":"2026-09-04T18:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T18:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8415"},"modified":"2026-09-04T18:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T18:08:16","slug":"wheel-of-fortune-host-jim-thornton-caught-on-pedophile-chat-before-suspension-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8415","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Wheel of Fortune\u2019 host Jim Thornton caught on pedophile chat before suspension: report"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d host Jim Thornton\u2019s suspension was triggered after he was allegedly spotted looking at a pedophile support chatroom onboard an American Airlines flight back in May, according to a report.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8413\">Zendaya\u2019s mom hits back at \u2018sad,\u2019 \u2018terrible\u2019 online comments about her looks<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In images obtained by TMZ, the longtime television host can be seen seated on the plane, his laptop out in front of him on his tray table. He appeared to be scrolling on a website called lifeline.chat, a web service apparently dedicated to helping those with pedophilic thoughts. One message appeared to refer to the eatery, Golden Corral, as \u201can all-you-can-eat Boyfett\u201d while another mentioned a \u201cCouple of cute boys and a hot little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other posts referenced masturbation on a \u201c737\u201d plane, with one person writing, \u201cDoes it count as the mile high club if its a handjob?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another mentioned someone getting caught for \u201clooking at CP on his laptop ON THE FLIGHT.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A fellow passenger aboard the same plane \u2014 \u00a0which had been traveling from Charlotte, N.C., to Los Angeles \u2014 apparently caught Thornton on the page and reported his internet activity to a flight attendant. He was met and questioned by authorities when the plane touched down at LAX, but he was not arrested nor charged.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement to TMZ, Thornton\u2019s lawyer Allison Hart, said he was on the page by mistake and that he instead intended to visit the suicide prevention website, 988lifeline.org.<\/p>\n<p>Thornton has \u201cbecome active in suicide-prevention advocacy since losing a close family member to suicide two years ago, and he has spent time visiting chat rooms offering support to individuals suffering from suicidal ideation,\u201d Hart said, adding that the announcer exited the chatroom when he realized his mistake.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8411\">Cash buried in California politician\u2019s backyard helped expose huge marijuana corruption scheme<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Timestamps from the images indicate that the announcer was in the chatroom for at least 57 minutes.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hart further noted that it is \u201cnot unlawful, there is no unlawful child pornography or other pedophilic content, and my client never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thornton joined \u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d back in 2011, when Pat Sajak was still hosting with assistant Vanna White. Since Sajak retired in 2024, he has starred on the show with both White and Ryan Seacrest.<\/p>\n<p>Sony Pictures Television announced his suspension from the game show earlier this month, after the accusations came to light on Sept. 1.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,\u201d a Sony spokesperson told multiple media outlets. \u201cHe has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8409\">Inman Down Under: How to spend a day chasing 49ers\u2019 Australian arrival<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thornton&#8217;s suspension was triggered after he was allegedly spotted looking at a pedophile support chatroom onboard a California-bound flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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