Sony Fires Wheel of Fortune Announcer Jim Thornton

Sony Pictures Television has fired Jim Thornton, the announcer of "Wheel of Fortune" since 2011, three days after suspending him.

"Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton's employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately," a Sony spokesman said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

The company gave no detail on what the investigation found and has not described the allegations. Sony said Tuesday only that it had "recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton" and was recasting the role while it investigated.

Thornton, 61, has not been arrested or charged with any crime. His lawyer says law enforcement determined no crime occurred.

What Is Alleged

The firing follows reports about an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles in May. TMZ published photos it says a fellow passenger took of Thornton's laptop screen; the passenger told TMZ she saw images and texts that made it appear to be a chatroom for pedophiles.

That passenger alerted a flight attendant and shared the photos, TMZ reported. The captain notified authorities, and Thornton was questioned at LAX after landing but was free to leave. The Hollywood Reporter said it has not vetted TMZ's photos and has asked the Los Angeles Airport Police Department for more detail.

Raw Story reported that Thornton was alleged to have spent nearly an hour accessing a website associated with child exploitation material during the flight. The Frank has not independently verified that timeline.

Thornton's Account

Thornton's lawyer, Allison Hart, told TMZ that he "become 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."

Hart said another member of a suicide-prevention group sent him a link to a different chatroom, Lifeline.chat, which its own website describes as "a real-time support chat for people who are attracted to children." She said that once Thornton realized what the chatroom was, he left.

Hart said the site is "not 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." She added: "In short, my client did nothing wrong."