Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton is clapping back. The network recently suspended him from the long-running game show.
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However, Thornton is maintaining his innocence. He denied doing anything wrong and questioned the reason behind his suspension. The announcer said he "did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested, and has not been charged with any crime." His attorney released a statement to TMZ.
"When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go," Thornton's attorney continued.
'Wheel of Fortune' Announcer Suspended
Wheel of Fortune chose to suspend Thornton as announcer from the game show on September 1. Sony Pictures Television is currently investigating the incident and exactly what happened. In the meantime, they chose to recast the announcer on the show while filming continues.
"He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation," the studio said in a statement to PEOPLE.
So far, the exact allegations have been kept hush-hush. No one has revealed what the Wheel of Fortune announcer is accused of. However, it reportedly happened while on a commercial flight back in May. A passenger reportedly complained to a flight attendant about the game show host.
Apparently, things devolved from there. Law enforcement then showed up at the airport and met the plane at the gate.
"On ?May 14, ?American Airlines ?Flight ?1276 ?was met by ?law enforcement ?upon ?arrival at ?Los ?Angeles ?International ?Airport ?(LAX) following concerns reported by a customer ?onboard," American Airlines said in a statement to PEOPLE.
At the time, the airline did not specify that it was Thornton they were referring to. Thornton is out for now as announcer. He has maintained the gig since 2011. He took over for the late greate Charlie O'Donnell, who served as announcer on Wheel of Fortune for decades. Outside of the game show, Thornton appeared on The Price Is Right and The Soup.
