‘WOF’ Bosses Fear Losing Ryan Seacrest Amid Jim Thornton Scandal, Shares Source
‘WOF’ Bosses Fear Losing Ryan Seacrest Amid Jim Thornton Scandal, Shares Source
Wheel of Fortune has recently made headlines after the removal of announcer Jim Thornton from the show. Since then, reports have come out claiming that higher-ups are concerned that the fallout could soon cost the show its host, Ryan Seacrest. Since then, an attorney has also issued a statement on Thornton’s behalf.
Jim Thornton Was Removed From Wheel Of Fortune As The Show Returns For Season 44
Sony previously confirmed that Jim Thornton was terminated from Wheel of Fortune earlier this month. This came about after an investigation into allegations concerning the announcer and an online chat room. He has not been arrested or charged.
It was previously reported that Thornton would be digitally edited out of upcoming episodes. This comes out as the long-running game show was set to debut Season 44, which premieres on September 14, 2026.
Jim Thornton – TenPoundHammer_Wikimedia Commons
Following the incident, inside sources shared that the show could soon lose Ryan Seacrest next. As fans know, Seacrest joined the show in 2024, following the exit of Pat Sajak.
Speaking with Closer Weekly, a source shared, “[It’s] a terrible situation for the Wheel of Fortune universe, which includes the people making the show, its millions of fans, and the bosses at Sony TV who call the shots.” The insider also noted that Thornton “went from a cog in the WoF machine to a volcano of bad press for the franchise overnight.”
For the time being, as the source confirmed, “the focus for Sony is on isolating Ryan and Vanna White from the damage this is doing to the show’s reputation. It’s going to be very difficult for Sony to put the focus back on the episodes they’ve been pumping out when Jim’s exit is so fresh in everybody’s minds, and Ryan is somebody who is particularly allergic to any kind of scandal and innuendo.”
An Attorney Has Also Released A Statement On Thornton’s Behalf
The source also suggested that decisions might need to be made soon to keep Seacrest on the show. As they shared, “Ryan doesn’t need these kinds of bad vibes when he’s still deciding how much more time he wants to devote to this job. Sony needs to incentivize him to stick around and weather this storm with them. And they need to do that as soon as possible!”
Meanwhile, in a statement with Page Six, attorney Allison Hart released a statement concerning Thornton. She claimed that he mistakenly accessed “lifeline.chat” while believing it was connected to the suicide-prevention site 988lifelife.org.
Jim Thornton – YouTube
Hart wrote, “My client has 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.” She also added that he left the site once he realized what it was.
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