The passenger who was sitting next to Thornton on a May 14 American Airlines flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Los Angeles took photos of him looking at, reading and seemingly engaging in a conversation on “lifeline.chat,” a website which purportedly claims to offer mental health support to individuals with pedophilic thoughts.
uncertain
which → sit → thoughts
In two of the pics, messages — presumably from Thornton — were written in the chat bar.
asserted
messages → write → bar
These messages were later sent to the chatroom by username “NicholasB77,” per additional pictures.
asserted
messages → send → pictures
During the dialogue, which lasted roughly an hour per displayed timestamps, user “NicholasB77” made a comment about how Golden Corral is a “nice hangout for kids” and that they saw “a couple of cute boys and a hot little girl” while dining there the day before.
asserted
they → last → boys
The user added in the next message, “All-you-can-eat Boyffet.”
asserted
you → add → Boyffet
User “NicholasB77” later wrote, “It’s crazy doing Lifeline from the sky.”
asserted
It → write → sky
When someone replied, “Wait you’re on a plane right [now]?
asserted
you → reply → plane
What if someone sees?”
asserted
someone → see → ?
User “NicholasB77” wrote back, “Yes exactly!
asserted
User → write → ?
What if someone sees a random sequence of lines on a screen.
asserted
someone → see → screen
I love it.
asserted
I → love → it
I hide the part that says ‘Lifeline’ so it’s just a few lines.
asserted
it → hide → Lifeline
It’s a big middle finger to da man who takes away every other enjoyable activity we CL’s have.”
asserted
CL → ’ → activity
When someone then said, “I mean [I guess] it’s not like you’re doing anything illegal lol,” user “NicholasB77” replied, “Wait’ll I fire up Boymoment and start looking at the galleries!
asserted
I → say → galleries
Someone then warned “NicholasB77” to not be like “the guy that got arrested getting off the tube because he had CP as his phone wallpaper.”
asserted
he → warn → wallpaper
User “NicholasB77” replied, “Yeah right?
asserted
User → reply → ?
I mean truly the fact that I don’t do any of that stuff makes me say ‘f–k it.’
asserted
me → mean → it
Reps for Thornton, American Airlines and Sony Pictures Television Studios did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
asserted
Reps → respond → comment
As Page Six reported earlier Friday, a Sony Pictures Television Studios spokesperson confirmed that Thornton had been fired after an investigation into the flight incident.
asserted
Thornton → report → incident
“Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with ‘Wheel of Fortune’ has been terminated, effective immediately,” a statement obtained by Page Six read.
asserted
statement → follow → Page
Earlier this week — before the aforementioned images became public — a rep for Sony initially announced that they had suspended Thornton.
asserted
they → become → Thornton
They stated that the company had “recently been made aware of allegations” against him.
asserted
company → state → him
A rep for American Airlines later said that the aircraft in question “was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport following concerns reported by a customer onboard,” but the rep also did not elaborate on the nature of the incident.
asserted
rep → say → incident
It was at this time that Thornton’s attorney, Allison Hart, told Page Six her client “did nothing wrong.”
asserted
client → tell → nothing
According to Hart, Thornton — who is “active in suicide-prevention advocacy” and frequents both 988lifeline.org and its chat forum, chat.988lifeline.org — was “misdirected to a forum with a similar URL, the forum lifeline.chat,” by an “acquaintance in the suicide prevention space.”
uncertain
who → accord → space
When Thornton — who shares one son with his wife of 35 years, Sue Thornton — realized what the website was about, he allegedly “left the page and has not visited since,” Hart claimed.
uncertain
Hart → share → page
She went on to insist that the website “lifeline.chat” itself “is not unlawful, there is no unlawful child pornography or other pedophilic content,” adding that her client “has never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time.”
uncertain
client → go → time
Hart stressed that Jim, 61, “was never arrested or charged with a crime,” claiming law enforcement “immediately confirmed that no crime had occurred” and told her client he was “free to go.”
asserted
he → stress → client
Reps for the Los Angeles International Airport Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
asserted
Reps → respond → comment
Meanwhile, a rep for the FBI told us, “As a matter of policy, the FBI neither confirms nor denies the existence of investigations.”
asserted
FBI → tell → investigations
Conversation
Your voice matters.
asserted
voice → matter → ?
Discussions are moderated for civility.
asserted
Discussions → moderate → civility
"Wheel of Fortune" announcer Jim Thornton (seen above in a pic obtained by TMZ) has been fired following an investigation into an airline incident.
asserted
Thornton → see → incident
TMZ obtained pics (including the one above) of Thornton browsing a disturbing pedophilia chatroom while aboard a cross-country commercial flight.
asserted
Thornton → obtain → flight
Thornton appeared to participate in the conversation, as seemingly typed out messages could be seen in the chat bar of some of the photos.
uncertain
messages → appear → photos
In two of the pics, messages — presumably from Thornton — were written in the chat bar.
asserted
messages → write → bar
These messages were later sent to the chatroom by username "NicholasB77," per additional pictures.
asserted
messages → send → pictures
The dialogue lasted roughly an hour per displayed timestamps in the TMZ pics.
asserted
dialogue → last → pics
Reps for Thornton, American Airlines and Sony Pictures Television Studios did not immediately respond to Page Six's requests for comment.
asserted
Reps → respond → comment
Earlier Friday, a Sony Pictures Television Studios spokesperson confirmed that Thornton had been fired following an investigation into the incident.
asserted
Thornton → confirm → incident
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
