Entertainment
Jim Thornton Scrubbed From Marshall University Website After ‘Wheel’ Firing
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Jim Thornton
Scrubbed From Alma Mater’s Website After Firing
Published
Jim Thornton is being scrubbed from more than just “Wheel of Fortune” … his alma mater appears to be distancing itself from him as well … in the wake of his pedo chatroom scandal.
Marshall University appears to have removed multiple references to Thornton from its website … including webpages celebrating him as its 2026 Spring Commencement speaker and 2025 Homecoming Grand Marshal … with links now leading to 404 error pages.
A Marshall University spokesperson tells TMZ … “At this time, Marshall University is aware of the media reports regarding Jim Thornton and is actively monitoring the situation.”
That’s a sharp turn for Thornton — a Marshall alum who was getting the hometown-hero treatment from the school just months ago.
As TMZ previously reported … Thornton was fired from “Wheel of Fortune” last week after Sony investigated an incident aboard an American Airlines flight.
A passenger told a flight attendant she saw Thornton in an online chatroom she believed was for pedophiles. Police questioned him after the plane landed at LAX, but he was not arrested or charged.
Thornton’s attorney has maintained he accidentally entered the wrong chatroom while trying to visit a suicide-prevention forum and quickly left.
TMZ also reported ‘Wheel’ began removing Thornton from its social media and re-editing already-taped episodes to replace his announcing work.
Now, Marshall appears to be doing some editing of its own.