Former Wheel of Fortune contestant Joshua Beach defended Jim Thornton as online criticism intensified around the former announcer.
Beach said some of the material he had seen disturbed him. However, he argued that people should not reach definitive conclusions before authorities established the facts.
Joshua Beach defends Jim Thornton and urges critics not to rush to judgment
Beach addressed the Jim Thornton backlash in a lengthy Facebook post. He said he had reviewed photos and reports about the chatroom that allegedly appeared on Thornton’s screen during a flight.
“I’m also not comfortable watching the internet take a series of photographs and immediately turn them into a complete judgment of another human being,” Beach wrote.
The controversy began after a fellow airline passenger reportedly saw what appeared to be a chatroom associated with pedophilia on Thornton’s screen. Law enforcement later questioned Thornton.
Authorities did not arrest or charge him, according to the source.
Sony subsequently ended its working relationship with Thornton after conducting its own investigation.
Beach stressed that he did not claim to know whether Thornton had done anything wrong. Instead, he objected to social media users presenting their conclusions as established facts.
“I’m not saying I know Jim is innocent,” he wrote.
Beach argued that people criticizing Thornton also lacked complete information about what had happened.
“‘Innocent until proven guilty’ shouldn’t just be something we say when it’s easy,” he added.
Beach also explained why the controversy had affected him personally. He considered Thornton one of his heroes and said the allegations did not erase what Thornton’s career had meant to him.
Despite acknowledging that some of the reported material looked “disturbing,” Beach refused to join those who had already condemned the former Wheel of Fortune announcer.
“I wish he could see this so he could know he isn’t universally hated,” Beach wrote.
Thornton had not faced criminal charges at the time of the source report. However, Sony’s decision meant he would no longer continue his professional relationship with the show.
Beach’s post did not attempt to clear Thornton of wrongdoing. Instead, the former contestant urged people to wait for more information before making a final judgment.
