The organizers of the pedophilia chatroom allegedly used by axed “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton issued a statement explaining why the site “even exists.”
One week after the 61-year-old made headlines for accessing LifeLine Chat on an airplane, the company explained, “LifeLine operates a support chat room for people attracted to children and adolescents.
“We have strict rules against any kind of illicit behavior, including the sharing of criminalized images,” the organization clarified. “Those who violate the rules are swiftly banned and their messages removed as soon as possible.”
The statement continued, “[The site] exists because most people attracted to minors are fully capable of behaving responsibly, yet extremely distressed by the stigmatization of their feelings.
“They need a place to talk, ensuring better mental health, leading to more positive outcomes for themselves and their local communities,” LifeLine Chat added.
Additionally, the company noted that users can send “messages that the public may consider ‘offensive’ so long as they do not cross legal boundaries or put anyone at risk of harm.”
The statement continued, “Via this methodology, we have successfully diverted users from making bad decisions that would have endangered themselves or others. … Unfortunately, there is no safe way for minor-attracted people to access professional support in the majority of cases.”
Citing the “severe risk of being reported to authorities simply for disclosing one’s feelings,” the statement asked, “Who would seek therapy under the very real threat of being outed and shunned as a ‘pedophile?’ The metaphorical lynching of the celebrity who allegedly visited our chat illustrates this clearly.”
The organization concluded, “LifeLine exists precisely because the world is so incredibly hateful and punitive that minor-attracted people have no other means of support.”
Thornton was photographed on the site mid-flight in May, with a fellow passenger alerting a flight attendant.
According to American Airlines, he was “was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport following concerns reported by a customer onboard.”
When news broke earlier this month, Thornton’s lawyer exclusively told Page Six he was “misdirected” there by websites providing support for individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Claiming Thornton had “left the page and has not visited since,” the attorney alleged the former news anchor had “never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time” and “was never arrested or charged with a crime.”
However, TMZ published pictures of Thornton’s laptop showing him appearing to participate in the chatroom for nearly an hour, per timestamps.
He was also spotted reading an illegible A.I. response to a Google search about “Why You … to Panic,” reading, “No link to your room: Unless you explicitly told someone ‘I am hosting this specific chatroom on for right now,’ nobody … at your internet … and link your … identity to … room.”
While Thornton was initially suspended from “Wheel of Fortune,” he has since been fired from the game show as he is edited out of the upcoming season.
Thornton, whose social media accounts subsequently went dark, has not been arrested or charged in connection with the incident and has yet to speak out.
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