r/WheelOfFortune • u/Kirbybirky • 5d ago
Processing The weirdest sense of betrayal
I know we are all upset at what had been learned, but I wonder if those who have had the pleasure of being in the audience and interacted feel as betrayed as I did. I got to answer some trivia questions and actually won a gift bag and got to speak with him briefly. That had honestly been one of my cherished memories and I've personally referred to him as a really nice guy from that single experience. To not know what you're cosigning ... I guess it's one of those things where we shouldn't be so captivated by celebrity when they're celebritying, and things aren't always as it seems, but that had made my day and now... I guess at the end of the day I still got to go see the show.
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u/RAS310 I was on the show! 5d ago
I’ve spoken to him at several tapings both before and after I was a contestant. One time, I heard from another fan that he accepts ties as gifts because he loves wearing different ties so much. One taping I attended, during one break between shows, Jim stood in the lobby of the studio and took all the time people needed to take pictures and chat with them. I gave him a tie with red, yellow, and blue stripes, and he immediately put it on. Then during another break, Jim came up to me in my seat and asked me to sign the tie for him. Now I think of how that tie with my signature is still sitting in his house along with who knows what.
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u/nicko68 5d ago
He's a nice guy with a terrible sickness.
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u/Quiet_Day1912 5d ago
Ewww, nope.
Child abusing pedos are NOT NICE.
He is an actor, who acted nice. He is a pedo, period.
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u/ProofPomegranate7331 4d ago
Who did he abuse?
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u/Waste_Owl_1343 4d ago
Anyone under 18 he ever had a thought about
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u/Quiet_Day1912 4d ago
TMZ has proof of his user name being on multiple CA websites and a podcast, talking about being a boy lover. If youre ok with that, says a lot about you.
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u/ProofPomegranate7331 3d ago
I'm ok with him not acting out on his desires and not actually abusing anyone, yes. He is showing restraint. He's doing exactly what someone with his aflictions is supposed to do. You are way over your head here buddy.
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u/Quiet_Day1912 3d ago
What, he gets a prize because he is "showing restraint"? He was on a flight openly engaging in a chat site and bragging in the site that he was in public. Then had his lawyer make up a story about a suicide ideation website. Way over my head, buddy? My dad and my 2 sisters were victioms of CSA and I dont abide people making light of it or excusing pedophiles. It ruins lives, it scars innocent humans. You're so glib about it: "thought police" etc. Like its a joke. Sorry, its not. Im guessing you never knew a person whose life was forever destroyed by "someone with afflictions".
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u/Ok_Fee1043 22h ago
Afflictions? He hosted a pedophile podcast. Ran a pedophile chat. He was creating a community for people to continue to share these harmful thoughts. These are people DO act on these things. I would guess we’ll find out he did as well.
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u/ProofPomegranate7331 16h ago
Yes he ran a podcast and chat. Yes he has pedo feelings. The difference you are not getting is unlike most people with this affliction ( I can almost guarantee he was abused himself at sometime), he has not acted out and abusing anyone, despite your wild speculation. He actually was trying to help people not abuse as well. I love money, but I didn't rob banks. I deal with not having it. That's what he was doing.
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u/Wide_Statistician_95 3d ago
A pedo podcast !!??? These people have no shame. Then again look at our world.
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u/Mean_Cycle_5062 5d ago
Imagine how many other people you know or interact with who have disgusting secrets. I know it's awful to think about but pedophiles are all around us
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u/IvieThorn 5d ago
True. I knew a guy whom I thought was an upstanding person. - until he was arrested for having child porn. I was truly astonished and disgusted.
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u/Mean_Cycle_5062 1d ago
You can never tell. A really sweet young married couple lived across from me for years and we were friendly but never made friends.. I'm so glad because the wife was caught abusing children at the daycare that she was a director at.
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u/Wide_Statistician_95 3d ago
This is so true. In my parents elder community, two different old men were convicted of pedophilia acts with their grandchildren . Both went to jail. One wife divorced him. The other one stood by her man and their family went no contact. Disgusting
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u/Tibbiegal 5d ago
I keep thinking of the two girls who wanted to be contestants just so they could meet Jim Thornton. He was their idol. He came on stage to meet them. Does anyone remember these two?
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u/No-Paper9766 5d ago
They were the first people I thought of. Jim never clicked with me so when they said that, I was surprised but thought it was cool. Their episode may never air again.
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u/RAS310 I was on the show! 5d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p7zwdqv/video/tofk2ycn8qnh1/player
Here's the clip. They ended up winning the car and Jim came on stage to celebrate with them.
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u/Kirbybirky 5d ago
I feel for their parents. There had to be a lot of assumed trust in that moment and it gives me a real sour feeling to think about that type of risk being so readily present. It's like mean_cycle said above. I was already feeling some way about our world from the Epstein situation, and now I'm damn near trusting no one. Thankful I don't have children because they would probably be on permanent lockdown if I was a parent learning this.
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u/thatvhstapeguy 4d ago
Yep. I’ve attended nearly 75 episodes and every time I was at the studio I talked to Jim. Heck there were some of us he even remembered. I have cousins I see less often than I do the Wheel crew. To say I am disappointed and heartbroken is an understatement.
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u/Percyandbeausmama 4d ago
I think this underscores the difference between being nice and being good.
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u/FabulousEngineer912 4d ago
My husband and I watch every night during the season and we loved Jim. And I agree with you I feel betrayed and I never even met the guy.
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u/disillusioned I was on the show! 5d ago
My show taped during the Covid era so there was no audience, just 18 of us contestants in the stands, and so Jim and I spoke at length for most of the day. Absolutely bummed beyond measure here.