A LAWYER FOR JIM THORNTON says he only visited lifeline.chat—an illicit chatroom for paedophiles—by mistake, believing it was a suicide prevention site. But a user with the same pseudonym was active for at least two years on another paedophilia discussion site, where they posted a photo of a topless boy, professed their love of lifeline.chat, compared being a paedophile to having “the force,” and left comments like “I am only wearing a diaper.”
Thornton was fired from Wheel of Fortune today, just hours after TMZ published photos that showed him messaging into a paedophilia chatroom while on a flight.
According to TMZ, the forum in question—lifeline.chat—is a site “for people with pedophilic thoughts.” But Thornton’s attorney, Alison Hart, told TMZ her client only visited the site by mistake, claiming he had “become active in suicide-prevention advocacy since losing a close family member to suicide two years ago, and he has spent time visiting chat rooms offering support to individuals suffering from suicidal ideation.”
In the photos published by TMZ, Thornton can be seen using the pseudonym “NicholasB77.”
The same username was a regular commenter on boychat.org, another hub for paedophiles to discuss their urges and whose rules include a ban on any illegal content. On that website, NicholasB77 frequently expressed their love for Lifeline and at least four times posted a photo of a topless boy. The posts range from around mid-2023 to late-2025.
One post, published on July 9, 2025, said: “Lifeline is open! […] Yay! And that is good for a cleaner, safer world.” It included the photo of the topless boy which the user would repost several times across different posts. (I’m not linking to any pages that include photos).
Another comment, published nearly two months later on September 2, 2025, said: “Lifeline is open! […] And I am wearing only a diaper.”
Elsewhere, NicholasB77 offered personal advice to fellow members on how to stay out of trouble, including a list of “things I’d tell my 20-something self now that I’m older.” In a March 25, 2025 post, the user urged others to “stay clean and legal,” advising: “Yeah, you’re a BL [boy lover]. So enjoy and make relationships with boys as you can. These happen organically if you have a full and active life—just don’t be that creepy guy.”
The post warned against disclosing paedophilic feelings outside of the forum, writing, “Don’t come out to any non-BL’s. I never tried it, but from what I’ve heard, it seldom winds up good, or as expected.” Encouraging members to reframe their desires, NicholasB77 wrote: “FEEL GOOD about being a BL! You have something inside you that relatively few people have. It’s like ‘The Force,’ in ‘Star Wars.’ Used wisely, being a BL is a great motivator to work hard and get more joy from life.”
The user also mentions having befriended two paedophiles who are “safe, law-abiding BL’s” and that “it is the most wonderful thing to find another unicorn.”
In another post, NicholasB77 weighed in on the arrest of former College Park, Maryland Mayor Patrick Wojahn after he was charged with possessing and distributing child sex abuse material. The rambling August 2023 post wished a “Happy Birthday” to the disgraced politician, with the user writing that they “wished I could be a juror in his trial” and lamenting the plea deal (Wojahn was subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison).
“No matter how lonely and constraining our lives can be, we’re of more use to our cause and to each other walking free than becoming another locked-up pedophile,” NicholasB77 added.
I was unable to find Thornton’s lawyer for comment.
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