Jennifer Eckhart, a former Fox Business associate producer who accused Ed Henry of sexual assault, was found dead by suicide at her Florida home on Sept. 19 at age 36. Eckhart sued Henry in 2020; Fox News fired Henry and he denied the allegations. The legal dispute continued for five years and was settled in 2025. Eckhart later founded The Reinvented Project and hosted a podcast to support trauma survivors.
Jennifer Eckhart, 36, Found Dead by Suicide After Years-Long Legal Battle With Ed Henry
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 16: Liz Roberts and Jennifer Eckhart attend the 28th Annual Champion Celebration at Gotham Hall on May 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Udo Salters/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) (Getty)
Jennifer Eckhart, a former Fox Business associate producer who publicly accused former anchor Ed Henry of sexual assault, was found dead at her home in Martin County, Florida, on Saturday, Sept. 19. Authorities confirmed the death was ruled a suicide; reports say her mother discovered her and a knife was found nearby, according to an incident report obtained by PEOPLE and reporting from TMZ.
Jennifer was only 36 (@ @jennifereckhart)
Allegations, Investigation and Legal Fight
Eckhart worked at Fox Business for seven years before leaving the network. In 2020 she filed a lawsuit accusing Henry of violently sexually assaulting her while they were employed at Fox and alleging he had photographed her for the purpose of potential blackmail. Henry has denied the allegations and said their relationship was consensual.
Ed Henry (@ gotpap/Bauer-Griffin)
Following Eckhart’s complaint and an internal review, Fox News fired Henry in July 2020. Eckhart initially named Fox News in her lawsuit, alleging the network failed to protect her; Fox was later dismissed from the suit, and that dismissal was upheld by a federal appeals court in 2025. Eckhart and Henry ultimately reached a settlement in 2025 after a five-year legal battle.
Jennifer Eckhart and Tim Beasley attend the 28th Annual Champion Celebration at Gotham Hall on May 16, 2024 (@ Getty)
Advocacy and Later Developments
After the legal fight, Eckhart became an advocate for trauma survivors. She founded The Reinvented Project, a nonprofit promoting animal-assisted therapy for survivors, and hosted the podcast REINVENTED with Jen Eckhart, which provided a platform for survivors to share their stories. Reflecting on the process, she said,
"I turned pain into purpose. Survivors do not require validation from a courtroom to emerge stronger than what tries to break them."
Alana Stewart and Ed Henry attend the Farrah Fawcett Foundation 2025 Tex-Mex Fiesta 2025 (@ Getty)
In June 2025, Eckhart was arrested on an alleged assault charge involving her then-boyfriend, Thomas Beasley; prosecutors later dropped the charge.
Context on Ed Henry
Ed Henry was terminated by Fox News in 2020 after the network said an independent investigation supported the decision. Henry sued Fox for defamation in 2021; that claim was dismissed in 2022. He has faced other public controversies, including a 2016 allegation of an extramarital affair. Media reports indicate he has had subsequent public relationships; his Instagram is now private and he is reported to continue hosting a program on a weekly schedule.
Eckhart’s final Instagram post was published on June 1, when she joked about gas prices and wrote that she was "working on some exciting stuff" she hoped to share soon.
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