Jennifer Eckhart, the former Fox News producer who sued the network and anchor Ed Henry over allegations of rape and sexual harassment, was found dead in her Florida home at age 36, months after settling a legal fight she called "retraumatizing."
The Martin County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Eckhart died by suicide. A spokesperson for the office, Christine Christofek, told the New York Post that Eckhart was found dead at her Martin County, Florida, home on Friday, September 19. The Martin County Medical Examiner's Office separately confirmed the death to Entertainment Weekly on Monday.
Eckhart had spent the final five years of her life entangled in a federal lawsuit she filed in 2020 against Fox News and journalist Ed Henry. In that complaint, she alleged Henry raped her in 2017 and had sexually harassed her for years, beginning when she was 24. She alleged he promised to advance her career in exchange for sex. Henry denied the allegations.
The lawsuit also took aim at Fox News itself, claiming the network "continues to protect and reward perpetrators of sexual harassment and refuses to take accountability for putting such persons in positions of power."
Fox News moved quickly once the allegations surfaced. A network spokesperson said the company learned of Eckhart's claims in 2020, hired an outside independent law firm to investigate, and terminated Henry within six days. He was fired in July 2020.
But the network fought Eckhart's lawsuit for years afterward. In March 2025, a federal judge dismissed Fox News as a defendant in the case. A Fox News spokesperson issued a statement at the time calling the ruling self-explanatory.
"Discovery in this matter confirmed that Fox News was not aware of their relationship or of Ms. Eckhart's allegations until after she left the company. The only people who know what happened between Mr. Henry and Ms. Eckhart are the two of them."
Fox News has faced a series of internal upheavals in recent years, from the firing of Maria Bartiromo over leaked White House texts to broader questions about how the network handles personnel controversies behind closed doors.
Three months after the judge's ruling, in June 2025, Eckhart settled what remained of her legal battle. She gave a statement to PEOPLE at the time that spoke to the toll the case had taken on her.
"This has been an exhaustive, retraumatizing, five-year legal battle with incredible challenges that at times I almost felt was unable to bear. With this settlement in place, a weight has now been lifted from my shoulders and my passion to support fellow trauma survivors has been renewed."
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. It remains unclear who the remaining defendants were after Fox News was dismissed from the case.
Born and raised in Miami, Eckhart built a career across several networks before her legal fight consumed her public identity. She worked as an associate producer at Fox Business Network and Fox Nation, served as a correspondent for ESPN Radio, and worked as an entertainment anchor for a local PBS affiliate in Gainesville, Florida.
After leaving Fox, she launched a podcast called REINVENTED With Jen Eckhart, focused on stories of people overcoming adversity. Her most recent episode was released this past March. Her personal website described her as launching a "second act" in journalism.
The network has seen several high-profile departures and staff stories in recent years. Janice Dean signed off after 22 years, citing health and family, and former employees have publicly raised questions about the gap between the network's on-air positions and its internal workplace policies.
TMZ first reported Eckhart's death. Entertainment Weekly reached out to her team for comment but received no response. It is not known whether Ed Henry or Eckhart's family have issued any public statement following her death.
Eckhart's case fits a broader pattern of current and former Fox News employees challenging the network's internal conduct, from workplace culture complaints to allegations that the company's private practices contradicted its public messaging. Whether those disputes involved vaccine mandates, personnel decisions, or sexual misconduct claims, the common thread has been employees who felt the institution failed to protect them.
In Eckhart's case, the network maintained it acted swiftly and appropriately once it learned of the allegations. The federal judge's dismissal of Fox News from the suit lent legal weight to that claim. But Eckhart's own words, describing the fight as one she "almost felt was unable to bear", suggest the process itself exacted a price the legal system does not measure.
Several key questions remain unanswered. No public record explains who Eckhart ultimately settled with in June 2025, or on what terms. The specific federal court and case number governing the lawsuit were not identified in available reporting. And no statement from Eckhart's family has surfaced.
Institutions owe their people more than a swift termination and a carefully worded press release. When the system works as designed and someone still ends up dead at 36, the system deserves harder questions than it has gotten so far.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 988.