Authorities said the 36-year-old was found dead Sept. 19 at her Hobe Sound home in Martin County, Florida.
HOBE SOUND, FL — Jennifer Eckhart, a former Fox News staffer and Fox Business associate producer who later became a podcast host and nonprofit founder, died by suicide at her Martin County home, authorities said. She was 36.
Eckhart was found dead Saturday, Sept. 19, according to a Martin County Sheriff’s Office incident report cited by multiple news organizations. Christine Christofek, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the death had been ruled a suicide. The Martin County Medical Examiner’s Office also confirmed Eckhart’s death to news outlets. Authorities had not publicly released additional information about the investigation as of Monday.
Eckhart spent about seven years working for Fox, including as an associate producer for Fox Business. Her career later shifted toward independent journalism, podcasting and advocacy. In recent years, she hosted “REINVENTED with Jen Eckhart,” an interview series centered on people who had changed direction in their personal or professional lives after facing major challenges.
Born and raised in Miami, Eckhart studied telecommunications-news at the University of Florida, according to her professional biography. Before her work at Fox, she served as an ESPN Radio correspondent and worked as an entertainment anchor for WUFT-TV, a PBS affiliate in Gainesville. She later appeared across Fox News, Fox Business Network and Fox Nation while working in production and on-air roles.
Eckhart became nationally known in 2020 after filing a civil lawsuit against former Fox News anchor Ed Henry and Fox News. She accused Henry of rape and other sexual misconduct while they worked at the network. Henry denied the allegations and maintained that their relationship was consensual. The allegations in the civil case were not adjudicated at trial.
Fox News fired Henry in July 2020 after receiving Eckhart’s complaint and conducting an investigation through an outside law firm. The network said at the time that it acted quickly after learning of her allegations and said it had not previously received sexual harassment complaints against Henry from Eckhart. A federal judge dismissed Fox News as a defendant in Eckhart’s lawsuit in March 2025.
Eckhart’s remaining civil claims against Henry were resolved in June 2025, shortly before the case was expected to proceed toward trial. Court documents showed that the parties had reached a settlement, whose financial terms were not publicly disclosed. Henry’s attorney said at the time that the matter had been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties. Eckhart said the five-year legal process had been exhausting and renewed her interest in supporting people who had experienced trauma.
That work included The Reinvented Project, a nonprofit founded by Eckhart to support trauma survivors through animal-assisted programs and collaborations. The organization describes its mission as helping people rebuild their lives through human-animal connections. Eckhart also continued producing her “REINVENTED” podcast, interviewing guests from entertainment, sports, business and journalism about setbacks and changes in their lives.
Her podcast featured guests including musician Billy Corgan, journalist Gretchen Carlson, entrepreneur Kathy Ireland and former athletes and public figures. The program’s most recent episode listed before her death was released in March. Eckhart had described the project as part of a new stage of her career after leaving Fox and said she wanted the interviews to give people a platform to discuss adversity and personal change.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the manner of Eckhart’s death as suicide. Authorities have not released further findings from the death investigation, and no additional official details about the circumstances were publicly available Monday.
Author note: Last updated September 21, 2026.