Ed Henry, a former Fox News host now with Newsmax, did not acknowledge the death of Jennifer Eckhart, a producer who had accused him of rape, on his program Monday evening. Eckhart, 36, was found dead at her home on Saturday morning and her death has been ruled a suicide by law enforcement sources.
Henry appeared on his Newsmax show, 'The Big Take,' to discuss current events. During the segment, which included conservative podcaster Trish Regan and former Trump administration advisor Steven Moore, Henry focused on the U.S. economy and made no mention of Eckhart's passing.
Eckhart filed a civil lawsuit in 2020 accusing Henry of rape during an encounter in a Manhattan hotel in 2017. The lawsuit alleged that Henry restrained and raped her, leaving her injured. It also included text messages that Eckhart claimed showed Henry referring to her as 'my little whore' and demanding sexual acts. The suit also detailed accusations of sex trafficking, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and a hostile work environment. Henry has consistently denied these allegations, maintaining that any interactions with Eckhart were consensual.
The lawsuit led to an outside investigation by Fox News, and Henry was fired from the network on July 1, 2020, shortly after the suit was filed. Fox News stated at the time that the network "network took swift action as soon as it learned of Ms. Eckhart’s claims."
Eckhart's lawsuit against Fox News, which alleged the network knew of Henry's behavior and failed to act appropriately, was later dismissed. A federal appeals court ruled that Eckhart had not sufficiently proven that Fox News was aware of Henry's conduct toward her or that the network's actions were taken solely to preempt her claims. The circumstances surrounding the settlement of Eckhart's suit against Henry, which occurred in June 2025, just before it was set to go to trial, remain undisclosed.
In 2021, Eckhart launched a podcast called REINVENTED with Jen Eckhart, describing it as her "second act." She told Variety at the time that her hope was to inspire listeners to reinvent themselves, stating, "it is never too late to reinvent your life." The last recorded episode of her podcast was uploaded in March.