Jennifer Eckhart, a former Fox Business associate producer who later became a podcast host and advocate for trauma survivors, has died at 36, authorities confirmed on Monday.
Eckhart was found dead at her home in Hobe Sound, Florida, on Saturday, according to Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek and an incident report obtained by The Epoch Times.
Authorities with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her death a suicide, but the investigation remains open as detectives await toxicology results.
Investigators initially found evidence at the residence that led them to consider the possibility of a homicide, but Budensiek said the evidence ultimately led them to conclude that no other person was involved.
According to Budensiek, Eckhart had been taken for involuntary mental-health evaluations six times over approximately 18 months by authorities in Martin and Palm Beach counties under Florida’s Baker Act. She had recently spent several weeks in a mental-health facility and had been released about a week before her death.
Budensiek said investigators believe Eckhart had stopped taking medication that had been prescribed during her time in treatment. They also learned that she had recently expressed suicidal thoughts in writing, pointing to a journal or ledger recovered during the investigation.
Eckhart spent seven years working within Fox News Media, including as an associate producer for Fox Business. She later developed a career beyond the network through her podcast “Reinvented With Jen Eckhart,” which focused on people discussing adversity, personal growth, and rebuilding their lives.
She became widely known in 2020 after filing a lawsuit against former Fox News anchor Ed Henry. Eckhart alleged that Henry had sexually assaulted and raped her during their time working at the network. Henry vehemently denied the allegations and said their relationship had been consensual.
In July 2020, Fox News terminated Henry after receiving Eckhart’s complaint and conducting an internal investigation. Eckhart also pursued claims against Fox News, alleging that the company had failed to protect her.
Those claims were ultimately dismissed, with a federal court finding that Eckhart had not established that the network knew about Henry’s alleged conduct before she reported it.
The legal dispute continued for several years before Eckhart and Henry reached a settlement in 2025. Following the incident, Eckhart spoke publicly about the emotional toll of the litigation and said she hoped to use her experience to support other survivors of trauma.
Eckhart went on to launch “The Reinvented Project,” an organization focused on helping trauma survivors through animal-assisted therapy, a topic similarly emphasized through her podcast.
Her final Instagram post was published on June 1, when she shared that she was working on projects she hoped to announce in the future.
“Haven’t posted since the last time gas was under $4,” she wrote at the time. “What a time to be alive. Glad to be sharing this weird little corner of the Internet again. Working on some exciting stuff that I can’t wait to share with you all!”