Eckhart spent approximately seven years working as an associate producer at Fox Business Network. Her broader broadcasting résumé also included work associated with Fox News and Fox Nation, along with earlier experience at ESPN Radio and a PBS affiliate in Florida.
Her name became nationally known in 2020 when she filed a federal lawsuit against Henry and Fox News.
Eckhart accused Henry of rape and other sexual misconduct. Henry denied her allegations and maintained that their relationship had been consensual.
Fox News terminated Henry in July 2020 after receiving a complaint involving alleged sexual misconduct and conducting an outside investigation.
The lawsuit that followed would continue for nearly five years.
In March 2025, U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams granted Fox News’ motion for summary judgment while denying Henry’s motion for summary judgment. That meant Eckhart’s remaining claims against Henry could continue toward trial.
But the trial ultimately never took place.
Eckhart and Henry reached a settlement in June 2025, just before the case was scheduled to go before a jury. The settlement resolved Eckhart’s remaining claims against Henry, and the terms were not publicly disclosed.
Following the grueling court fight, Eckhart spoke publicly about what the years-long legal process had meant for her.
“This has been an exhaustive, retraumatizing, five-year legal battle with incredible challenges that at times I almost felt was unable to bear,” Eckhart said following the settlement.
Rather than retreat completely from public life, Eckhart increasingly focused her attention on people who had endured traumatic experiences of their own.
She founded The Reinvented Project, a nonprofit initiative centered on helping trauma survivors, including through animal-assisted therapy. She also turned to podcasting, creating “REINVENTED with Jen Eckhart.”
The program featured conversations about adversity, resilience and rebuilding after difficult experiences. Guests from several fields — including entertainment, sports and politics — appeared to discuss personal setbacks and how they attempted to move forward.
Eckhart described that advocacy as a way of transforming her own experience into something that could potentially help other people.
Following the resolution of her claims against Henry, she said she had “turned pain into purpose” and expressed a renewed commitment to supporting fellow trauma survivors.
Her final months in the public eye appeared to include plans for another chapter.
Eckhart’s last Instagram post was published on June 1. In the post, she indicated that she was happy to return to social media and suggested that new projects were on the horizon.
It would ultimately become her final public Instagram message.
Her death comes more than a year after the conclusion of her legal battle with Henry and after she had begun building a public identity increasingly centered on survivor advocacy and conversations about recovery.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Eckhart died by suicide. No additional findings that would alter that determination have been announced publicly.
Eckhart was 36.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the United States, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
