Newsmax Staffers Outraged Over Job Offer to Ed Henry: ‘This Guy is a Walking Lawsuit’

Newsmax has offered former Fox News host Ed Henry a job, Mediaite has learned.

While a contract has yet to be signed, the potential hire has already sparked consternation among staffers who expressed to Mediaite their apprehensions about bringing the scandal-prone host on board during a precarious time for the conservative cable news network.

“They are really freaked out about anything legal. Anything to do with litigation,” said one current Newsmax employee. “This guy is a walking lawsuit.”

“I can’t imagine why anyone would want to hire him,” they added. “He’s a legal risk. It’s not even a question of it, it’s a guarantee. He can’t help himself. Besides, who thinks he’s good on TV? He’s not some polished broadcaster.”

A Newsmax spokesperson declined to comment on the move: “As a matter of policy, Newsmax does not comment on individuals that it may be or not be hiring.”

Concerns over the potential drafting come at a time of great uncertainty for a network that has grown its audience in recent years by offering viewers an alternative to Fox News that more enthusiastically embraces Donald Trump.

That embrace has come with consequences: Like Fox, Newsmax’s promotion of 2020 election misinformation landed the network with serious defamation lawsuits from voting tech companies Smartmatic and Dominion.

Another Newsmax staffer expressed similar concerns about Henry, noting the cable news journeyman is currently embroiled in a lawsuit from former Fox News producer Jennifer Eckhart, who accused him of rape. Her allegations, which Henry has denied, led to his dismissal from Fox.

“The fact that Ed Henry not only has the current lawsuit, but has multiple instances of things against him and the DUI, yeah, it’s not the best look at all,” they said. “It definitely doesn’t make sense because there’s so much risk that they are taking by doing that, and the fact that they are being so careful with everything else. Why bother?”

Eckhart condemned Newsmax for courting Henry in a statement to Mediaite.

“The decision by Newsmax to hire Ed Henry, a known sexual predator, says that they are willing to put the safety of every single one of their employees at risk while placing him in that same position of power that he has, time and again, used to groom, coerce and forcibly prey upon vulnerable individuals,” she said. “I will pray for every woman working at that network. We, as survivors, hear it over and over again, ‘But why didn’t you come forward sooner?’ This is why.”

A lawyer for Henry did not respond to a request for comment.

Last week, Mediaite reported that Henry had been benched from his hosting gig at far right network Real America’s Voice after he clashed with leadership over his talks with Newsmax. Henry and his co-host Karyn Turk were abruptly taken off the morning show.

Henry has been a magnet for controversy throughout his career, which included high profile stints as the top White House correspondent at both CNN and Fox. In addition to the allegation of assault from Eckhart, Henry recently reached a plea agreement after being arrested for a DUI.

A third Newsmax insider said they were “pretty surprised” by the outreach to Henry.

“Guessing he buttered [Newsmax president Chris] Ruddy up in West Palm,” the source said. “But they probably did it to try to capitalize on the hardcore Fox audience.”

The staffer added that the hire “seems risky” in light of the network’s legal woes. “Why would they open themselves up to possible future legal trouble by hiring someone who is in current litigation involving a serious allegation of sexual assault given the lawsuits Newsmax is already facing?”