An Emmy-winning investigative TV reporter from Detroit — who co-hosts a podcast with the wife of a Los Angeles Rams player — is now being investigated himself, as his home was recently searched by authorities, who were investigating allegations that he made unwanted sexual advances toward a man during a massage.
Hank Winchester, an investigative journalist for WDIV Local 4 — an NBC affiliate — and host of HelpMeHank, is married to Oakland County Circuit Judge Jacob Cunningham, according to his Instagram profile. The couple also has a young daughter. Beverly Hills Police Department along with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, searched his Winchester home while executing a search warrant, according to Fox 2.
Shocking Allegations
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The search was conducted as part of an investigation into claims that Winchester made unwanted sexual advances toward a man during a massage. According to sources who spoke with Fox 2, Winchester had recently been studying massage therapy.
It remains unclear whether he was receiving the massage or acting as the masseur during the alleged incident.
Winchester is also a co-host of The Morning After podcast alongside Kelly Stafford, the wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. The podcast sometimes includes well-known guests from major media outlets such as Access Hollywood and ESPN.
Prior to joining the Los Angeles Rams, Matthew Stafford was the quarterback for the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2020. Winchester shared that he had maintained a long-standing friendship with the Stafford family, as noted in a farewell message he wrote when they relocated to Los Angeles in 2021.
After the “external investigation,” was launched WDIV Vice President Bob Ellis confirmed that Winchester has been put on administrative leave.
In a Scandalous Situation
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Winchester’s attorney, Todd Flood, expressed confidence that the investigation will not result in any serious findings. “Hank has spent decades bringing truth to our community and fighting for our citizens. Because he holds a high-profile position in our community, that can at times generate false accusations. This investigation will end where it began – nowhere,” he wrote.
No charges have been filed at this time, and the investigation remains active.
Winchester is not the only media personality to face such accusations in recent months.
Back in April, a former Virginia weatherman was arrested after allegedly creating a sex tape and trying to blackmail his victims with it.
In a separate incident last year, a TV news anchor from Louisiana stepped down after he was caught sending explicit messages to someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl — who was actually part of a vigilante group known as the “predator hunters.”
