If you’ve lived in Metro Detroit for any length of time, you know Hank Winchester. For over two decades, he was the face of "Help Me Hank" on WDIV Local 4, the guy kicking down doors to get people their money back. But recently, the spotlight shifted from the scams he was busting to his own living room. People aren’t just asking about his sudden exit from Channel 4 anymore; they’re digging into his personal life, specifically the details surrounding the Hank Winchester ex husband and the family he built away from the cameras.
It’s kind of wild how quickly a public persona can shift. One minute you're the city's consumer watchdog, and the next, your own divorce and dating life are being dissected on Reddit and in local news cycles.
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Who is the Hank Winchester ex husband?
Public records and local reports, including deep dives from the Detroit Metro Times, confirm that Hank Winchester was previously married to Jeff Grim.
Unlike Hank, who spent his days under studio lights, Jeff largely stayed out of the media circus. They shared a life together in Royal Oak for years before eventually moving to a home in the Beverly Hills/Berkley area. It wasn't just a marriage of two people, though. They were parents.
The couple adopted a daughter, Emma, and for a long time, they were seen as a prominent couple in the local community. You might even find old traces of their life together if you look hard enough—like an old adoption registry at Pottery Barn Kids that occasionally pops up in search results. It’s a small, humanizing detail that reminds you these headlines involve real families.
The split and what came after
Divorce is never easy, but doing it while you're a local celebrity adds a layer of "yikes" to the whole thing. Winchester has been surprisingly candid about how difficult that period was. On the Morning After podcast with Kelly Stafford, he didn’t hold back. He described his divorce as one of the most painful experiences of his life, ranking it right up there with the loss of both of his parents and his personal battle with testicular cancer.
That’s heavy.
When a guy who is known for being "tough" on TV starts talking about the "worst nine weeks of his life," people tend to listen. Honestly, it’s probably the most vulnerable the public has ever seen him.
Life after the marriage: New relationships and new drama
After the split from Jeff Grim, Hank didn't stay single forever. By the summer of 2025, reports surfaced that he was dating Jacob Cunningham, an Oakland County Circuit Court judge.
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This relationship became a talking point for all the wrong reasons when Winchester found himself at the center of a police investigation in 2025. While the investigation—which involved allegations of inappropriate conduct during a massage—ultimately resulted in no charges being filed, the media frenzy was relentless.
- The Judge Connection: Because he was dating a sitting judge, the "conflict of interest" chatter was loud.
- The Divorce Timeline: During the police investigation, reports noted that Winchester told investigators he had been through a divorce "in the not so distant past."
- The Fallout: Even though the prosecutor's office cleared him of criminal wrongdoing, WDIV ultimately parted ways with him in late 2025.
It’s a messy ending to a long career.
Why people are still searching for his ex husband
Privacy is a weird thing in 2026. When a public figure goes through a scandal, the first thing people do is look at their "old" life to see if there were signs of trouble. In this case, curiosity about the Hank Winchester ex husband usually stems from a desire to understand the timeline of his personal struggles.
Was the divorce the catalyst for some of the later "career change" ideas Winchester mentioned to police? Maybe. He told investigators he was considering leaving news to pursue sports medicine or massage therapy, a pivot that felt out of left field for a guy with multiple Emmys.
What we know for sure (and what we don't)
- Fact: Jeff Grim is the ex-husband.
- Fact: They have a daughter together.
- Fact: Winchester credited his "people"—meaning his partner, friends, and family—for getting him through the 2025 investigation.
- Unclear: The exact current status of his relationship with Jacob Cunningham, as some reports from late 2025 suggested the strain of the investigation made things complicated.
Moving forward
Hank Winchester’s story is a reminder that the people we see on TV every night have entire chapters of their lives we know nothing about until something breaks. Whether you're a fan of his consumer advocacy or you've been following the more recent controversies, the reality is that he’s a guy who went through a high-profile divorce and is now trying to figure out what "Phase 2" of his life looks like.
If you're following this story for the legal or professional updates, keep an eye on his podcast appearances. That seems to be where he's most comfortable sharing the "real" side of his story these days, away from the structured scripts of local news.
Next Steps for Readers:
- Check out the archives of The Morning After podcast if you want to hear his own words on the divorce and the investigation.
- Verify local court records in Oakland County if you are researching specific legal filings related to his past marriage or the 2025 investigation.
- Follow Detroit-based investigative outlets like the Metro Times for the most granular details on the police reports that led to his exit from WDIV.