How much do you know about Chris Hansen?
This investigative reporter's name is synonymous with Dateline's successful "To Catch A Predator"
segment…but his colorful run in the spotlight has been filled with plenty of personal and
professional scandals.
This is the untold truth of Chris Hansen.
Chris Hansen was already a veteran reporter when Dateline's "To Catch a Predator" segment
premiered in 2004.
As it turns out, he was also the mastermind behind the show.
He told City Pulse in 2009,
"It was my idea.
I was on the phone talking to a friend of mine...about this online watchdog group...and
I was thinking, 'Wow, if we could combine their ability to work as decoys in chat rooms
and our ability to wire a house with hidden cameras and microphones, it could be pretty
compelling.'"
But Hansen was quick to give the show's production team a lot of credit, too, making a point
to say,
"A lot of other smart people weighed in and figured out ways to improve the concept and
we went out and shot the first one."
Sure enough, To Catch A Predator was a bonafide mainstream hit.
It even got spoofed on South Park, which is perhaps the truest sign that you've really
made it.
Regarding the show's success, Hansen told the Daily Beast in 2009,
"I think what we do is we take people into a world that they've never seen before."
Over the years, Hansen has racked up a number of awards for his investigative reporting.
According to his bio on NBC's website,
"Hansen has received numerous awards including eight Emmys for investigative reporting, outstanding
coverage of a news story and outstanding coverage of breaking news...Hansen has also received
awards for excellence in journalism from both the Associated Press and United Press International,
[among others]."
But Hansen has also faced a fair amount of controversy over the years, too.
His profile page on NBC News even mentions that,
"[He was once detained in India where he went to uncover] the realities of how prescription
drugs are approved."
He also became embroiled in controversy regarding "To Catch A Predator," and there was no shortage
of critics who thought the show's strategy basically constituted "entrapment."
"I mean, you see how this looks."
But Hansen is clearly quite proud of the work he did on "To Catch A Predator."
As he told Time in 2015,
"I think we raised awareness and created a dialogue that didn't exist before.
We created compelling television, and I think we exposed a lot of bad people...So if the
old-guard journalists have a problem with that, then so be it."
NBC enjoyed quite a ratings boost thanks to the success of "To Catch A Predator."
In 2007, The New York Times reported that
"The series has also been a boon for MSNBC, NBC’s cable news channel, which replays
episodes in prime time and on weekends.
In July, 19 of MSNBC’s 25 highest-rated hours were late-night 'Predator' reruns."
So how does Hansen feel about forever being associated with "To Catch A Predator," a show
that featured him chasing down bike thieves, internet scam artists, and other lowlives?
In 2009, he told City Pulse,
"I had no idea when we did the first one it would get so much attention nor did I think
we'd do some 12 investigations, over 30 hours of television and write a book about it.
I thought we'd come back with me taking a nap on the kitchen counter like the Maytag
repairman...Obviously my name has become connected with TCAP, and I'm comfortable with that."
You don't have to be a lowlife creepo to feel uneasy around Chris Hansen.
"You want a slice?"
"I'm good, thank you very much.
I should come see you on Saturday."
Thanks to his association with shows like "To Catch a Predator," people seem to be put
on edge whenever the investigative reporter enters the room.
Speaking to RalphieVersa.com, Hansen gave an illuminating example of how people can
respond to him in day-to-day life.
He told the website:
"One time, I was buying a gift.
The guy is showing it to me, and he's sweating profusely from the forehead.
And I said, 'You alright?
Is everything good?'
And he said, 'Yeah, you don't have a hidden camera on me right now, do you?'
[I said], 'No, I'm just trying to get a last-minute gift for Christmas!'"
It sounds like Chris Hansen is still finding new and exciting ways to profit off of "To
Catch A Predator."
According to a 2019 story published in the AV Club, he's all-too happy to dust off some
of his famous catchphrases in order to make a quick buck.
This one is a particular favorite:
"Why don't you take a seat right over there?"
As the website reports,
'The host now recites those very catchphrases for $50 bucks a pop on Cameo."
Though you wouldn't mistake any of these moments for Prestige TV, they're definitely pretty
entertaining.
"It says in the transcripts that you're 31 but your screen name is DiaperBaby30.
Should it be DiaperBaby31?"
It's good to know Hansen is still asking the tough questions.
After cancelling "To Catch a Predator" in 2008, NBC decided not to renew Chris Hansen's
contract in 2013.
"You see what I'm getting at?"
"Mm-hmm."
"What's really going on here?"
"What's really going on is that I came over to take him out for lunch."
This decision may have had something to do with some bad press that came his way.
Ironically, Hansen was caught having a romantic affair.
According to RadarOnline, the scandal began in 2011, when the National Inquirer turned
the tables on Hansen and launched a sting operation of its own.
RadarOnline reported that,
"The National Enquirer...secretly filmed [Hansen] on an alleged date with Kristyn Caddell, a...TV
news reporter for WPTV 5."
In July 2013, RadarOnline published three pictures of Caddell and Hansen that were evidently
provided by the mistress herself.
A month later, Hansen was let go, with NBC releasing this admittedly vague statement
to TV Guide:
"Chris has been a valued member of the team and we thank him for his many contributions
to Dateline and NBC News over the last 20 years."
Caddell also wrote a letter to the National Inquirer in July 2013, writing that,
"Chris told me a divorce was inevitable and the wedding ring on his finger was all but
for show.
Over the next several months, our friend­ship evolved into a whirlwind romance.
As far as I was concerned, none of it was being done secretively or concealed from the
public."
After news of the affair went public, Chris Hansen's wife Mary Joan finally filed for
divorce in June of 2018.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline,
"[Mary Joan claimed that] the marriage has broken down irretrievably."
The tabloid also reported that,
"At the time of the filing, it appeared Chris...and Mary Joan were already living separate lives.
The long-suffering wife listed her residence in a different state from that of her husband."
That wasn't the last of Hansen's troubles.
In January 2019, the once-respected journalist was also evicted from his home.
According to TMZ,
"The former host of To Catch a Predator last paid rent in August 2018, but was $400 short,
and stopped sending checks altogether after that."
It sounds like Chris Hansen just couldn't catch a break in 2019.
In January of that year, NBC News reported that
"Hansen was arrested...after he allegedly wrote bad checks to a vendor he owed money
to, according to police.
Hansen turned himself in to the Stamford Police Department in Connecticut after a warrant
was issued for his arrest on a felony charge of issuing a bad check."
And what was the check for, exactly?
According to NBC News:
"Hansen bought about $13,000 worth of promotional items, like hats, shirts and mugs from a local
company, and paid for them with a check that bounced...[He] has been released without bond
[after assuring he'd follow through on] a written promise to appear in court."
A little over a week later, this saga reached its conclusion.
According to E! News,
"His attorney...confirmed...that Hansen 'made good' on the check and, while appearing briefly
in court on Wednesday, the prosecutor withdrew the charges and the case is over."
Chris Hansen didn't stay idle for long.
In 2015, a gritty new show premiered on the cable channel Investigation Discovery…and
it was called Killer Instinct with Chris Hansen.
"Because finding the truth starts with an instinct."
"Killer Instinct with Chris Hansen."
And what's the show about?
According to its official website,
"Chris Hansen brings his unrivaled journalistic skills to a series revealing the hidden truth
behind America's most shocking murders.
His trade-mark interviewing excellence guides the viewer through every twist and turn of
an enthralling criminal drama."
But Hansen's comeback was just getting started.
That same year, he launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a web series called Hansen
vs. Predator.
Clearly, his fans were still around…because he earned $89,068 of his $75,000 goal.
In 2016, he joined the nationally syndicated series Crime Watch Daily as its host, and
the show was renamed Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hansen.
As Fox13 reports,
"Hansen will bring the 'Predator' series back to television, revamped for 'Crime Watch Daily'
in a new signature series called 'Hansen vs. Predator.'"
Yup, it's the exact same idea Hansen was planning to do on his own.
Although none of Chris Hansen's later projects have achieved the same level of success as
"To Catch A Predator," Hansen certainly hasn't given up.
In fact, he seems to be focused on winning over a whole new generation, and on YouTube,
no less.
"Good evening, everyone.
And you are having a seat with me on my YouTube channel, Have a Seat with Chris Hansen in
New York City tonight."
In 2019, he created his own channel, where you can watch Hansen collect evidence and
talk to alleged victims of heinous crimes.
It's basically business as usual for the veteran journalist, but with a modern twist: You see,
Hansen is now exposing so-called predators right there on YouTube…and he managed to
rack up over 300,000 followers in just four months.
Not bad at all.
A very specific moment in Chris Hansen's life triggered his desire to become a crime reporter.
In 2009, he told City Pulse:
"When I was 14 years old, Jimmy Hoffa was kidnapped from a restaurant, the Red Fox,
that was about 1 [and a] 1/2 miles up the street from where I lived.
I used to ride my bike up there and the FBI was up there and it was a crime scene and
there were local police and local news reporters; I got bit by the bug watching that."
In a 2015 Time magazine profile, Hansel revealed that he'd see big-time network reporters arrive
from New York City to cover Hoffa's disappearance, and it sounds like this sparked a desire to
do that kind of work himself.
As he tells it:
"From that moment on, this is all I really wanted to do.
It was the excitement that this major event had happened, although tragic, and that I
could go watch it.
It was all Detroit was talking about."
With Hansen's determination came a little bit of luck, too.
As he told City Pulse, he fully intended to become a journalist when he went to Michigan
State University.
He explains that,
"I majored in telecommunications and I was lucky enough to walk onto the campus radio
station at the beginning and started as a news reporter."
Going undercover as an investigative journalist certainly comes with its fair share of risks.
In 2006, a potential predator named Bill Conradt stopped responding to messages sent out by
Chris Hansen's team of decoys.
As Esquire reports, the team got the police involved and headed over to Terrell, Texas.
That's where Conradt lived, and authorities were very interested in interviewing him.
"Conradt didn't answer, but police said there were signs he was still inside."
The production was halted when the man took his own life as the police and the To Catch
A Predator crew surrounded his home.
This proved to be a massive controversy for NBC and resulted in a settlement with the
victim's family.
So, did Hansen take any of the blame?
According to The Columbia Journalism Review, Hansen said of the controversy:
"If you're asking, do I feel responsible, no.
I sleep well at night."
NBC pulled the plug on "To Catch A Predator" in 2007.
A decade later, Hansen discussed the controversial segment with Vice.
He remarked that,
"There was a settlement in that case, so I'm somewhat limited in what I can say...I don't
think there is any way he could have known it was Chris Hansen and Dateline outside...There
has always been a debate about shaming in enterprise journalism.
I'm not the moral arbiter of society."
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