Chris Hansen

American television journalist
the TV journalist

Christopher Edward Hansen (born September 13, 1959) is an American television presenter, journalist, and YouTube personality. He rose to mainstream recognition as a correspondent for Dateline NBC and the host for its segment To Catch a Predator (2004–2007), which revolved around catching potential Internet predators using a sting operation. Despite its cancellation, Hansen saw continued praise for his predator investigations and interviews, which led him to host similarly formatted shows on other networks. After parting ways with NBC in 2013, he hosted Killer Instinct on Investigation Discovery in 2015, which documented homicide investigations. He became the host for the second and third seasons of the syndicated television program Crime Watch Daily in 2015, where he hosted the segment Hansen vs. Predator. He co founded the true crime oriented streaming service TruBlu in 2020, where he produced and starred in the web series TakeDown with Chris Hansen. Hansen has earned numerous awards including eight Emmy Awards, four Edward R. Murrow Awards, three Clarion awards, the National Press Club award, and awards for excellence from the Associated Press and United Press International.

Hansen was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 13, 1959, Hansen graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in telecommunication in 1981.

In 1981, Hansen became a reporter for NBC affiliate WILX in Lansing, Michigan during his senior year at Michigan State University.

Hansen's notable work for Dateline includes coverage of the Columbine High School massacre, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Unabomber and the TWA Flight 800 disaster, and investigative reports on Indian child slave labor and counterfeit prescription drug sales in China. Hansen was responsible for most of Dateline's coverage of the September 11 attacks, as well as stories on terrorist groups and the operations of Al Qaeda. He also exposed how a group linked to Osama bin Laden had attempted to buy missiles and nuclear weapons components, and he also worked on an exclusive report on the Air France Flight 8969 hijacking. His series on deficient airport security resulted in the Federal Aviation Administration investigating and ultimately revising its policies. The meeting places were "sting houses", where camera crews from NBC, and in later episodes local police, awaited potential sexual predators. Capitalizing on the success of Hansen and his Predator investigations, Dateline NBC created three Tuesday night spin offs of its original concept; Hansen hosted To Catch a Con Man and To Catch an I. D. Thief.

In August 2013, NBC decided not to renew its contract with Hansen, ultimately ending his tenure of 20 years.

In 2015, Hansen hosted Killer Instinct, a show on Investigation Discovery chronicling homicide cases. The show's initial 10 episode season premiered on August 17, 2015.

In 2015, Hansen planned a new independent television show called Hansen vs. Predator, a spin off of his original show To Catch a Predator. The program was intended to premiere online, crowdfunded via Kickstarter with Hansen hoping to raise $400,000; however the Kickstarter only raised $89,000. Later broadcast rights were sold, with Hansen vs. Predator becoming a recurring segment on Crime Watch Daily.

On August 22, 2016, Hansen was introduced as the new host of the syndicated news program Crime Watch Daily beginning with its second season premiere on September 12. Hansen anchors the program from New York City, but it will maintain its Los Angeles–based newsroom. The second season also saw the premiere of Hansen vs. Predator, a revival of his previous To Catch a Predator series. Hansen's entry brought further ratings gains to the program, with household ratings increasing by 20% to 1.0, and a 23% gain among women 18–34. On January 4, 2017, Crime Watch Daily was renewed for a third season. Chris Hansen debuted the first episode of Hansen vs. Predator on September 12, 2016, on Crime Watch Daily. In 2019, this channel investigated claims of pedophilia and grooming against YouTube creator James Jackson, commonly known as Onision. In January 2020, Hansen visited Jackson's home in an attempt to interview him. Jackson called the police on Hansen, though the police did not take action against him. Jackson also filed a lawsuit against Hansen, which took place on January 24, 2020. Jackson later requested to dismiss the charges, claiming that he was advised to consider an "alternative, more effective legal action". This dismissal request was granted.

Hansen was named as an executive producer for Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygard, a Discovery+ show which examines Peter Nygard's life from his birth to his downfall and arrest.

Hansen returned to television in 2022 with the series Takedown with Chris Hansen on his streaming service TruBlu, which once more finds him investigating and interviewing online predators. The show granted him greater creative control, allowing him to use profanity and work further with local law enforcement entities.

Hansen and his first wife Mary Joan were married in 1989, subsequently having two sons together. Mary Joan filed for divorce in 2018 after nearly thirty years of marriage and the couple divorced in 2020. The family resided in Stamford, Connecticut. Hansen also maintained a New York City apartment; however, in January, 2019 it was reported that he was evicted after failing to pay rent for the apartment since the previous August. On November 13, 2021, Hansen and second wife Gabrielle Gagnon were married.

In January 2019, Hansen was charged with larceny after a check bounced with a vendor who delivered promotional items. Hansen turned himself in to police in Connecticut on January 14, 2019, for allegedly bouncing checks for nearly $13,000 worth of promotional materials, according to Stamford Police. The charges were later dropped. In relation to a sting operation that occurred in October 2020, Hansen was supposed to appear and present evidence in a Shiawassee County Courtroom in Michigan in July 2021. Hansen did not show up for court. A warrant was issued for his arrest in July 2021. Hansen later turned himself in, stating that his failure to appear in court was because of a misunderstanding, and the matter was resolved.

Hansen has received eight Emmy Awards, four Edward R. Murrow Awards, three Clarion awards, the Overseas Press Club award, an IRE award, the National Press Club award, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists award; as well as awards for excellence from the Associated Press and United Press International.