Chris Hansen

This article is about the TV journalist. For other people named Chris Hansen, see Chris Hansen (disambiguation).

Chris Hansen
Hansen in 2021
Born
Christopher Edward Hansen

(1959-09-13) September 13, 1959 (age 65)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materMichigan State University (BA)
Occupations
  • Television presenter
  • journalist
  • anchor
  • YouTuber
Years active1981–present
Known forTo Catch a Predator
Dateline NBC
Killer Instinct
Crime Watch Daily
Spouse
Mary Joan Hansen
​
​
(m. 1989; div. 2020)​
Gabrielle Gagnon
​
(m. 2021)​
Children2
Hansen's voice
YouTube information
Channels
Years active2019–present
Genres
Subscribers411 thousand+
(October 2023)
Total views24.2 million+
100,000 subscribers2020[1]
Last updated: 17 Oct 2023

Christopher Edward Hansen (born September 13, 1959)[2] is an American television presenter, journalist, and YouTube personality. During his tenure as a correspondent for Dateline NBC, he hosted the program's segment To Catch a Predator (2004–2007), which revolved around catching potential Internet predators using a sting operation. Despite the segment's three-year run, its popularity has led Hansen to host similarly-formatted shows on other networks.[3]

After parting ways with NBC in 2013,[4] he began hosting Killer Instinct on Investigation Discovery in 2015, a short-lived series that documented homicide investigations.[5] That same year, he replaced Matt Doran as the host of the syndicated series Crime Watch Daily, which he hosted for two seasons and had his own segment similar to his Dateline feature, 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.[6][7]

Hansen has earned several accolades, 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 and numerous subjects of his investigations have garnered online cult followings, and Hansen is considered a progenitor in content centered around sting operations.[8]

  1. ^ Chris Hansen Social Blade, retrieved July 1, 2020
  2. ^ Hansen, Chris (May 6, 2015). "An Interview with Chris Hansen". The Anthony Cumia Show (Interview). Interviewed by Anthony Cumia.
  3. ^ "'To Catch A Predator' Ended 15 Years Ago, But Chris Hansen Never Stopped Hunting". Collider.com. 2 September 2023.
  4. ^ "'To Catch a Predator' host dumped by NBC after 20 years". 2013-08-05. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  5. ^ Hughes, Mike (August 17, 2015). "MSU grad Chris Hansen returns with 'Killer Instinct'". Lansing State Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2019-05-19 – via Detroit Free Press.
  6. ^ Brzoznowski, Kristin (2023-08-02). "Video Interview: Chris Hansen on TruBlu's Streaming Promise". TVREAL. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  7. ^ "'Take a seat' – Chris Hansen is back!". Crime Watch Daily. September 9, 2016. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  8. ^ "The genre of influencers NBC's 'To Catch a Predator' spawned". wbur.org. September 22, 2023.