Chris Hansen

Chris Hansen was born Christopher Edward Hansen on March 26, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in West Bloomfield Township and Birmingham, Michigan. His interest in journalism began at age 14, influenced by the FBI investigation into Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance. He attended Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and later graduated from Michigan State University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts in telecommunication. Hansen began his career as a reporter for NBC affiliate WILX in Lansing during his senior year, then worked for WFLA in Tampa, Florida, and various Michigan newspapers and radio stations before joining WXYZ in Detroit. In 1988, he became an investigative reporter and anchor at WDIV in Detroit.

Hansen’s tenure with NBC News began in May 1993, as a correspondent for “Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric.” He gained significant recognition for his work on “Dateline NBC,” covering major stories such as the Columbine High School massacre, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Unabomber case, and the TWA Flight 800 disaster. A substantial portion of his reporting on “Dateline” focused on the September 11 attacks, terrorist groups, and Al-Qaeda operations. He particularly gained widespread fame as the host of the “Dateline NBC” segment “To Catch a Predator,” which ran from 2004 to 2007. This series involved sting operations in collaboration with the website Perverted-Justice, targeting individuals attempting to meet minors for sexual purposes. Following the success of “To Catch a Predator,” Hansen hosted spin-off segments like “To Catch a Con Man” and “To Catch an I.D. Thief.” NBC did not renew Hansen’s contract in August 2013, ending his 20-year association with the network.

After departing NBC, Hansen continued his investigative work. In 2015, he hosted “Killer Instinct” on Investigation Discovery, a show that detailed homicide investigations. That same year, he attempted to crowdfund “Hansen vs. Predator,” a revival of his previous series, through Kickstarter. Although the Kickstarter campaign did not reach its full goal, the broadcast rights were later sold, and “Hansen vs. Predator” became a recurring segment on “Crime Watch Daily” from 2016 to 2018, where he also served as host. In 2019, Hansen launched a YouTube channel, “Have a Seat with Chris Hansen,” featuring podcasts and interviews. He co-founded the true crime streaming service TruBlu in 2020, producing and starring in “Takedown with Chris Hansen” (2022-2025). Since 2020, he has also hosted the podcast “Predators I’ve Caught.” In 2021, he was named an executive producer for the Discovery+ show “Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygård.” He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including 10 Emmy Awards and 5 Edward R. Murrow Awards.