Chris Hansen's Pets

Chris Hansen is an American television journalist, celebrated for his hard-hitting investigative reporting and known especially for his long tenure on the acclaimed series “To Catch a Predator” on NBC’s Dateline. The Michigan native’s prowess in uncovering controversial topics and pursuing justice on-screen has established him as a pivotal figure in the landscape of American television journalism.

Hansen’s foray into the realm of investigative journalism became most evident with the groundbreaking “To Catch a Predator” series, which first aired in 2004. With his careful questioning and cool demeanor, he exposed potential child predators by staging confrontations with individuals who thought they were meeting underage children for illicit activities. This program gained considerable national attention, effectively launching Hansen into the public eye. However, his oeuvre extends beyond this series. He hosted “Crime Watch Daily,” a syndicated news magazine program where he presented comprehensive analysis on a wide spectrum of crimes. Moreover, Hansen branched into the digital world with “Hansen Vs Predator,” a web-based series that mirrors his earlier work on “To Catch a Predator.”

Throughout his career, Chris Hansen has worked closely with a variety of colleagues and peers, each collaboration contributing to the depth of his work. His partnerships with law enforcement agencies, most notably the Perverted Justice foundation for the “To Catch a Predator” series, demonstrated a profound commitment to justice. Furthermore, Hansen has had many fruitful professional relationships with fellow journalists and producers like Marc Smerling, Zac Stuart-Pontier, and Paul Fishbein. In his digital series “Have a Seat with Chris Hansen,” he has interviewed numerous notable personalities, including Internet personalities Onision and Ice Poseidon.

Over the course of his career, Chris Hansen’s journalistic prowess has been recognized through numerous awards. Notably, he received eight Emmy Awards, one of which was for an investigative report on child trafficking in Cambodia for Dateline NBC. He was also honored with four Edward R. Murrow awards, a testament to his excellence in broadcast journalism. Among other honors, Hansen received the prestigious Clarion award for his coverage of the lack of security at military installations, an issue of national importance.