‘To Catch A Predator’ Ended 15 Years Ago, But Chris Hansen Never Stopped Hunting

To Catch A Predator was a pop culture phenomenon in the early 2000s, despite the serious subject it tackled. Hosted by NBC correspondent and journalist, Chris Hansen, the show was centered around setting traps for child predators in the hopes of protecting future children from them. The show was rife with controversy, and ultimately ended due to a major controversy involving one of the alleged pedophiles committing suicide when police arrived. To Catch A Predator was finished, but Chris Hansen was not. Over the past 15 years, he has continued his mission to hunt down people who victimize children, entirely on his own. No major networks, just a journalist on a mission.

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Controversy During and After ‘To Catch A Predator’

To Catch A Predator was initially only meant to be a one-off special, but it did so well with audiences that NBC decided to capitalize on the hype. As the host of the series, Chris Hansen came across as both stern and dedicated to his mission. His calm demeanor and soon-to-be catchphrase, “Have a seat” became a part of the pop culture zeitgeist. As a viewer, it felt good to see creeps being taken off the street, and it seemed like justice was being served. Unfortunately, the reality of the series was that justice was not actually being served at all. In fact, many of the men caught on the show were not held in jail or had charges pressed against them, because a crime never happened. It’s a very unfortunate truth about the series as a whole; it became so sensationalized that no real good came from it. These men were still left out in the world, and the group that Hansen was working with, Perverted Justice, became more focused on financial gain rather than its mission. Ultimately, the straw that broke the camel’s back for To Catch A Predator, was the botched bust of a man in Texas, who killed himself when police tried to arrest him while filming. Things could have gone differently had the proper channels and procedures been followed, but Hansen’s team and Perverted Justice messed it up so horribly that no legal efforts could move forward. The show ended in disgrace in 2008.

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Chris Hansen Is a Journalist On a Mission

Chris Hansen’s career did not fare too much better after the cancelation of TCAP. In 2013, Hansen was fired from NBC after it was discovered that he was cheating on his wife. He left the network, but still continued working as a journalist, focusing on continuing the mission of TCAP. In a local news interview in 2022 Hansen shared,

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Not only has he continued pursuing this particular mission, but he learned from his prior mistakes. Rather than working with some shady group that had no legal training whatsoever, Hansen began forming relationships with local law enforcement in the areas he’s investigating. And because of this he has been able to actually see results from his investigations, he has seen over 400 arrests come out of his investigations. This was all done with no help from a major network, just a journalist cooperating with law enforcement to protect kids. Now, this work has not been totally without controversy. Hansen had his own issues with the law over the last 15 years. In 2019, Hansen was arrested for writing $13,000 in bad checks for equipment he used for his investigations. Considering that he has been doing this work all on his own without sponsorship, it’s not so surprising that he made such a poor life choice. He also faced more legal issues in 2021 after not showing up for court. He had assisted law enforcement in breaking up a sex trafficking incident, but didn’t turn over evidence to the police when he needed to. That compounded with him missing his assigned court date led to him being arrested by the local authorities.

Chris Hansen Has A Brand New Show

Chris Hansen has a brand new series on the streaming service TrueBlu, Takedown With Chris Hansen. Its premise is essentially the same; he is still investigating and working with law enforcement to takedown predators. His dedication to the work speaks volumes. He doesn’t care about keeping up appearances or wanting to appear perfect. He has owned his mistakes and moved forward. It’s not just about attention for Chris Hansen; he believes in the work he’s doing, and is a true journalist to his core. He has had countless controversies, but none that would necessarily make him a hypocrite; he’s a man who makes mistakes, learns from them, and keeps pushing forward for the sake of justice. More of that is needed in from journalists in this day and age. Modern day journalism and freedom of the press has taken a hit in the past several decades. While there are still hard-working journalists who are working towards the truth, the major outlets are all owned by people with their own agendas. Political interest has crept its way into even the simplest aspect of American news media. The news has become less about facts and more about creating a narrative that suits the owners personal beliefs and ideals. Between political pressure and journalists knowing that they could be fired from their own jobs for telling the truth, it seems more and more likely that the news we receive on a daily basis is heavily biased. In this day in age, it’s refreshing to see journalists who are on a mission of truth and justice. Chris Hansen is the real deal, and we love him for it.