What happens when you add investigative journalism to the insatiable desire for human entertainment? You get Chris Hansen’s career. The American journalist is widely known for his segment, To Catch a Predator, a show that focuses on catching potential sexual predators on the internet. While he’s certainly most famous for the sting operations performed by his team on the show, Chris Hansen has had other shows like Killer Instinct and Crime Watch Daily.
With fame comes a great bright light and since rising to fame, Chris Hansen has had his own share of controversies. Want to know more and other information about Chris Hansen? Read below.
Who is Chris Hansen?
Chris Hansen is an Illinois-born journalist who was born in Chicago on September 13, 1959. There is currently no information regarding his family, such as his parents or potential siblings. We do know, however, that Chris Hansen grew up in suburban Michigan and attended Brother Rice High School.
His passion for journalism was born at the age of fourteen after watching the coverage of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. His love for journalism followed him until his college days. He majored in telecommunications at Michigan State University and graduated in 1981.
Shortly before graduation, Hansen joined WILX, an NBC Affiliate as a reporter. He then reported for WFLA, another NBC affiliate station in Florida. He has also reported for several radio stations and newspapers in his home state of Michigan. His cross-country experience includes reporting for WXYZ-TV in Detroit.
NBC News signed Chris Hansen in May 1993 and thus began his journey to national success. His first role for NBC was as a correspondent for their current affairs magazine, Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric.
Chris Hansen’s series of notable shows began with Dateline NBC. On Dateline NBC, Chris Hansen was able to cover notable stories like the Columbine massacre, the Oklahoma City terrorist attack, the TWA Flight 800 disaster.
He brought the investigative reporting experience he had gained from working as an investigative reporter for WDIV in 1988 to Dateline NBC and produced reports like Indian child slave labor and counterfeit prescription drug sales in China. . Hansen was also the lead reporter for Dateline’s 9/11 coverage. One of his seminal works while on Dateline was his series of reports on the lack of security at US airports that prompted a review of security policies by the FAA.
Hansen’s fame came when he created the show, To Catch a Predator. The show premiered in 2004 and was designed to catch sexual predators through a series of sting operations. Hansen worked alongside Perverted-Justice and was able to conduct 12 successful investigations across the country.
The show’s success spurred a series of spin-offs, two of which welcomed Hansen – To Catch a Scammer and To Catch an Identity Thief.
Since To Catch a Predator, Hansen has hosted other shows like Killer Instinct and Crime Watch Daily. He has also appeared on several talk shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel Live and several others.
Hansen’s career has seen him recognized with various awards including eight Emmy Awards. Other awards are the National Press Club Award and the Associated Press and United Press International Lifetime Achievement Awards. Chris Hansen has also received four Edward R. Murrow Awards, an award given for outstanding achievement in broadcast journalism.
Net value
A passion born when he was 14 years old helped Chris Hansen build up a net worth of $2.5 million. His hit shows like To Catch a Predator are responsible for high journalistic value which helps him achieve an annual salary of $500,000.
Personal life – wife
Chris Hansen is currently married to Mary Joan Hansen and they share two sons. The top journalist has been married to his wife since November 1989 and although their marriage has had its share of problems, particularly due to Chris’ infidelity, the two are still together and live in Connecticut.
Chris Hansen affairs and cheating scandal
Chris’ high profile status was built on exploiting the sexual penetration of unsuspecting men and women. Chris was subjected to this in 2011 after being exposed for an affair with Kristyn Caddell, a former Florida Television reporter. The case apparently lasted a year before it came to light.
Hansen also had another affair with a Las Vegas stripper, Kathleen Collins.