Chris Hansen – From ‘To Catch A Predator’ Creator and Host

Chris Hansen — Chasing Justice With the ‘To Catch a Predator’ Creator

In 2004, when Chris Hansen first had the idea to team up with online watchdog group Perverted-Justice for a new “Dateline NBC” series, he couldn’t have guessed the impact of what was to come.

“I figured we’d do it once or twice and no one would show up,” Chris says of his first few sting operations for what ultimately became the popular “To Catch a Predator” show, which he went on to host for nearly a decade. Now, in between executive producing the Discovery+ series “Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygard” and hosting the “Predators I’ve Caught” podcast, Chris is still running predator investigations on the ground — something he believes the pandemic has made all the more necessary.

“Today, with the proliferation of social media platforms on which predators can approach children, and when you combine that with our pandemic state that we’ve been living in — kids are online all the time,” he says. “They’re learning online and recreating online… the potential for contact with a predator is higher than ever.”

On this episode of The Anthony Sarandrea Show, Anthony and Chris talk about the work he’s doing to pursue justice today, why it’s more important than ever, and some of the biggest behind-the-scenes moments from his “To Catch a Predator” years.

What You’ll Learn:

● How Chris worked to help expose the “Jeffrey Epstein of YouTube”
● Why, after 40 years of doing this work, he doesn’t plan on quitting anytime soon
● How he keeps himself from getting overwhelmed in high-stakes situations
● And much more!

Favorite Quote:

“It’s about getting people talking and getting awareness, and it’s also about creating an environment where survivors and victims are coming forward to tell their story. We see that more and more: when one survivor comes forward and bravely tells their story, it feeds others to come forward. Suddenly you have a chord and then a symphony and then a huge demand for justice.”
— Chris Hansen