Where is Chris Hansen now? Is he still catching predators? What to know as 'Primetime' revisits his story | Hindustan Times

Chris Hansen became a household name in the mid-2000s as the host of NBC's To Catch a Predator. Years after the show ended, Hansen is still active and continues his work catching online predators. His story is now getting fresh attention with the upcoming A24 film Primetime, which stars Robert Pattinson as Hansen and is set to release in theaters on September 25, 2026How ‘To Catch a Predator’ started and endedTo Catch a Predator began as a Dateline segment before becoming its own show, airing on NBC from 2003 to 2007, as per Entertainment Weekly. The show became a massive hit, drawing over 7 million viewers on average in its final year.The show worked with the group Perverted-Justice. Actors and police officers pretended to be underage teens online to attract adult men. Hansen would then meet the men and confront them, often asking them to “have a seat.”In 2006, prosecutor Louis “Bill” Conradt died by suicide as police tried to arrest him during a sting connected to the show, according to NBC News. His sister later sued the show for $109 million, as per ABC News.The case was settled out of court in 2008. That same year, NBC cancelled the show.Also read: Who is Chris Hansen? Robert Pattinson transforms into the controversial To Catch a Predator journalist in PrimetimeWhat Hansen did after NBCNBC did not renew Hansen's contract in 2013, according to Variety. He went on to host Killer Instinct on Investigation Discovery and later Crime Watch Daily, where he also launched Hansen vs. Predator, continuing his sting-style format.In 2019, Hansen launched a YouTube channel called Have a Seat With Chris Hansen, which is still active. He also started his own streaming service, TruBlu, and began hosting Takedown With Chris Hansen there in 2022, bringing back the same interview style as his original show.Is Chris Hansen still catching predators today?Yes. Hansen is still making episodes of Takedown. In 2025, he worked with police in Harford County, Maryland, on a sting operation that led to nine men being arrested. The men were believed to be trying to meet minors for sexual encounters, according to People.During the sting, one of the men was texting with a police officer who was pretending to be a 14-year-old girl. As per People, the man told the officer he was worried he might “see Chris Hansen from the show [To] Catch a Predator there waiting for him”, showing that Hansen's reputation still makes real predators nervous, even years after his original show ended. Also read: In 'Primetime,' Robert Pattinson takes on the 'irresistible' role of Chris HansenHis legal troublesHansen has faced a few legal issues over the years. In January 2019, he was arrested in Stamford, Connecticut, for issuing bad checks worth $13,000 to a local business, as per People. The case was dropped after he paid the bill, with his attorney calling it an “oversight.”In July 2021, a warrant was issued for Hansen's arrest in Shiawassee County, Michigan, after he failed to show up in court to submit documents related to a sting operation he had assisted police with in October the year before, as per People. Hansen addressed the issue on Instagram, saying, “There was miscommunication about a hearing today on the issue. The matter is currently being resolved!”