March 2022 and Chris Hansen net worth is estimated in the region of $15 million. He is a very well-known American celebrity television journalist. And probably most famous for his work in To Catch a Predator.
We will cover how Chris Hansen has made his money, family life, and early life, as well as how his television career began, making him one of the top TV journalists he is today.
Read on to find out what he is most famous for, what other television shows he’s done besides journalism, what legal battles he’s had to deal with, and what awards he has received throughout his career.
Who Is Chris Hansen
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Christopher Edward Hansen is best known for being one of the best television journalists, and his work on the Dateline show How to Catch a Predator. He was inspired at the young age of 14 when Jimmy Hoffa went missing.
He truly loved how the FBI and the Police all worked so hard on this particular case, and he decided then that he wanted to be a journalist to help in such cases. His career with Dateline NBC did fantastic work, especially with To Catch a Predator.
This show was based on catching sexual Predators online that preyed on the young. He is also the host of Killer Instinct on Investigation Discovery, which covers investigations on homicide.
Because of Chris’s fantastic ability for journalism in the field of predators, he was pulled into the crime syndicate in September of 2016 on the show Crime Watch Daily where he became the host.
He keeps much of his personal life private, but we do know that he was married and has two children. You might think you know all there is to know about Chris Hansen net worth, but have you dug deeper into his career and his early life?
Chris Hansen Net Worth Estimate
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Currently, Сhrіѕ Наnѕеn’s Nеt Wоrth іѕ $15 mіllіоn. He has earned this incredible sum through all of his hard work in the business of being in the media. People pull inspiration to do their own things either for someone or for themselves.
Chris did just that when he was only 14 years old when he got inspired because of a missing person. He took what happened from this childhood trauma and used it to help others in so many different ways.
He went from the 14-year-old teenager who was hit hard emotionally by someone that had gone missing to being one of the best media journalists known to date. His career with Dateline was truly unique and inspiring. Read on to see just how Chris Hansen built his net worth and became who he is today.
Chris Hansen’s Early Life
Сhrіѕtорhеr Еdwаrd Наnѕеn, otherwise known as Chris Hansen, wаѕ bоrn on September 13, 1959, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. There is not much information about his parents. We do know that his mother’s name was Patricia Hansen. She passed away in March 2020.
Chris grew up in the northern part of West Bloomfield and attended Brother Rick High School. An all-boys Catholic School, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He graduated from Місhіgаn Ѕtаtе Unіvеrѕіtу, in 1981 and obtained а dеgrее іn tеlесоmmunісаtіоnѕ.
The main reason for his career pursuit in telecommunications was due to the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. He was inspired by the work of the FBI and the police in the Jimmy Hoffa case, possibly making him the most passionate journalist there is today.
Chis Hansen’s Height, Weight, Birthday
Height – 6’2” (188cm)
Wеіght – 154 lbs (70 kg)
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Personal Life
Hansen is married to Mary Joan. Together they have two sons. Chase W. Hansen. He was born in 1992. And currently works at Reel Media Productions in New York City. Connor R. Hansen was born in 1994.
He lives in Oklahoma City and is a reporter for FOX 25. In June of 2018, after almost 30 years of marriage, Mary filed for divorce. Cracks started to show in their relationship when Chris spent the night at Manalapan’s Ritz-Carlton hotel with another journalist from Florida, Kristyn Caddell.
However, Chris Hansen is currently in a happy relationship with Gabrielle. It appears they have been together since 2018. Gabrielle has two children of her own. Chris Hansen has also maintained an apartment in New York City.
However, in January 2019, he was evicted for failing to pay his rent. According to reports, he had not made a payment for the apartment since August.
Career
How did Chris Hansen’s net worth come to be?
1981-2013: NBC Career
1981 – NBC took Chris Hansen on as a reporter for the affiliate station WILX when he was a senior attending Michigan State University.
He went on to be a reporter in Tampa, Florida, for WFLA, various newspapers, and radio stations in Michigan.
1988 – Chris Hansen was an investigative reporter for NBC affiliate in Detroit, Michigan.
1993 – He then officially became a correspondent for NBC News. His first gig was for the news program Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric, but it was short-lived and ended rather quickly.
Chris’s work with Dateline included the iconic coverage on cases like the Oklahoma City Bombing, Columbine High School Massacre, The Unabomber, as well as the disaster of TWA Flight 800.
He also began investigating topics like the Indian child labor and the prescription drug counterfeit ring in China.
Chris Hansen was one of the leading reporters on September 11, 2001.
He was well known for reporting on Al-Qaeda, and Osama Bin Ladin’s attempts to purchase nuclear weapons and missiles.
He was the one who reported on how a group that was linked to Osama Bin Laden tried to buy components for nuclear weapons.
He got an exclusive report on the hijacking of Air France Flight 8969. Because of this, there was a series on how the Federal Aviation Administration airport security was inefficient, which made them revise all of their policies.
2004 – 2007 – While Chris Hansen was hosting To Catch a Predator, he also was part of the website called Perverted Justice, where he did a series on Dateline NBC.
The employees of Perverted Justice played roles online as minor children between the ages of 13 to 15 years old in chat rooms. They would set up meeting places with the predators to arrest them for unthinkable crimes.
Chris would set up meeting places in sting houses where they would catch these criminals with the use of cameras and news crews from NBC.
Because of his success, the dateline show created three spin-off shows that carried the same theme. They were aired on Tuesday nights. To Catch an I.D. Thief, and To Catch a Con Man.
March 2007 – Chris Hansen’s book titled “Protecting your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home” was released to the American market.
August 2013 – NBC decided not to renew Chris Hansen’s contract, which ultimately ended his 20-year career with NBC.
Jobs after NBC
Killer Instinct
2015 – Chris Hansen hosted the show on Investigation Discovery covering homicide cases. August 17, 2015, was when it premiered, and the season had 10 episodes.
Hansen vs. Predator
2015 – Hansen vs. Predator was a spin-off from his original series To Catch a Predator. And it was a new independent show that had all been planned by Hansen himself. It was to be a show that would hopefully raise $400,000 as a crowdfunded show. Unfortunately, it only raised $89,000.
Chris Hansen had offered promotional items as part of the campaign, but these were never received according to donors.
January 2019 – Chris was arrested because he used a bad check to pay $13,000 for the promotional items.
Broadcast rights were later sold, and Hansen vs. Predator became a recurring segment on Crime Watch Daily.
Crime Watch Daily
August 22, 2016 – Chris Hansen became the host of Crime Watch Daily. He started with the second-season, which premiered on September 12.
The second season also saw the premiere of Hansen vs. Predator. This was a revival of To Catch a Predator series.
Chris’s entry did help the program’s ratings to increase. Household ratings increased by 20%, and there was a 23% gain with women 18–34.
January 4, 2017 – Crime Watch Daily was renewed for a third season. And then it ended in June of 2018.
Have a Seat with Chris Hansen
October 9, 2019 – Chris Hansen created a YouTube channel. He called it Have a Seat with Chris Hansen.
On this channel, he featured weekly podcasts. He interviewed special guests and tackled various topics.
2019 – Have a Seat with Chris Hansen investigated claims of grooming and pedophilia against James Jackson. He is another YouTube creator, also known as Onision.
January 2020 – Hansen wanted to try and interview Jackson, so he visited Jackson’s home. But Jackson proceeded to call the police.
January 24, 2020 – Jackson filed a lawsuit against Hansen. But decided to dismiss all charges, saying that he had been considering an “alternative, more effective legal action.”
Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygard
Hansen became the executive producer for Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygard. Unseamly is four-part series airing on Discovery+.
The show examines Peter Nygard’s life from birth to his arrest.
The rumors about this “playboy” were covered up for almost five decades. And it seems that this twisted predator would lure girls in, bribe and control them, the same way Epstein did.
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Appearances
Hansen has appeared on many television programs like:
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Late Night with Conan O’Brien
Today
The Rise Guys Morning Show
The Adam Carolla Show
Scarborough Country
The Don and Mike Show
The Opie and Anthony Radio Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Glenn Beck Program
Diggnation
January 9, 2007 – Hansen appeared on the BET News series American Gangster.
Hosted by Ving Rhames, it focuses on drug lords in Detroit. These drug lords are known as the Chambers Brothers gang. He shared insights into their lives based on the reporting Hansen had done in the 1980s and 1990s when he was a reporter for ABC affiliate WXYZ (Channel 7) and NBC affiliate WDIV (Channel 4).
2020 – Chris Hansen also briefly portrayed himself in The Boys.
February 24, 2022 – Chris was interviewed on the Insane Clown Posse Twitch ICPnetwork.
Achievements And Awards
Chris Hansen has received numerous awards for his outstanding work in the media.
These awards include:
3 Clarion Awards
4 Edward R. Murrow Awards
8 Emmy Awards
Overseas Press Club Award
National Press Club Award
An IRE
International Consortium of Investigative Award
Awards for Excellence from United Press International
Awards for Excellence from the Associated Press
Legal Issues
January 2019 – Hansen was charged after a bounced check for promotional items. The charges were later dropped.
February 28, 2020 – Hansen was then charged with harassment of a “civilian.”
October 2020 – A sting operation occurred, and in July 2021, Hansen was due to appear in a Shiawassee County Courtroom in Michigan to provide evidence, but he failed to show up for court.
July 2021 – A warrant was then issued for his arrest. He turned himself in, saying that his failure to appear in court was due to a misunderstanding that was being resolved.
Chris Hansen Net Worth & Bio Summary
Аѕ оf Маrсh 2022, Сhrіѕ Наnѕеn Nеt Wоrth іѕ $15 mіllіоn.
He has earned thіѕ соnѕіdеrаblе nеt wоrth thrоugh all hіѕ hаrd wоrk during his career іn thе mеdіа buѕіnеѕѕ that spans three decades. Сhrіѕ hаѕ also stayed very unіquе, making him a very well-known journalist.
On his podcast, to date, there have been 100 episodes of Have A Seat With Chris Hansen, and it is said that he estimated around $3,000 for each episode.
If you can take away anything from this, it’s the inspiration that Chris Hansen got from one missing person at the age of 14. This incident alone is what influenced him to take the career path he has taken and become the man he is today.
| Name | Chris Hansen |
| Birth Name | Christopher Edward Hansen |
| Date of Birth | 13 September 1969 |
| Place of Birth | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Height | 6'2" (188cm) |
| Weight | 154 lbs (70kg) |
| Profession | American Television Journalist |
| Marital Status | Divorced - Mary Joan Hansen (m. 1989-2018) |
| Children | Son - Chase W. Hansen Son - Connor R. Hansen |
| Parents | Father - Unknown Mother - Patricia Hansen (Died 2020) |
| Siblings | Unknown |
| Net Worth Estimate | $15 million |