Although considered sensationalistic, there is not any doubt that Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator has left its mark on the cultural milieu. The series, which revolves round sting operations to catch pedophiles, made its host, Chris Hansen, into a celebrity, in addition to a de facto icon for self-styled "pedophile hunters".
It should come as little wonder that the person in the back of myriad sting operations has been matter to apparently never-ending controversies. In addition to the moral dilemma of using severe crimes as entertainment, Hansen has found himself at the receiving finish of quite a lot of proceedings, arrests, and prison troubles, all of which have dampened his impressive net worth. Here's how Chris Hansen's controversies have affected his $1.5 million net worth.
10 How Did Chris Hansen Acquire His Net Worth?
As host of To Catch a Predator, Chris Hansen successfully was a popular culture hero, as well as reasonably of a meme. The display's unique, winning system has been parodied incessantly. Hansen himself even visitor starred in The Simpsons' season 22 episode "Loan-a Lisa", through which he catches Homer returning used items to the mall.
Like many other TV hosts, Hansen was once handsomely paid for the hit display. At the peak of his popularity, he used to be estimated to have a net worth between $12-$15 million. However, that number has steadily diminished due to the host's innumerable controversies.
9 A 'To Catch A Predator' Suicide Damaged Hansen's Reputation
In 2006, Chris Hansen confronted a major blow to both his net worth and recognition. Louis Conradt, a Texas attorney, was once stuck posing as a youngster in an effort to allegedly procure sexual favors from a 13-year-old boy. Of course, the boy did not in fact exist and this personality was once concocted as a ruse by way of Hansen and his colleagues to apprehend Conradt.
Working with very long time collaborators Perverted-Justice, an anti-predator organization, Hansen was once in a position to catch Conradt having inappropriate conversations with the "boy" and a SWAT crew stormed his assets. However, Conradt shot himself as soon as the police entered, dying in a while after.
8 The Incident Saw Him Face A Hefty Lawsuit
Following Conradt's loss of life, his sister, Patricia, filed a lawsuit in opposition to Hansen and NBC. She sought $109 million in damages, claiming that To Catch a Predator used to be accountable for her brother's demise. To make issues worse, NBC aired the episode regardless of Conradt's suicide.
Ultimately, the lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed quantity, however the injury to Hansen's popularity was already completed. However, the host was adamant that his team had made the proper choice in seeking to catch Conradt, telling VladTV that the lawyer had a lot of images of child pornography on his laptop. "While you don't want to see anything like that happen to a guy, suicide, you could pretty much clearly assume that he didn't want to face the music," Hansen defined.
7 He Lost His Job During The Fallout
Another blow to Chris Hansen's net worth came in in 2007 when To Catch a Predator was formally canceled in the fallout of the Conradt lawsuit. Though his salary has never been publicly printed, Hansen is believed to have made millions from the show. Since To Catch a Predator used to be his livelihood, its cancelation will be the catalyst for a chain of ensuing monetary troubles.
6 He Wrote $13,000 Worth Of Bad Checks To Fund His Controversial New Show
In an effort to begin his new project, entitled Hansen vs. Predator, Chris Hansen began a Kickstarter in 2015. The funding goal used to be $400,000, but he was once simplest in a position to raise a measly $89,000.
Testament to his financial decline, Hansen resorted to writing bad assessments to purchase promotional items for the show, amounting to $13,000. Accordingly, he was once arrested and because of appear in court docket. Much to Hansen's reduction, the case used to be disregarded in 2019.
5 He Owed Hundreds Of Thousands In Back Taxes
Hansen's dire monetary state of affairs continued in 2019. As reported by the Daily Mail, he owed $250,000 in again taxes, as well as $60,000 to American Express, and several hundred thousand dollars to his bank and mortgage provider. Shockingly, the whole debt amounted to over $1 million.
4 Things Went Downhill When He Tried To Expose YouTuber Onision
Onision is one of the most hated YouTubers of all time. The vlogger has lengthy faced accusations of grooming minors, so he was once a prime goal for Chris Hansen. Despite his various financial woes, Hansen hasn't ever given up his quest to reveal predators. After interviewing a number of women who alleged that they had been abused by means of Onision, Hansen got down to expose the vlogger.
In 2020, he arrived at Onision's house in an try to question him about longstanding pedophilia claims. Onision straight away called the police, alleging that Hansen had been harassing and stalking him relentlessly. "There's a person who's been stalking me online, and they just showed up to my house," he stated in a 911 name.
3 Onision Filed A Lawsuit Against Hansen
The tried sting on Onision didn't go in step with plan and, all over again, Chris Hansen confronted a lawsuit when the YouTuber sued him in January 2020. Mounting legal bills noticed Hansen's already waning net worth decline even additional. As reported through Newsweek, Hansen asked that his considerable court docket fees be lined, however the plea was denied.
While the lawsuit was once in the end dismissed, the damage to Hansen's net worth was once colossal.
2 He Skipped Court After A Sting Operation That Caught 3 Alleged Predators
The many controversies of To Catch a Predator haven't stopped Chris Hansen from regularly pursuing sting operations on suspected pedophiles.
In October 2020, Hansen was curious about an operation to apprehend Three males who had been planning to meet underage ladies. The men were effectively arrested and awaited trial. But in a odd twist, Hansen skipped courtroom after being subpoenaed to testify. Accordingly, a warrant used to be put out for his arrest and Hansen sooner or later became himself in.
1 There Are Rumors That He's In Financial Ruin, But He Won't Stop Trying To Catch Predators
Despite claims that To Catch a Predator was once sensationalizing and capitalizing on predatory habits, Hansen's recent efforts to apprehend alleged abusers counsel that cash isn't his incentive after all.
Subsequently, Hansen's post-Predator controversies have observed his net worth plummet from an estimated $12-15 million to just $1.5 million. For some other people, the pursuit of justice is more vital than the acquisition of cash, although Hansen's modus operandi is continuously highly controversial.
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