I was worried when I read the headline about Chris Hansen being arrested. I thought in some cosmic form of irony I’d be reading about how Hansen was busted in a sting operation for soliciting a minor. Turns out that’s not what happened. He’s just now penniless and issuing bad checks. That’s… good?
After reaching peak fame and being turned into a meme after hosting To Catch a Predator, Hansen has been trying to achieve the same high ever since the show was canceled in 2008. He had spinoffs like to Catch an ID Thief and To Catch a Con Man. Those didn’t quite catch on like To Catch a Predator.
In an attempt to chase the dragon, Hansen launched a Kickstarter in 2015 to fund a new show, Hansen vs Predator. Sadly, it was not the sequel to Alien vs Predator starring Chris Hansen which I would have backed.
His Kickstarter offered incentives for donating like mugs, hats and t-shirts. So in 2017 Hansen bought $13,000 worth of these promotional items. The problem was he didn’t have $13,000 and his check bounced. After almost a year of back and forth, Hansen gave the vendor another check. This one also bounced because if he didn’t have $13,000 then, he’s not going to have $13,000 now. Police issued a warrant for his arrest and Hansen turned himself in.
He now has his mugshot all over the place. Which is still ironic, I guess.