Chris Hansen Breaks Silence on Robert Pattinson Movie, New Sting Operations & A Predator’s Playbook

August 17, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Predator Playbook: Chris Hansen on Sting Operations, Roblox Dangers, and Two Decades of Catching Offenders

Chris Hansen has been running sting operations against adults who seek to exploit children for more than twenty years, starting with the original To Catch a Predator series on NBC in 2004. In this conversation with Annie Elise, he walks through how the operations have evolved, what parents need to understand about modern platforms like Roblox, and why the most shocking cases keep coming.

How the Stings Actually Work

The early operations were rudimentary by today's standards. Hansen partnered with an online watchdog group called Perverted Justice, whose decoys would pose as minors in chat rooms on AOL and Yahoo. When an adult crossed the line into explicit sexual solicitation, the decoy gave them an address. Hansen and his crew wired a house with hidden cameras, and when the person showed up, Hansen confronted them.

The first sting in Bethpage, Long Island, produced seventeen men in two and a half days. But Hansen quickly realized that letting suspects walk away without facing consequences was irresponsible. "It became pretty apparent early on that to not partner with law enforcement until after the fact wasn't socially responsible," he says. "These guys had to face justice."

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What you'll learn

1 (01:40) **Episode Introduction** - Annie Elise introduces Chris Hansen as the guest, framing the conversation around the new Robert Pattinson movie, current sting operations, and how predators have evolved.
2 (04:30) **Inside a Sting Operation: The Setup & Evolution** - Chris Hansen details how stings began in 2004 with Perverted Justice, and how they have changed over 22 years.
3 (06:05) **Male vs. Female Predators: A Statistical Breakdown** - Hansen reveals that in all his investigations, they have never caught a female predator.
4 (07:50) **The Critical Role of Law Enforcement Partnerships** - Hansen explains why law enforcement is now embedded in every aspect of the sting, from decoys to prosecution.
5 (10:03) **On Citizen Journalist Stings & Vigilante Justice** - Hansen offers his perspective on the rise of amateur predator-catching operations.
6 (11:36) **The Evolution of Predators: From AOL Chat Rooms to Roblox** - Hansen describes how predators have adapted to new technology, making cases more dangerous and graphic than ever.
7 (16:01) **Shocking Recent Cases: The Lawyer & The Little League Coach** - Hansen details two recent, high-profile arrests that demonstrate predators are hiding in plain sight.

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Guests on this episode

Chris Hansen Annie Elise

Show Notes

Chris Hansen is in the Serialously studio and finally speaking out about the new A24 film depicting one of the most infamous chapters of his career. In this exclusive interview, Chris opens up about his career, the highly anticipated movie starring Robert Pattinson, and what he really thinks about Hollywood telling his story.
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