Chris Hansen

2007reaction image / catchphraseclassic

Chris Hansen is the American Dateline NBC journalist whose 'To Catch a Predator' ambushes of online sexual predators made him an internet folk figure. Since 2007, his face and catchphrase 'why don't you take a seat right over there' have circulated as reaction images and 4chan warning flags for inappropriate content involving minors.

catchphrase memes4chan memeslate 2000s memesunwilling celebrity memesreaction memes

Overview

Chris Hansen is an American television journalist who hosted the Dateline NBC segment 'To Catch a Predator' from November 2004 to December 20071. On the show, adult volunteers from the group Perverted Justice posed as 13-year-olds in chat rooms, invited grown men to a rigged house, and Hansen greeted each guest with printed chat logs and the line, 'why don't you take a seat right over there'3.

On 4chan and other imageboards, Hansen's face works as a moderator flag. Posting his image in a thread signals that illegal content involving minors may have been shared, functioning like Pedobear as a warning icon2. Around that core use sits a wider library of Hansen edits, disguise Photoshops, and copypastas keyed to the predator-catching bit.

How It Spread

By late 2007, Hansen was folded into /b/'s seasonal culture, appearing in both a Halloween thread and a Christmas thread that year2. South Park piled on with an October 3rd, 2007 parody titled 'Le Petit Tourette,' which staged its own version of the ambush format.

A copypasta called 'Chips Handon' surfaced around December 29th, 2008. Paired with a poorly Photoshopped image of Hansen in a fake beard and sunglasses, it asked posters to send 'PC' instead of 'CP,' a bait aimed at tricking users into sending illegal images to Hansen himself2. Chips Handon reached Reddit threads and World of Warcraft forums.

Critics attacked the show throughout its run. A January 2007 Columbia Journalism Review article argued that Dateline was operating as an unlicensed law enforcement arm, and a 2008 Guardian critique described the format as making viewers 'feel sorry for potential child rapists'1. The 'take a seat' line and Hansen's stare kept circulating in threads and reaction images long after the show ended.

How to Use This Meme

The Chris Hansen format typically means pasting a screenshot or reaction image of Hansen after a suspicious post, or dropping the 'why don't you take a seat right over there' line in reply to anyone acting creepy in a chat3. Common convention includes Photoshopped edits where Hansen appears in a fake beard, wig, or costume 'infiltrating' a board2.

Frequently Asked Questions

Chris Hansen

2007reaction image / catchphraseclassic

Chris Hansen is the American Dateline NBC journalist whose 'To Catch a Predator' ambushes of online sexual predators made him an internet folk figure. Since 2007, his face and catchphrase 'why don't you take a seat right over there' have circulated as reaction images and 4chan warning flags for inappropriate content involving minors.

catchphrase memes 4chan memes late 2000s memes unwilling celebrity memes reaction memes

Overview

Chris Hansen is an American television journalist who hosted the Dateline NBC segment 'To Catch a Predator' from November 2004 to December 20071. On the show, adult volunteers from the group Perverted Justice posed as 13-year-olds in chat rooms, invited grown men to a rigged house, and Hansen greeted each guest with printed chat logs and the line, 'why don't you take a seat right over there'3.

On 4chan and other imageboards, Hansen's face works as a moderator flag. Posting his image in a thread signals that illegal content involving minors may have been shared, functioning like Pedobear as a warning icon2. Around that core use sits a wider library of Hansen edits, disguise Photoshops, and copypastas keyed to the predator-catching bit.

How It Spread

By late 2007, Hansen was folded into /b/'s seasonal culture, appearing in both a Halloween thread and a Christmas thread that year2. South Park piled on with an October 3rd, 2007 parody titled 'Le Petit Tourette,' which staged its own version of the ambush format.

A copypasta called 'Chips Handon' surfaced around December 29th, 2008. Paired with a poorly Photoshopped image of Hansen in a fake beard and sunglasses, it asked posters to send 'PC' instead of 'CP,' a bait aimed at tricking users into sending illegal images to Hansen himself2. Chips Handon reached Reddit threads and World of Warcraft forums.

Critics attacked the show throughout its run. A January 2007 Columbia Journalism Review article argued that Dateline was operating as an unlicensed law enforcement arm, and a 2008 Guardian critique described the format as making viewers 'feel sorry for potential child rapists'1. The 'take a seat' line and Hansen's stare kept circulating in threads and reaction images long after the show ended.

How to Use This Meme

The Chris Hansen format typically means pasting a screenshot or reaction image of Hansen after a suspicious post, or dropping the 'why don't you take a seat right over there' line in reply to anyone acting creepy in a chat3. Common convention includes Photoshopped edits where Hansen appears in a fake beard, wig, or costume 'infiltrating' a board2.

Frequently Asked Questions