NBC News drops Chris Hansen

Credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Looks like Chris Hansen isn't going to be catching any more predators.

NBC News has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the contract for the Emmy-winning reporter, best known for his To Catch a Predator features, has not been renewed. The decision not to renew Hansen's contract marks the end of a 20-year career with NBC, which featured stints as a correspondent on Dateline and included coverage of breaking news events such as the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine shootings, the Unabomber and the crash of TWA Flight 800.

NBC News backed off on the controversial, popular To Catch a Predator, in which Hansen interrogated sexual predators rooted out via watchdog group Perverted-Justice, after the subject of one of its investigative pieces committed suicide during a taping. NBCUniversal ended up "amicably resolving” a $105-million lawsuit filed by the deceased man's sister. However, the cancellation of To Catch a Predator, coupled with Dateline's move from news magazine to true crime murder mysteries, has resulted in Hansen's screentime being considerably reduced in recent years.

Hansen is reportedly moving on to hosting and producing projects in the future.