Chris Hansen and Primetime have never exactly been on speaking terms. The To Catch a Predator host has repeatedly condemned the 2026 A24 crime thriller as a “complete work of fiction” and an insult to the investigative teams protecting children. Hansen has also objected to scenes portraying his character screaming at assistants and producers, insisting that he never treated colleagues that way. Now, after finally watching Primetime, Hansen has revealed just how badly the portrayal landed with him.

The film’s release has only intensified Hansen’s objections, with the television host saying he and people who know him were deeply disgusted by what they saw on screen.

Following a screening of Lance Oppenheim’s drama Primetime, Chris Hansen has finally shared his reaction to the full film. In a 20-minute video posted to his YouTube channel, Have A Seat With Chris Hansen, the former To Catch a Predator host described the experience as bizarre and disconnected from anything he had actually experienced during his investigations.

Hansen acknowledged that judging a fictionalized portrayal of himself came with an obvious lack of objectivity, but he still struggled to understand the film’s approach. He said the story moved “in-and-out of reality” and felt detached from both his past and present investigative work. For Hansen, the biggest question remained what Lance Oppenheim was ultimately trying to accomplish.

The television personality also revealed that around 13 members of his former crew watched Primetime alongside him. While some appreciated the filmmaking and storytelling, Hansen said several became bored after roughly 30 minutes. In Have A Seat With Chris Hansen, he further argued that Oppenheim appeared determined to preserve a dark vision of the story without allowing the real-world impact of those investigations to influence the film.

“I Was Genuinely Throwing Up”- Robert Pattinson Nearly Thought He’d Made a Mistake With ‘Primetime'

With Primetime already sitting at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, Lance Oppenheim may have found a rather funny way to get revenge through Robert Pattinson.

Chris Hansen apparently decided that if Robert Pattinson could play him on the big screen, he could return the favor on social media. To mark Primetime’s theatrical release, the former To Catch a Predator host dressed up as Pattinson in the actor’s famously awkward kitchen photo shoot, copying the brooding pose and outfit with impressively committed precision.

 “Robert Pattinson is portraying me in the new movie Primetime. Two can play at that game,” he said.

Rather than simply commenting on Pattinson’s fictionalized version of him, Hansen turned the joke into his own bit of casting, making the kitchen meme an unexpected part of their increasingly amusing back-and-forth. In the end, Hansen’s Pattinson impersonation gave the Primetime feud a surprisingly playful punchline.

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