After the Investigation: Your Questions Answered Live with Jason Hawes

One of my favorite things to do after wrapping up a long night of investigating is sitting down with you — the community that makes all of this worthwhile. The investigation may be over, but the conversation is just getting started. These live Q&A sessions are where the real talk happens: no edits, no cuts, just honest answers about what we do and why we do it.

There's something I've always believed: the work doesn't end when we pack up the equipment. After years with TAPS and countless investigations across this country, I've learned that some of the most important moments happen in the debrief — when the adrenaline settles and you start asking the hard questions about what you actually experienced versus what you think you experienced. That's exactly what these live sessions are about.

I get asked all the time why I lead with skepticism. People assume that because I've dedicated so much of my life to paranormal investigation, I must walk into every location already convinced something is there. It's actually the opposite. My job — the job I take seriously every single time — is to find the rational explanation first. A creaking floor, a drafty hallway, pipes expanding in an old building, infrasound causing feelings of unease: these are the things I'm hunting for before I ever consider a paranormal conclusion. If I can debunk it, I will. That's not a betrayal of the field — that's what gives the field credibility.

During these live hangouts, you all bring incredible questions to the table. We talk about methodology, about the emotional weight of investigating locations tied to tragedy, about what it's like to work alongside a team you trust with your safety and your reputation. We talk about the evidence that keeps me up at night — not because I'm scared, but because I genuinely can't explain it after exhausting every other option. Those moments are rare, and that's exactly what makes them matter. I'd rather have one piece of evidence I can't debunk than a hundred hours of footage I know has a logical explanation.

These sessions are also a chance for me to be straight with you about the reality of this work. It's not always dramatic. Most nights are long, quiet, and inconclusive. And that's okay — that's honest. What I won't do is manufacture excitement or push a narrative that something paranormal happened when the evidence doesn't support it. You deserve better than that, and frankly, the people who live and work in these locations deserve better than that too. When we say a place is haunted, that means something. It has to mean something.

These live conversations remind me why I started TAPS in the first place — to investigate responsibly, to keep the community informed, and to never stop asking questions. Whether last night's location gave us something compelling or sent us home empty-handed, the dialogue we have together is what keeps this work grounded. Thanks for hanging out with me, and I'll see you on the next one.