Dog the Bounty Hunter hasn’t managed to keep his nose clean after years in the spotlight. Despite boasting an impressive net worth of $6million, the star – real name Duane Chapman – has faced cancelled shows, bar fights and alleged infidelity.
In recent years, Duane’s daughter Bonnie has claimed that Duane has carried on multiple affairs, branding her father “homophobic and racist” towards cast members on his shows.
Dog has even been the subject of multiple lawsuits after he was found to be carrying a taser unlawfully on set.
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Still, Duane managed to keep his A&E reality show going for nine seasons, before his spin-off show Dog Unleashed was cancelled due to his numerous scandals.
Daily Star delves into his biggest scandals right here.
Multiple affairs
(Image: Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Duane Chapman has a very long string of ex-wives, and has been married a whopping six times throughout his life. Fans will best remember his relationship with wife Beth on his A&E show, before her tragic death in 2019.
Duane and Beth tied the knot back in 2006, welcoming daughter Bonnie and son Garry together, while Duane also adopted Beth’s daughter from her previous marriage, Cecily.
But Bonnie says that not all was as picture perfect as it seemed on the surface, claiming her dad had multiple affairs while still married to Beth.
She claimed he would “cheat on my mom all the time, and I hated him every time he did it, but I forgave him for that because I wanted a relationship with my dad.”
(Image: FilmMagic)
Bonnie called the infidelity “near constant”, accusing her father of carrying out an affair with her mum’s friend while Beth was sick in hospital.
Bonnie and her half-sister Cecily were not invited to their father’s wedding in September 2021, when he tied the knot with his current wife Francie Frane.
Duane’s love life has been wild from the off. His third marriage, to Lyssa Rae Brittain, took place just two days after the pair met. Duane claims he offered Lyssa $1,000 to have his child, and the pair went on to welcome three kids together.
He even married one of his own bounties. Tawny Marie Chapman was arrested by Dog on a drug possession charge, later becoming his secretary and marrying him just four years later.
Racial slurs
(Image: bonniejoc/Instagram)
Affairs aren’t the only thing Bonnie has accused her father of. In a statement back in 2021, she accused the A&E star of racial and homophobic abuse, claiming she was not invited to his wedding due to her participation in the Black Lives Matter protests.
A lengthy statement from Bonnie read: “I received a text from Francie Frane, my dad’s fiancé. Francie’s text message confirmed that the reason I wasn’t invited to my dad’s wedding is my choice to participate in social justice and BLM protests with ‘The System’ and not condemn the streaming platform when they fired my father for using epithets.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t defend my dad’s racism. My father was fired from the platform for using racial and homophobic epithets towards my fellow cast members on the show.
“I have expressed time and time again my ever-growing disappointment in my father’s progression into his old racist ways.”
She added: “As a child, I was always silenced by him, threatened with physical violence, and I will no longer back down.”
Murder
(Image: Getty Images)
Duane’s controversies go far beyond infidelity and slurs – in 1976, the star was convicted of third degree murder and sentenced to five years behind bars.
Dog had been waiting in a getaway car while his pal shot a 69-year-old in a struggle during a cannabis deal gone wrong.
He eventually spent 18 months at the Texas State Penitentiary, and is forbidden from ever owning a firearm.
On-set abuse
(Image: Getty Images)
While shooting in Virginia, Dog reportedly carried an illegal taser and used racist language, which eventually led to him being sued for breaching his contract.
His spin-off show was subsequently cancelled, with Unleashed Entertainment suing CBD Global Sciences for raking in $100,000 of “ill-gotten profits” by promoting “marketing materials” from said spin-off.
Back in 2007, using a racial slur in a phone conversation saw his original A&E show cancelled, admitting he “thought he had a pass” to use the term after being in prison back in 1979.
Entertainment Tonight host Kevin Frazier was quick to put him right, fuming: “If you use that word, if you use it in your regular everyday life, it makes you a racist.”
Secret son
(Image: Instagram)
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Earlier this year, Duane discovered that he has a secret son, born on the anniversary of his late wife’s death.
In June 2023, Duane introduced his newly discovered family member, Jon, telling fans: “For the last four years, this day was a terrible reminder of one of the greatest losses of my life.
“But God redeemed this day when I discovered my son Jon, who I just met recently, was born on this day.”
He went on: “So now instead of sorrow, this day has a new meaning. This is my son Jon and his wife Jodi.”
Duane refused to say more, promising details in his book Nine Lives and Counting.
In total, the star has at least 13 kids – but who knows if more will come out of the woodwork?
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
