Scandals That Rocked Dog The Bounty Hunter

There was nothing quite like noughties reality television. The genre found its footing in that decade, serving us treats like "The Simple Life" and "The Osbournes." However, one fast-paced show gained a surprise following no one saw coming. "Dog the Bounty Hunter" quickly became a firm favorite, as viewers loved watching Duane "Dog" Chapman and his posse of bail bondsmen rounding up criminals across America. It wasn't just the thrill of the chase we loved, but Dog's larger-than-life personality, and the intriguing Chapman family dynamics. It's not an overstatement to say that Dog isn't the usual lawman — not least because Dog the Bounty Hunter's arrest record speaks for itself. 

There was just as much drama off-screen as on-screen throughout the show's tenure. No matter how hard he tries to stay on the good side of the public, Dog is constantly hounded (pardon the pun) with scandal after scandal. Even after the show ended in 2012, Dog and the Chapman family remained in the spotlight, often for the wrong reasons. From cast arrests to bar fights, racist rants, and much more, let's round up the biggest issues Dog the Bounty Hunter has faced over the years.

Unlike many other reality TV stars, Duane "Dog" Chapman wasn't entirely unknown before he landed his TV show. Dog gained recognition when he captured one of America's Most Wanted criminals, Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, in 2003. Luster was on the run as he faced charges of sexual assault and was eventually located by Dog and his crew in Mexico. The arrest boosted Dog's profile and made him somewhat of a minor celebrity, but it came at a cost. Mexican authorities don't take kindly to bounty hunting, and Dog was arrested for kidnapping. 

The legal mess eventually sorted itself out, and Dog and his cronies walked free, but the entire debacle caused friction between Dog and his lawyer. The TV sensation ended up suing over the fees he was charged. The lawsuit didn't work out in Dog's favor, as he lost the battle. He was ordered to pay a huge $880,916, plus interest. In 2021, TMZ claimed that Dog had yet to pay the huge fee, despite the time elapsed since the judgment.  

One of the most tragic details about Dog the Bounty Hunter emerged when the show was at its peak in 2007. By this point, fans knew and loved Duane "Dog" Chapman, who seemed to have an empathetic stance with fugitives once they had been caught. Sure, he was the long arm of the law, but he was willing to give them advice on how to turn their lives around. The last thing we expected from Dog, who lived in Hawaii at the time, was a racist scandal. The whistleblower was Dog's son, Tucker Chapman, who released a recording of a telephone call in which his father used the n-word multiple times when describing Tucker's girlfriend. 

Needless to say, network A&E was put in a tough spot because of its star's remarks. "In evaluating the circumstances of the last few days, A&E has decided to take 'Dog The Bounty Hunter' off the network's schedule for the foreseeable future," a network spokesperson said via Reuters. Dog, with his tail between his legs, had no choice but to apologize. Interestingly, in a move that likely wouldn't happen these days, A&E didn't cancel the show for good; the series returned three months later. 

Sure, Duane "Dog" Chapman has scandals coming out of his ears, but he isn't the only cast member to find himself in hot water. Fans may remember that Dog's right-hand man, Tim "Youngblood" Chapman (no relation) was absent for one season of the series despite being a mainstay from the beginning. Youngblood didn't simply take a sabbatical. His disappearance was the result of a 2008 arrest that saw him charged with first-degree terroristic threatening and indecent exposure. The charges claimed that Youngblood had fondled himself while parked in a public area, but his lawyers argued it was all one big mistake. 

According to the defense, Youngblood had merely spilled orange juice on his pants and was trying to fix the situation. After appearing in court, the charges were dismissed and Youngblood was a free man, but it was an embarrassing situation that left him furious. "When our school teachers need more money, and we gotta reach in the tail to give them, we gotta reach inside the till to give them more money, the only thing we grab out for them is more excuses," he told reporters (via Hawaii News Now) after being acquitted. "And maybe this is part of the reason why. This is a blatant waste of taxpayer money."

Duane "Dog" Chapman's approach to capturing fugitives could be a little harsh. He often used expletives, wielded a scary-looking can of mace, and used his burly muscles to his advantage. However, it worked. With that being said, there were times when things went awry. Towards the end of the show's run, Dog found himself in trouble when an arrest spiraled dangerously out of control. Dog and his team visited the La Montana Restaurant in Breckenridge, Colorado, in 2011, looking for a fugitive who happened to be the bar owner's father. 

The staff and patrons didn't take kindly to a reality TV bail bondsman and a camera crew turning up. Before long, a fight ensued, and Dog was caught on camera (via TMZ) yelling at one man, "Come on white boy, come on motherf*****." If that wasn't bad enough, a person on Dog's team was captured saying, "I'm not a superstar ... I can f**k you up and not get charged." Fists flew and it left somewhat of a sour taste, even though Dog later claimed that the scuffle happened after one of his crew was sprayed with cleaning fluid. 

Reality TV shows are often full of drama, so perhaps it's not surprising that Duane "Dog" Chapman was sued by a fellow cast member in 2011. Bail bondsman Bobby Brown took legal steps against Dog and the show's network, A&E, claiming that even though he appeared in 40 episodes, he was paid a measly $6,000. As retribution, he sought $75,000. However, Brown's qualms weren't just over the money he felt he should've been paid. He felt exploited by the series and alleged he was promised more than he received. Plus, he claims that he was the mastermind behind the capture of multiple fugitives and didn't get the credit. 

"While the series portrays 'Dog' and his team as assisting Bobby Brown with capturing difficult fugitives, in fact, it was Mr. Brown who laid the foundation for each of these captures with meticulous preparation and research," said the lawsuit, via The Hollywood Reporter. "In most cases, he postponed faster and less expensive options to capture the fugitives to ensure there was sufficient quality material for filming." Despite their issues, it looks like it was eventually water under the bridge between Dog and Brown, as he promoted Dog's ill-fated 2021 series, "Dog Unleashed," on X, formerly Twitter, in 2021. 

Dog the Bounty Hunter has 13 kids, many of whom appeared on the show. Some only popped in for an episode here and there, but his sons, Leland Chapman and Duane Lee Chapman, Jr., were mainstays. For years, the bondsmen helped their father capture fugitives both on and off-camera. However, the Chapman family dynamic is complex and often tumultuous. In the final season of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" in 2012, fans were surprised to see tensions escalate between Dog, his wife Beth Chapman, and his sons. 

In a sensational episode shot the year prior in 2011, Duane Lee could be seen getting into a heated argument with Beth. "You want me fired, you gotta fire me," he told her. Leland quit at the same time, leading Beth to yell as they walked out of the office, "It's not on me, Leland. Call your dad! Call your dad!" as per The U.K. Sun. Duane Lee retired from the spotlight, but Leland did go on to work with his father and stepmother again, appearing in the show "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt" in 2013.  

Duane "Dog" Chapman may be better known for being a TV personality, but his skills aren't just for show. He was a successful bail bondsman before the series came to fruition, and he didn't stop working just because the show finished. However, while he may be quick to capture fugitives on the run, Dog isn't in a rush to pay his taxes. In 2022, news surfaced that the reality star owed around $1.6 million in federal and state tax liens. He owed the state of Hawaii alone around $72,229 and two different counties in Colorado a huge amount reaching into the millions. At the time, Dog told The U.S. Sun, "I've been working diligently to satisfy these outstanding debts and look forward to putting this behind us." 

Despite his good intentions, Dog filed a dispute against his enormous bill. Among other things, he claimed that the IRS didn't properly notify him of the outstanding amounts. Dog's history doesn't help him in front of a judge, as he has had 17 tax liens against him since 1990. 

Dog the Bounty Hunter's feud with his daughter Bonnie Chapman and his stepdaughter Cecily Chapman was one of the saddest things to emerge after the death of his wife, Beth Chapman, in 2019. Things between the star and his kids seemingly went south after he announced his engagement to his sixth wife, Francie Frane, in 2021. The sisters weren't invited to the nuptials, and Bonnie claimed it was because she supported the Black Lives Matter movement. In a lengthy statement (via 9News), she explained that Frane confirmed this in a text message and took aim at her father's attitude. 

"[Dog] has embraced old prejudices and doubled down on racist and homophobic stereotypes," she wrote. "For example, my dad hates BLM and called BLM protestors who I proudly stand with each and every day 'thugs.'" Bonnie didn't stop there, going on to claim her father cheated on her mother, Beth Chapman, while she was dying, and saying that he had aligned himself with QAnon. 

When Dog the Bounty Hunter's fifth wife Beth Chapman tragically died in 2019, fans were left devastated. The pair always seemed committed to one another and presented a united front, no matter what scandals arose in the show or their personal lives. Dog spoke about his despair in several interviews after Beth's death and even revealed he thought about suicide. Despite this, it wasn't long before Dog was rumored to have moved on, with his late wife's friend, Moon Angell. Duane "Dog" Chapman's daughter, Lyssa Chapman, made the news public when she took to X.

"If you went to your mother's closet and saw [Angell] moved all her clothes and replaced them with her own, what would you do? #ItsNotWhenOrWhyItsWho," she wrote, per The U.S. Sun. "My dad is a grown a*** man. His money. His dynasty. But you can guarantee that my name is not going down in history as a person who supported this." The situation became even more complex when the Dog and Angell appeared on "The Dr. Oz Show" and Dog proposed to her. Angell was taken aback by the move and immediately shut down his advances. "We're friends, I love you as a friend. I don't see you as that, I love you and Beth as my friends. I can't marry you, at this very moment, I don't see you as that."

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In 2021, it was time for fans to meet Dog the Bounty Hunter's wife, Francie Frane. Despite vowing that he would never say "I do" again after the death of his fifth wife, Beth Chapman, it wasn't long before Duane "Dog" Chapman found himself head over heels in love. Though it may have worked out for him (at the time of writing in February 2025 the couple are still blissfully together), some people weren't happy that Dog chose to move on so quickly. The union was headline-making, not least because of the friction it caused between Dog and his family. 

Even the wedding itself was marred by drama. The Colorado Springs ceremony was relatively low-key, but Dog hired extra security after an anonymous individual threatened to wreck his new bride's gown. A couple of incidents involving parked cars were also reported, with one guest finding their tires slashed and another smelling a foul odor in their car. 

In 2021, Duane "Dog" Chapman was poised to return to our screens with a new show, "Dog Unleashed." Despite the hype and the fact that filming had already happened, the network broke the news of the show's cancelation before it even aired. "We greatly respect the incredible work of Duane Chapman (a.k.a. Dog the Bounty Hunter) tracking down and bringing fugitives to justice," read President and CEO Mike Donovan's statement, via In Touch. "Unfortunately, Unleashed Entertainment received reports of actions taken by Mr. Chapman during the show's production that breach our contractual agreements."

While Donovan didn't go into detail about what transpired, he did explain that a thorough investigation was conducted. Dog was invited to take part, but reportedly declined. His daughter, Bonnie Chapman, later revealed that her father was fired for using racist epithets. However, she didn't elaborate on what he said or when he said it. 

Duane "Dog" Chapman has been married six times and has 13 children, so to say he's woven a tangled web would be an understatement. Many of Dog's children have been open about their childhood struggles. It's a sad fact that substance misuse and legal issues seem to be synonymous with the Chapman name. In 2021, the adoptive mother of one of Dog's sons, Christopher Hecht, told The U.K. Sun that the reality star had abandoned Christopher, despite initially insisting on a relationship with him. Christopher, who is the son of Dog and a former flame, Debbie White, had no idea of his parentage until Dog got in touch when Christopher was 19 years old. 

"[Dog] contacted me and said who he was and I was like, 'No you're not. Go away and leave us alone.' But he begged," Gloria told the newspaper. Despite her protestations, Christopher and Dog formed a bond, only for things to turn bad when Christopher butted heads with Dog's then-wife, Beth Chapman. "[Dog] tore Chris down every chance he got. Duane has called him names and laughed at him instead of trying to help him," Gloria claimed, going on to say that Dog only cared about himself. She believed that Christopher's numerous legal problems were worsened by Dog's inconsistent, and allegedly often abusive, treatment of him. 

Considering all the bad press Duane "Dog" Chapman has had over the course of his time in the spotlight, you would think lessons would be learned. Unfortunately, it seems like you can't teach an old dog new tricks. In 2023, Dog gave a shocking interview with Christian ministry founder Sharrell Barrera, alongside his sixth wife, Francie Frane. Among many other things, Dog lambasted the LGBTIQA+ community. "They're so wacko themselves that where they have brought us all is to the gates of hell. So we have to stop all that, rebuke them." Not content to stop there, Dog doubled down on his condemnation. "[God] didn't make Adam and Steve, he made Adam and Eve." 

The horrifying statements quickly made headlines. Interestingly, Dog's daughter, Lyssa Chapman, is part of the same community her father so brazenly insulted. She married her partner, Leiana Evensen, in 2022. Notably, her father wasn't in attendance. At the time, Lyssa explained to People, "My dad's always just loved me and it's not been something we talk about. I think it's really hard for people who are Christian and do have the belief that marriage belongs to a man and a woman."