What Dog The Bounty Hunter Just Said About His Family Will Shock You
Dog the Bounty Hunter (real name Duane Chapman) first rose to international fame after he captured Max Factor cosmetics heir Andrew Luster — who had fled the United States during his trial for drugging and raping three women in Ventura, California — in Mexico in 2003 (via The Guardian). A year later, A&E debuted their long-running series, "Dog the Bounty Hunter," which starred Chapman and his late wife, Beth, and ran from 2003-2012 (via IMDb). A year after his show was canceled, Duane and Beth's new show, "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt," premiered on CMT and ran until 2015.
Beth Chapman was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017 and died two years later in June 2019 at age 51. Chapman broke the news on social media, writing in a tweet, "It's 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain. Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side" (via CNN). And while Chapman's obviously been through some pain during the last few years of his life, the reality star is now opening up about his traumatic and heartbreaking childhood.
Dog the Bounty Hunter learned some shocking news from his sister
In one clip on "The Dr. Oz Show," Duane "Dog The Bounty Hunter" Chapman reveals that just before his little sister died a few years ago, she told him some unexpected news about their father (via People). "Oh, by the way, I want to tell you that dad is not your father. He is Paula's, Mike's and mine, but he's not really yours and maybe that's some of the reason he beat you more," he recalled his sister, Jolene, telling him before her death in 2016 (via Hawaii News Now).
In another clip, Chapman details some of the abuse he received at the hands of his dad, who was "in the Navy back in the day," telling Dr. Oz, "My father would spank me so hard with a belt or a piece of board, and he'd pull my pants down ... I couldn't even shower at school because I was so embarrassed of the bruises." Despite years of horrific abuse, though, Chapman says he still "love[s] my daddy" and he "wouldn't be the man I was today" if his father had raised him differently.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.