Duane Chapman's wedding plans have gone to the dogs, after the reality star (better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter) was accused of not inviting his two daughters to the ceremony.
Cecily and Bonnie Chapman told TMZ they didn't know why they were left off the guest list. Dog plans to wed Francie Frane just days from now, following the death of his last wife, Beth Chapman, due to throat cancer in 2019.
Bonnie, 22, has now come forward with her theory about why she wasn't included. She accused her dad of racism in an explosive social media post, speculating that her views on social justice have gotten her shunned. Dog, 68, denied all her allegations.
"I received a text from Francie Frane, my dad's fiancé," she wrote on Facebook on Aug. 24. "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," referring to her casting in UnleashedTV's social justice show in May.
She reportedly joined the second season two months after Unleashed canceled Dog's show, Dog Unleashed.
Unleashed Entertainment President CEO Mike Donovan told E! News in a statement that production on Dog Unleashed was shut down in March following an investigation by an independent firm into Dog's behavior.
The investigation, which Donovan said involved monitoring "hundreds of hours of video and audio footage," concluded that, "Mr. Chapman used racial and homophobic epithets to attack young African American kids who star with his daughter in UTV's The System, a show that profiles police misconduct and follows protests against white supremacy in policing."
Bonnie wrote on Facebook this week that Dog was upset that she did not "condemn the streaming platform when they fired my father for using epithets," adding, "I'm sorry, but I can't defend my Dad's racism."
She alleged, "When it comes to The System on UnleashedTV, my father was fired by the platform for using racial and homophobic epithets toward my fellow cast members on the show, which is about social justice advocacy and protesting violence and racial bias by police."
Bonnie continued in her post, "I have expressed time and time again my ever-growing disappointment in my father's progression into his old racist ways."
She accused him of embracing "old prejudices" and having "doubled down on racist and homophobic stereotypes." Bonnie said Dog "hates" the Black Lives Matter movement, even though she "proudly" stands with the protesters.
"He has used horrific epithets against LGBTQ people, and he has further aligned himself with right-wing extremists who believe in QAnon theories," she alleged.
Dog's rep anticipated that Bonnie would make claims on social media and provided a statement to E! News on the star's behalf, hours before her post was published. The statement read, "Bonnie's allegations are false and a misguided attempt to derail our wedding."
Dog, who is working on his next show Beware of the Dog, said he is "grateful to the rest of our family for helping us to set the record straight."
"Despite the sadness we feel at this rift in our family," he went on, "Francie and I are looking forward to celebrating our wedding next week with the rest of our family and close friends."
On Facebook, Bonnie also accused the Dog's Most Wanted alum of cheating on her mother and threatening her with violence. "As a child, I was always silenced by him, threatened with physical violence, and I will no longer back down," she wrote.
Furthermore, Bonnie claimed Dog and Francie have not followed COVID-19 guidelines during the pandemic. "In December 2020 Francie told me she had Covid-19," Bonnie stated. "She also told me she flew to speaking events knowing she had covid. She didn't seem to care about the thousands of people she could have infected."
She said all her allegations "may be a shock" to his fans, but feels they "deserve the truth."
"I'm sorry for those who looked up to my father growing up," Bonnie shared. "I'm sorry to those who truly thought he was a good man; I thought so too at some point. Growing up, we have to take the people we idolize off a pedestal."
She said she had forgiven Dog after her mother's death, but added, "I can no longer watch someone diminish her light with his hatred. I can no longer sit and be quiet about these things."
In additional statement to E! News, Dog denied Bonnie's claims. "Bonnie's allegations are false and a misguided attempt to derail our wedding," he said. "I'm not perfect and have made some mistakes. I'm very appreciative of everyone who has spoken out on my behalf including my daughter Lyssa."
"It's one thing to attack me but to bring Francie into this, claiming she traveled while knowingly ill with COVID-19 is simply not true," Dog continued. He also added that, despite the family rift, "Francie and I are looking forward to celebrating our wedding next week with the rest of our family and close friends."
After TMZ reported Dog's daughters were not invited to his wedding, Dog's rep sent a separate, initial statement to E! News that said they "love Bonnie and Cecily very much, as we do all our family." According to the message, "We pray for their health and happiness every day. Beyond that statement, we wish to keep any family issues private."
News broke in May 2020 that Dog had proposed to Francie, who will be his sixth wife. At the time, Bonnie told critics to leave her dad alone, saying, "My father deserves to be happy" and "please keep your comments to yourself." The Dog and Beth: On the Hunt star praised future stepmom Francie for being a "wonderful woman."
A&E cancelled Dog's breakout show, Dog the Bounty Hunter, in 2012 after eight seasons.