Dog the Bounty Hunter is the latest celebrity to fall victim to the “N” word. You would think that these racists would have learned their lesson after watching people like comedian Michael Richards and radio talk show host Don Imus bite the dust for using the word that can end careers and spark an enormous worldwide backlash in a millisecond.Use of this six-letter word is an invitation to self-destruction. Now. A&E has taken Dog the Bounty Hunter off the air. Talks to bring it back any time soon aren’t underway. Duane “Dog” Chapman is in big trouble and all I can say is that racists eventually get what they deserve.
A lot of people had questioned some of Chapman’s behavior in the past. He presented himself as a devout Christian, yet swore like a longshoreman on many episodes of his show. He was also criticized for being too physical with many of the bail jumpers he captured.
Overall, I liked the guy, however. He took his job seriously, campaigned against drugs and volunteered a lot of his time talking at prisons and counseling inmates. He even won several awards for his outreach efforts and seemed to be a good family man.
Everything seemed to be going well for the bail bondsman/reality TV star until his son starting dating a black woman. Chapman made a phone call where he dropped several “N’ bombs and forbade his son to see the woman. Obviously upset over the whole incident, his son Tucker recorded the phone conversation and leaked it to the press.
Now he’s on the run himself, avoiding the media and devising a comeback strategy. Apologies are surely forthcoming, but will that be enough? One thing is for sure – this is one dog that has been neutered and lost his once-vicious bark.
This appeared yesterday on the Reuters web site:
A reality TV show starring celebrity bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman was pulled from the air indefinitely on Friday, two days after a private phone conversation in which he used a racial slur was posted online.
Cable channel A&E suspended production of the fifth series of Chapman's popular show, "Dog the Bounty Hunter," as the phone call was made public on Wednesday, but on Friday the network went a step further.
"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," an A&E spokesman said.
"We hope that Mr. Chapman continues the healing process that he has begun."
He said no decision had been made to cancel the program, which is shown in more than 10 countries, and the network will review the situation again in a couple of weeks.
Honolulu-based Chapman, 54, who says he is a devout Christian, has apologized for using the epithet "n-----" to describe a black woman being dated by his son, Tucker, and vowed to do whatever he can to repair the damage.
Chapman's lawyer was quoted in various media reports on Friday as saying that the conversation posted on The National Enquirer tabloid's Web site had been leaked by Tucker Chapman -- one of the crime-fighter's 12 children.
Chapman, a burly ex-con with long blond hair and leather wardrobe, rose to fame after his 2003 tracking and capture of Max Factor heir and serial rapist Andrew Luster in Mexico.
Media attention over that case led to an offer for a reality TV show tracking Chapman and his "posse" as they chase down people who skip bail and fail to show up in court.
