Dog the Bounty Hunter Takes Major Step Towards Marrying Francie Frane

Dog the Bounty Hunter star Duane “Dog” Chapman is not letting family drama get in the way of his marriage to Francie Frane. The reality television star filed for the marriage license in Colorado Friday, according to a filing obtained by TMZ. The wedding, scheduled for Sept. 2, will happen under a shroud of controversy after Chapman’s daughters Cecily Chapman and Bonnie Jo Chapman said they were not invited.

Cecily, the daughter of Chapman’s late wife Beth and later adopted by the Dog’s Most Wanted star, first revealed she was not invited to the wedding during an Aug. 18 interview with The Sun. Things then got messier when Bonnie told TMZ she was not invited either. Cecily told TMZ their dad might just see too much of Beth in them, but Bonnie believed there was more to it. Bonnie claimed she was excluded because she worked with Unleashed TV on The System, even though Unleashed canceled Chapman’s Dog Unleashed series and accused him of using racist and homophobic language.

Bonnie also shared alleged texts she received from Frane. “[L]et’s not beat around the bush, You & Cecily both know You haven’t been invited to the wedding because your (sic) living under the same roof with people who stabbed [him] in the back, robbed, lied, manipulated, smeared his name and tried to ruin his career,” one of the alleged messages read. Later, Bonnie also published a long statement on her Facebook page, in which she accused Chapman of cheating on Beth before her death in 2019. Bonnie also believes her decision to attend social justice and Black Lives Matter protests played a role in her not getting invited.

Chapman called Bonnie’s comments “false” and belives his daughters were “groomed” by his former associates. “Please pray for Bonnie and Cecily to be released from whatever hold these people have on them,” Chapman said in a statement. “Despite the sadness, we feel at this rift in our family, Francie and I are looking forward to celebrating our wedding next week with the rest of our family and close friends.”

Earlier this week, Chapman confirmed that the accusations from Bonnie are why his daughters were excluded from the wedding. “They’ve fallen in with a bad crowd and are working with the wrong people — I know because I’ve not only had dealings with them but arrested them myself previously,” he told Us Weekly. “They’re my daughters and I love them, but they will learn. I’m sad they can’t be a part of the wedding.”

There is “nothing” that will get in the way of his wedding to Frane, Chapman told Us Weekly. He told the outlet his daughters were trying to “bring a cloud over our wedding.” A source also told the magazine that Chapman was “preparing” to take legal action because of Cecily and Bonnie’s comments.