Dog the Bounty Hunter star Duane “Dog” Chapman brushed off the controversy surrounding the cancellation of Dog Unleashed by having a fun weekend with fiancee Francie Frane. Chapman, 68, was set to star in a new series that would help launch Unleashed Entertainment’s streaming platform earlier this month, but Dog Unleashed was canceled just days before it was set to be released. The show’s producers have since accused Chapman of “contractual and ethical failures” that led to the show being halted.
Even with the controversy ongoing, Chapman enjoyed a snowmobile outing with Frane this week. On Wednesday, Frane shared a photo of Chapman standing by a snowmobile with a big grin on his face. “Got my honey to get on a snowmobile before we say goodbye to winter,” Frane, 51, wrote. The photo earned over 50 comments from fans who loved seeing Chapman having fun. “Looking very healthy Dog,” one fan wrote. “Teaching Dawg new tricks love it,” another chimed in.
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Dog Unleashed was supposed to debut on the Unleashed streaming platform on its April 1 launch day, but in late March, Unleashed Entertainment announced the show’s sudden cancellation. At the time, the company only said Chapman breached “contractual agreements.” The company went on to say it completed a “thorough investigation, including the review of hours of audio and video material.” It was later reported that Unleashed Entertainment filed a lawsuit against CBD Global Sciences, which teamed up with Chapman to sell a Dog Unleashed CBD energy drink. Unleashed stressed it was not connected to the product and accused CBD Global Sciences of “unlawfully using our marketing materials to advertise their products.” CBD Global denied the allegations.
Last week, Chapman publicly railed against Unleashed on Twitter, and all references to the now-canceled Dog Unleashed were wiped from his social media pages. In response to the tweets, Unleashed issued another statement, accusing him of making racist and homophobic remarks. The company also called Chapman’s Twitter statements “outrageous, personal attacks.”
“Duane Chapman’s social media meltdown – which involves outrageous, false personal attacks – seems to be an attempt to distract attention from his contractual and ethical failures that led to the cancellation of Dog Unleashed,” Unleashed CEO and President Mike Donovan said in a statement. “Our internal investigation confirmed racist and homophobic comments from Mr. Chapman, as well as illegal activity during filming, which Unleashed Entertainment cannot and will not tolerate. These actions forced us to cancel production of the show, and unfortunately, Chapman is now viciously taking out his anger on our employees.” Donovan went on to write that the company “stands fully behind its employees and will take legal action should the threats continue.”
Chapman has not responded to that comment, but he did announce a new project on Twitter Thursday. “From my extensive career assisting law enforcement I’ve been developing an initiative called ‘Get the Lead Out’ which seeks to introduce non-lethal bullets,” Chapman wrote. “I’m ready to talk about new ways we can continue to safeguard our communities. I back the blue and always will.”
