Dog the Bounty Hunter files for a marriage license with bride-to-be Francie Frane amid family drama

Dog The Bounty Hunter is not letting family drama get in the way of ‘forever’ with his bride-to-be Francie Frane.

On Friday the 68-year-old reality star filed for a marriage license in the state of Colorado ahead of their September 2, wedding per TMZ.

The news comes amid an onslaught of family drama involving daughter Bonnie Chapman, 22, (who he shares with late wife Beth) who had been uninvited from the impending nuptials over an ongoing rift.

Getting hitched! The 68-year-old reality star filed for a marriage license with bride-to-be Francie Frane in the state of Colorado amid ongoing family drama that has caused two of his daughters to turn on the pair

Dog — real name Duane Lee Chapman — first revealed his romance with Francie, a 52-year-old rancher from Colorado, in March 2020 — just 10 months after late wife Beth passed after a battle with Stage 4 lung cancer.

On August 22, Dog’s step daughter Cecily and daughter Bonnie (who he shares with late wife Beth) told TMZ that they had been uninvited to the wedding.

Both had initially theorized that it may have been because they may have ‘reminded him a little bit too much of their mom,’ before things turned ugly.

At the time Cecily had reached out to her stepfather Dog about not getting invited to the wedding but she alleged she never received a text back, and Bonnie had yet to confront him.

Airing it out: Bonnie had not confronted her dad about her lack of wedding invite at the time of the August 22 TMZ article but things turned ugly and she ended up blasting Dog with accusations he cheated on her mom Beth and said he used ‘racial and homophobic epithets’ towards cast members on her show The System

Beth’s daughter: Cecily, the daughter of Dog’s late wife Beth had originally theorized that she and her sister were not invited to the September 2 wedding because they bore a striking resemblance to their mother

Bonnie had later followed up with the publication about a second theory and said that her involvement with Black Lives Matter fractured she and Dog’s relationship.

She also added that she believed her ongoing involvement with Unleashed TV — a network that purportedly fired her dad over his use of ‘epithets’ — was another point of contention.

Following her statements, Bonnie received a text message from Dog’s fiancee Francie allegedly confirming she had not been invited to their wedding due to her activism work and failure to condemn the streaming platform that allegedly fired her father over the use of ‘epithets’.

Bonnie still works with UTV on their own show The System, which focuses on dismantling systemic racism.

Protective: Francie confirmed that the sisters had not been invited to the wedding via text because they continued to ‘align’ themselves with people from the network that she says ‘tried to ruin his career’

On blast: In Bonnie’s facebook statement she accused her father of cheating on her late mom ‘all the time’ even when she was ‘sick in the hospital’ with Stage 4 lung cancer which ultimately took her life in June 2019; pictured June 2013

Following the message, Bonnie took to Facebook to blast her father in a lengthy statement where she accused him of racism, homophobia, and cheating on his late wife ‘all the time,’ even when she was ‘sick in the hospital.’

Beth and Dog were married from 2006 to her passing in June 2019 at the age of 51 from lung cancer.

In the post she also brandished him as having ‘racist ways,’ said he sat idly by when her life was ‘threatened on several occasions by QAnon wackos,’ and said she felt inclined to speak out to honor her mom’s legacy as she would have not ‘stand for this.’

Bonnie also claimed Francie traveled on a plane ‘knowing’ she was infected with COVID-19 and attended events as she wrote: ‘She didn’t seem to care about the thousands of people she could have infected.’

Bonnie’s Facebook Post

‘On the morning of August 22, TMZ released the following story about my sister and me not being invited to my dad’s wedding. Later in the morning, I received a text from Francie Frane, my dad’s fiancé. Francie’s text message confirmed that the reason I wasn’t invited to my dads wedding is my choice to participate in social justice and BLM protests with ‘The System’, and not condemn the streaming platform when they fired my father for using epithets. I’m sorry, but I can’t defend my Dad’s racism.

‘Considering the text I received today, I have just a little bit more to say about this entire subject.

‘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. I have expressed time and time again my ever-growing disappointment in my father’s progression into his old racist ways.

‘I had forgiven my father after my mother’s death for countless actions that I shouldn’t have. He would cheat on my mom all the time, and I hated him every time he did it, but I forgave him for that because I wanted a relationship with my dad. I thought I had only one parent left. I was left with the racist and homophobic parents. I can’t begin to fathom how some of my mother’s fans may feel. I say my mother’s fans because everyone watched for Beth. My mother was a shining light in the void. I can no longer watch someone diminish her light with his hatred. I can no longer sit and be quiet about these things.

‘My mom was a true leader, and believe it or not; she kept my dad focused on his career. We all know of his missteps, but my mom always stood by him. She also kept him in line! My mom was loyal, and she was fiercely protective of her family. She loved my father and did her best to make him the best man he could be. All too often, that job consisted of dealing with his near-constant infidelity with her friends and strangers while trying to teach him to be a better man. I don’t think that work was in vain; I think mom did change my dad. But that change vanished when my mom died.

‘Since my mom died, my dad ran away from the person she inspired him to be. He began to do that when she was sick in the hospital, and he began to have an affair with a friend of my mom’s.

‘As a child, I was always silenced by him, threatened with physical violence, and I will no longer back down. I stand for what I believe in firmly, and I think my mother deserves the honor. My father has dishonored my mother in countless ways since her passing. He’s associated himself with people like right-wing megachurch pastor Greg Locke, who mock crucified his own son for religious propaganda and spews hate toward LGBTQ people almost constantly in his social media.

‘My life has been threatened on several occasions by QAnon wackos, and my father has sat and made excuses for why he won’t say anything. I’m sorry to speak about the real Duane Chapman for those who loved my mother and loved the man she loved. I know this may be a shock to some of the public, but you deserve the truth. I’m sorry for those who looked up to my father growing up. 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.

‘I believe my father, at some point, was making his best efforts to be a good man, which is why I’ve publicly ALWAYS defended him. I followed my mom’s lead. I followed the strongest woman I’ve ever known. I was scared my only parent would hate me. I was scared of not being invited to family gatherings. However, I know my mom would never stand for this, and it is in honor of her legacy that I speak out.

‘He has embraced old prejudices and doubled down on racist and homophobic stereotypes. For example, my dad hates BLM and called BLM protestors who I proudly stand with each and every day ‘thugs.’ He has used horrific epithets against LGBTQ people, and he has further aligned himself with right-wing extremists who believe in QAnon theories. In December 2020 Francie told me she had Covid-19, but that she slept with my father because God told her too. 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.

‘If my dad and his new wife want to travel to right-wing churches attacking gay people and advancing QAnon theories, he can certainly do that, but I’m going to stand by the memory and legacy of my mom, Beth Chapman. Her memory, and the values she stood for, are worth fighting to advance.

‘That’s why I joined the cast of ‘The System’. We stand against police corruption every day, and every day I stand and fight against the kind of racism and bias that I saw come from my father growing up. I know I’m exactly where my mom would want me to be, fighting to protect the weak and standing up for the inherent worth of every single person.

‘I said before that I really didn’t know why I wasn’t invited to my dads wedding. While I knew he was mad about being fired, he has only himself to blame. I thought my dad would be man enough to put family first, but it appears that man died with my mother.’

Disagree: Dog The Bounty Hunter’s daughter Bonnie claims her support of Black Lives Matter was part of what lead to her falling out with her father

A representative for Dog denied Beth’s allegations in a statement obtained by E!: ‘Bonnie’s allegations are false and a misguided attempt to derail our wedding.’

Despite the drama, Dog struck an optimistic note while speaking with Us Weekly about his upcoming nuptials on August 24.

‘I have a large family and most of them are going to be here for it. I love all my kids and it’s going to be great to have so many people here to celebrate,’ he told the site.

‘We’ve spent so long on this to ensure it’s going to be just perfect and believe me, nothing is going to get in the way of us,’ he added.

The reality star added it was sad his daughters Cecily and Bonnie were attempting to ‘bring a cloud over our wedding.’

She also alleged her life had been threatened by ‘QAnon wackos’, but her father refused to speak out against them. Instead, he only offered ‘excuses’ as to why he wouldn’t ‘say anything’

Better times: Dog and Bonnie pictured together on the set of Unleashed in 2019

Dog – who is a father of 13 – denied his daughters claims he was fired over using racist/homophobic language, calling the accusations a ‘false’ attempt to mess with the wedding.

He also told TMZ his daughters are being ‘groomed’ by his shady former associates, pleading: ‘Please pray for Bonnie and Cecily to be released from whatever hold these people have on them.’

‘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.’

And his other daughter Lyssa also appeared to have his back as she said tearfully on social media this week: ‘Bonnie and Cecily are loved by our family. We are heartbroken that bad people are using them to get revenge on Dad.’

‘Everything Bonnie is alleging has been put in her head by ex-business partners of my father who are angry they couldn’t ride his coattails any longer. Dad quit when he realized they were con men,

Chapman has been married five times and has 13 children. His first child is Christopher Michael Hecht, whose mother is Debbie White.

He two children with his first ex-wife, La Fonda Sue Darnell: they are sons Duane Lee Chapman, II (born in 1973) and Leland Blane Chapman (born in 1976).

The family: Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman (C) and family arrive at Nickelodeon’s 26th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards at USC Galen Center in 2013 in Los Angeles, California

With second ex-wife Ann Tegnell, Dog welcomed three children: Zebadiah Chapman (born in 1980, but is deceased) Wesley Chapman (also born in 1980), and James Robert Chapman (born in 1982).

With third ex-wife, Lyssa Rae Brittain, he had daughter Barbara Katie Chapman (born 1982; she is deceased), son Tucker Dee Chapman (born 1983) and Lyssa Rae Chapman (born 1987).

Dog had two children with Beth: Bonnie (born 1998) and Garry (born 2001).

He adopted Cecily Barmore-Chapman (born 1993) who Beth had with her ex-husband.

He said this summer: ‘I’m getting married. We went to the venue, picked it out yesterday, looked at it. Man, it costs a lot to get married.’

When he wed Beth: From left are Timothy Chapman, jr., Leland Chapman, Duane lee Chapman, Tim Cahpman, Boris Krutonog, Dog, Beth, Moon Angell, Maureen Krutonog, Carrie Chirstman, Lyssa Chapman, Cecily Chapman in 2006

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