The Complicated Reasons Dog The Bounty Hunter Couldn't Attend His Daughter Lyssa's Wedding
Controversy shrouded Dog the Bounty Hunter's wedding to Francie Frane after he did not invite his daughters Bonnie Chapman and Cecily Chapman. Leading up to the nuptials, the two daughters told the media they were not invited, and theorized it was because they reminded the reality TV star of his fourth wife — their mother Beth Chapman, who died in 2019, per TMZ. Shortly after that news broke, Bonnie wrote an incendiary post on Facebook where she accused Dog of "using racial and homophobic epithets" while filming a show. "I have expressed time and time again my ever-growing disappointment in my father's progression into his old racist ways," Bonnie wrote.
Meanwhile, another of Dog's daughters, Lyssa Chapman, not only received an invitation to the wedding, but fully supported her dad's new relationship. "They're really good for each other. And my dad's in a really good place and I wish we could all be in this good place together as a family," the "Dog's Most Wanted" star told Hollywood Life in August 2021.
Almost a year later, Lyssa had a wedding of her own when she tied the knot with her partner Leiana Evensen on June 3 in an intimate ceremony held in Hawaii. Lyssa announced the marriage in an Instagram post on June 7, and revealed the ceremony was deliberately kept secret and only seven family members were in attendance. Unfortunately, Dog was not one of the seven guests at the wedding.
Dog the Bounty Hunter stayed in contact with Lyssa Chapman
Although Dog the Bounty Hunter did not attend his daughter Lyssa Chapman's wedding, it was not due to tension between the pair. "He was of course on the phone with me all morning and during," the new bride told People on June 15. "We FaceTimed him a bunch. He was there in spirit and also electronically," she added. According to the "Dog the Bounty Hunter" star, the reason her father did not travel down for her wedding had to do with the death of his wife Beth Chapman. "It's really, really hard for him to come back to Hawaii," Lyssa said. Despite previous allegations from Bonnie Chapman that her dad was homophobic, Lyssa said Dog had been very supportive of her relationship.
In fact, after Bonnie's inflammatory Facebook post about Dog, Lyssa took to Twitter to defend her dad. "My sister(s) are putting out lies about our father. Do not listen!" she tweeted in August 2021. "Dad is not a racist and not homophobic. He loves all people," Lyssa added. The reality TV star went on to claim that both Bonnie and Cecily Chapman had started running with ex-associates of Dog's, which had negatively influenced their opinion of their father.
The gesture from Lyssa did not go unnoticed, as Dog showed gratitude for the support. "I'm very appreciative of everyone who has spoken out on my behalf including my daughter Lyssa," he said in a statement released at the time, per Entertainment Tonight.