Dog The Bounty Hunter's Daughter Cancels Wedding Amidst Feud With Famous Father, But That's Not Why The Wedding's Off

screenshot dog the bounty hunter

screenshot dog the bounty hunter cecily chapman

(Image credit: A&E)

Over the last 20 years, fans have watched Dog the Bounty Hunter and his extensive family juggle both life and the pursuit of wanted criminals on TV. But things haven't been quite the same since Dog’s wife, Beth Chapman, passed away in 2019 due to throat and lung cancer. Dog is now on his second engagement since that time, which evidently prompted a feud between him and one of his daughters. In the midst of their public disagreement, his daughter has actually cancelled her own wedding, but the feud isn't the reason for it.

Cecily Chapman, Dog the Bounty Hunter's eldest daughter with Beth Chapman, was slated to be married on December 1, 2021 to Matty Smith, a plumber based in Hawaii. However, she confirmed to The Sun recently that the wedding was cancelled. (So was Dog the Bounty Hunter’s latest TV show gig, a few months ago.) The news comes only a week after she revealed that her relationship with her famous dad is rather strained, but Chapman only stated that she and her ex-fiancé need to be “spending time apart for a little bit.” As for how much time is a little, Chapman said:

It could be a year, it could be six months, it could be two years, it can be a long time. So, we're just not sure. I'm definitely not in a rush to get married.

Dog the Bounty Hunter's daughter was, in fact, engaged since February of 2018. But her mom's death in June 2019 tragically complicated matters. Cecily Chapman told The Sun, though, that she wasn't going to get into specifics of their needing time apart now, in respect of her former fiancé’s privacy.

Despite Cecily Chapman's wedding being cancelled, Dog the Bounty Hunter’s to Francie France is still moving forward. But as mentioned, their upcoming nuptials are at the root of his and his daughter’s issues. Last week, she told The Sun that she's never met France, hasn't been invited to Dog’s wedding, and that she's only seen him twice since Beth Chapman's funeral last year. She continued:

I’m assuming that he thinks I wouldn’t want to be there. I didn’t even know there was a date until The Sun did a story about it.

Regardless, Cecily Chapman claimed she would go to Dog the Bounty Hunter’s wedding if he asked her, saying, “He is still my dad.” The family situation will likely be an awkward one, if his daughter and fiancée have never even met before the big day, which Dog himself enthused would be “the biggest wedding ever,” with fans potentially being invited to join.

Throughout his various TV show stints, Dog the Bounty Hunter has garnered the reputation for being blunt, gruff, and in-your-face. Still, it was a shock for many fans when he proposed to Moon Angell on The Dr. Oz Show less than a year after Beth Chapman's death. They, too, ended up canceling their own wedding, but then Dog shocked the public further by getting engaged a few months later in May 2020 to Francie France.

Clearly, all the changes in the wake of her mom's death had some effect on Cecily Chapman's relationship with her dad. (Fans will fondly remember how she at one point attempted to follow in his bounty hunting footsteps on their classic A&E show.) Dog the Bounty Hunter’s wedding is supposed to take place on September 2. Hopefully, in an effort to mend their rift, his daughter has gotten an invitation by now.

Lauren Vanderveen
Movies and TV News Writer

Freelance writer. Favs: film history, reality TV, astronomy, French fries.