Four years ago, Duane Chapman’s world was flipped around and then some, as his wife and frequent co-star Beth Chapman faced a sudden hospitalization and medically induced coma, which she succumbed to and died two days later. And so for the past few years, the date of June 26 has obviously been a rough one for Dog the Bounty Hunter and his family, even with various forms of personal drama pulling attention. In any case, the former reality TV star discovered a far happier reason to acknowledge the date, as he shared with the world that it’s also the birthday of a man named Jon that he recently discovered is his son.
Recent years have been quite rough for Dog the Bounty Hunter even beyond Beth Chapman’s death, as he also mourned the loss of his longtime friend and TV colleague David Robinson in late 2022, while also dealing with lawsuits over memorial funds. But in an Instagram post, Chapman revealed the existence of his biological son Jon. while also sharing that the full story behind their meeting and past will be told in an upcoming book. Here’s what he said:
For the last four years, this day was a terrible reminder of one of the greatest losses of my life. But God redeemed this day when I discovered my son Jon, who I just met recently, was born on this day. So now instead of sorrow, this day has a new meaning. This is my son Jon and his wife Jodi. The whole story of Jon is told in my new book, Nine Lives and Counting, coming SOON. For anyone who has suffered a terrible loss please know God restores and redeems. Happy birthday son, love you both.
While meeting Jon and his wife Jodi (who are both pictured in the above IG link) obviously can't serve as a one-to-one replacement for the loss of Beth Chapman, any reason possible to find happiness on such a dark day is a blessing of sorts. It wasn't stated directly who the mother was, but perhaps that information will be forthcoming.
To date, Duane Chapman has two children with his first wife La Fonda Sue Darnell, Duane Chapman II and Leland Chapman, both of whom went on to work alongside their pops for the Dog the Bounty Hunter TV series, as well as the doc Dog and Beth: On the Hunt. He had three children with second wife Ann Tegnell, the late Zebadiah Chapman, Wesley Chapman and James Chapman. WIth his third wife Lyssa Rae Brittain, he sired three children in Barbara Chapman (who passed away in 2006), Tucker Chapman, and Lyssa Rae Chapman.
The aforementioned Beth Chapman was his fifth wife, and they had two children to gether in Bonnie Chapman and Garry Chapman, with the bounty hunter also adopting her daughter from a previous marriage, Cecily Barmore-Chapman. (The two daughters were involved in Dog also had a son, Christopher Hecht, who was born to an ex-girlfriend out of wedlock. It would appear that Jon is Chapman's twelfth biological child, and thirteenth overall.
While Dog the Bounty Hunter hasn't been a major TV fixture in a while, due in part to several behind-the-scenes issues of different varieties, it appears as if he'll be back in fans' lives via bookshelves, with the upcoming memoir Nine Lives and Counting: A Bounty Hunter's Journey to Faith, Love and Redemption. The book will be available for purchase on April 16, 2024.
