Duane Chapman Gossip

After serving 18 months in prison, Chapman was released and became a bail bondsman and bounty hunter. This began when Chapman was in court disputing child support. When he told the judge he did not have the money to pay, the judge offered him a deal to bring in a fugitive in exchange for the judge to pay part of Chapman's child support.

He started his first bondsman business in his hometown of Denver, Colorado before moving to Hawaii with his wife, Beth, and their children. Chapman operates his business as a family-style enterprise which includes long-time business partner, Tim Chapman; sons Leland and Duane Lee; his daughter, Lyssa; and his wife, Beth. A nephew of Chapman's, Justin, a former bounty hunter himself, was kicked out of the Chapman house and fired from the business for personal and business reasons. Chapman's business and family life were the subject of his own TV show, titled Dog the Bounty Hunter, on the network A&E.

Despite the popularity of Chapman prior to the revelation of his using racial slurs in a phone conversation, other bail agents had publicly stated their disapproval of Chapman's methods or style. Penny Harding, the executive director of the California Bail Agents Association, said "He represents all of the things that bail agents are trying to get away from - the cowboy image, the renegade, bring 'em home dead or alive."