Bonnie Jo Chapman Defends Dad Duane’s New Girlfriend: ‘My Mother Would Have Wanted Him to Be Happy’

The pack sticks together! When Duane “Dog” Chapman got hate for having a new girlfriend, Francie Fine, less than a year after late wife Beth Chapman’s death, daughter Bonnie Jo Chapman had his back. On Monday, April 13, the young Dog the Bounty Hunter alum clapped back at cruel comments after big sis Lyssa Chapman shared a photo of their dad and his new lady.

“Everyone who’s judging my father should sure pray that they never have to lose their loved one and get judged for trying to fill the void,” Bonnie Jo, 21, wrote. “Your opinion is invalid. My mother would’ve wanted him to be happy. Now please shut up and let my dad live in peace.”

Dog, 67, and Francie first met when he hired her late husband, Bob Frane, to do yard work. The two later reconnected after both Beth and Bob passed away due to their battles with cancer. Lyssa, 32, who first broke the news about the couple, said the pair grew closer as they leaned on each other for support. Eventually, things turned romantic.

“They both lost their spouses to cancer, so they know what it’s like to go through that and they are helping each other through it,” Lyssa told The Sun. “But at the same time, they are being very respectful of each other’s grieving process and they’re not trying to replace each other’s partner.”

Though Lyssa objected to her father’s previous relationship with Moon Angell — who Duane later denied dating despite proposing on The Dr. Oz Show — it seems everyone is on board with Dog’s new relationship. “He’s the happiest I’ve seen him in a long time,” the eldest surviving Chapman daughter said. Beth’s BFF Rainy Robinson agreed. “I think she is somebody that Beth would have picked,” she told The Sun. “I’m happy because he deserves to be loved, and I want him to spend the remainder of his life happy.”

Even Bonnie seemingly gave the couple her blessing after insisting her dad would never remarry in July 2019. “He found his soulmate,” she said at the time. “No one can replace her in his heart. Their love was one of a kind. It made me believe love truly exists.” We’re glad to see the Chapman family is closer than ever — and we wish all of them the best.