The National Enquirer got a hold of two taped phone calls between Duane Chapman, aka Dog, and his son. Dog is concerned that his son is dating a black woman named Monique Shinnery. For nearly eight minutes Dog threatens to fire his son Tucker from the family bail bond business if he does not breakup with that “black girl,” Dog did also say on the tape "it’s not because she’s black." What it sounded like Dog was saying is that he doesn’t want a black girl around, because if she heard them say "nigger," which he said they use that word sometimes, the black girl would take it wrong and tell the Enquirer, and the rest of the world would misunderstand how the family used the word, and their careers would be over. Guess what? He may be right. Dog doesn’t sound racist. It sounds like he uses the word "nigger" the same way blacks do, except without the derogatory meaning. Click here, or here, to listen to part of the first tape, which does not have a date as to when it was made.

After hearing about the tape, A&E issued the following statement:

"A&E has just learned of the story released by the National Enquirer concerning Duane Dog Chapman. We take this matter very seriously. Pending an investigation, we have suspended production on the series. When the inquiry is concluded we will take appropriate action."

A&E Suspended Production on Dog the Bounty Hunter, which means Dog might be fired, or at least indefinitely suspended.

Dog asked to have dialog with Rear End Al Sharpton regarding the tapes, and good old Al issued this response:

Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network and the organization’s Decency Initiative are unequivocally against the use of the "N" word in any context. While people have the freedom to express themselves in any matter in private, when those private conversations become public, it becomes our responsibility to state, as we always have, that we condemn the use of this word as racist and derogatory. Dog the Bounty Hunter has reached out to Reverend Sharpton who is traveling to promote his March on the U.S. Justice Department on November 16th against Hate Crimes and Racial Attacks and therefore Rev. Sharpton has not had a chance to hear the audio of the remarks. However, until he does hear the audio, National Action Network maintains that is against the use of the "N" word.

Dog is now referring all phone calls to his Pastor Tim. Pastor Tim Storey, an African-American, said he spoke with Dog, who cried for 30 minutes, saying:

"I’m shocked, I’m wrong I repent. Can you believe, Tim, that I’m going to be put in the same category as Imus."

Pastor Storey, who performed Dog and Beth’s wedding ceremony, went on to say:

"I was shocked, because I don’t know that to be Duane." He went on, "I felt that he had to be accountable to what he said. When I asked him what took place, why he said it, he said that he was angry with his son about many things. The subject of his son’s girlfriend came up, and in his anger he then attacked that relationship and then therefore challenged the girl by saying she wasn’t good enough. What shocked me was that he used the N word. I know he’s not a racist. He’s been to black churches with me to help inner-city kids. I talked to Dog three times today and he apologized, saying he wasn’t angry at the girl, it was anger toward his son."

It’s not that the girl is black, it’s just that she’s not good enough to be with a Dog’s son, and because the word "nigger" has a different meaning for her than it does for Dog’s family. It appears Tucker recorded conversations with his father, and turned those tapes over to the National Enquirer, which is the ultimate betrayal. With holidays just around the corner, Tucker is going to be awfully lonely.