“I have more Black friends than Eminem,” he said during a recent interview.
Duane “ Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman is addressing allegations that he is racist.
The A&E reality star sat down with Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier to address accusations of his racist behavior, which he has denied. The 68-year old previously faced backlash after a taped phone call with his son leaked and was made public in the National Enquirer it is reported that he used the N-word over six times.
On Wednesday (Sept. 1), Chapman was asked why he used racial slurs in the past, to which he responded: “I thought I had a pass in the Black tribe to use it, kind of like Eminem.”
“I had just gotten out of prison in 1979 after spending 18 months in Texas, and it was probably three-quarters from the Black tribe,” Chapman further explained. “So, that was a word that we used back and forth as maybe a compliment. My pass expired for using it, but no one told me that. To say a racist name doesn’t qualify to make you a racist.”
Frazier continued the conversation telling Chapman, “If you use that word, and you use it in your regular everyday life, it makes you a racist.”
But Chapman pushed back to say: “I have more Black friends than Eminem.”
Chapman has since apologized for the insensitive language he used with his in 2007, putting out a statement, according to People.
“My sincerest, heartfelt apologies go out to every person I have offended for my regrettable use of very inappropriate language,” he said in part. “I am deeply disappointed in myself for speaking out of anger to my son and using such a hateful term in a private phone conversation.”