Celebrity bounty hunter Duane Chapman is still apologizing for a racial slur that became public in late October, allegedly through his son, and even though the exposure has cost him his show, he says he nevertheless loves his son “very much.”

Duane “Dog” Chapman found himself at the center of a public outcry some ten days ago, when the National Enquirer posted an audiotape of a private phone conversation between Chapman and his son Tucker, in which he repeatedly used the N-word when referring to his son’s black girlfriend.

Cable channel A&E, which airs Chapman’s successful reality show “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” promptly suspended production, “pending an investigation.” The 54-year-old bounty hunter apologized profusely for his offensive comments, insisting that he is not a racist and that he has the utmost respect for black people. Two days later, A&E pulled the show off the air indefinitely.

Last week, Chapman revealed that the tape the Enquirer made public was actually 8 months old and expressed his suspicion that Tucker actually sold it for “a lot of money” to a tabloid, out of anger at his father.

His lawyer, Brook Hart, was quoted by the media: “I guess because of whatever level of anger he had of his father, he felt the need to express it in that manner.”

Hart told the Associated Press: “I have never seen anything that suggests he judges people by the color of their skin or racial background or anything but on their character. Duane lost his composure and made very, very inappropriate remarks, for which he truly regrets.”

Wednesday, Chapman was a guest on the “Larry King Live” show on CNN and talked a bit about his son and the relationship they have.

“He will not talk to me,” said Chapman, who has 12 children and has been married five times, according to Reuters. “His mother's in on it with him. I have been away from her since the '80s so now she is like getting even,” he continued.

Chapman went on to explain that Tucker was sent to prison at the age of 18 and served four years of a 20-year sentence for armed robbery before being released on parole. He said he has been overly protective of his son ever since.

“I tried to take control of his life (after this),” said Chapman. “I heard this girl was maybe not being the best for Tucker - and I'll leave it like that - so I tried to interfere. I don't care if she is black at all. He's on parole for a 20-year sentence and if he messes up he goes back.”

He did not comment about rumors that his son sold the tape for $15,000 Wednesday but did say, “All I want him to know is that I love him very much.”

The day before, Chapman had apologized emphatically once more for his comments, during an interview with Fox News. “I owe the rest of the people, whether they're black or not in America, an apology, because people looked up to me. This is one of the hardest lessons I've learned in my life. If I could kill myself and people would forgive me, I would do that,” he said during the “Hannity & Colmes” show.

Duane’s A&E show debuted in August 2004, in the wake of his infamous capture of Max Factor heir and serial rapist Andrew Luster, in 2003. His reality show follows him and his team around as they pursue actual criminals who skip bail.