IF Duane “Dog” Chapman, the embattled star of “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” is trying to save his hit show, he’s not doing a great job.
In the wake of a scandal over his use of the n-word, his first TV interview was a washout, says Al Sharpton.
Meanwhile, the blond bounty hunter is even ducking calls from his own network.
And his TV series – seen by nearly 3 million people a week before it was pulled off the air – is still not scheduled to return.
“I am afraid to [talk to A&E],” Chapman told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity. “When it is A&E on the phone, I tell Beth [his wife] to tell them I’m in the bathroom.”
Chapman was in Los Angeles yesterday meeting with black community leaders, including Roy and Niger Innis and the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, about the angry, taped phone conversation with his son, Tucker, that was sold to The National Enquirer. On the tape, he repeatedly used the n-word to describe his son’s girlfriend.
He was also on “Larry King Live” last night – the last of two TV appearances he was scheduled to make to redeem himself.
“I am very sorry for using this word, and I am going to fix it,” he told King.
He said he is taking classes with mentor Tony Robbins to help him deal with his “powerful tongue.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton told The Post last night that Chapman’s TV appearance on FNC’s “Hannity & Colmes” seemed “convoluted” and fell far short of a sincere mea culpa.
“I thought that I was cool enough in the black world to be able to use that word as a brother to a brother,” he told Hannity.
“For his friends, who want to find a reason to forgive him, he probably reinforced it,” Sharpton said. “For those that are disgusted by him, I don’t think he won over too many converts.
“It’s hard to say if he is being calculating or really remorseful. Only time will tell.”
Sharpton said Chapman’s representatives have been trying to contact him too. But he is keeping his distance.
“I’d rather watch him from afar and see if he’s serious,” Sharpton said,
“I think that forgiveness is always in order, but forgiveness without paying a price is asking for amnesty.”
A&E pulled “Dog” from its schedule last week after the scandal broke and suspended production.
Yesterday, the network declined to talk about Chapman’s TV appearance, whether it redeemed the TV star in its eyes or even what criteria it was using to decide when or if it will reinstate his series.
A&E confirmed it has still not talked to Chapman about the incident.
Chapman himself is saying he is looking for a vote of confidence from fans before returning to TV.
“If my fans and the people say, ‘We forgive you, Dog. We want you back. We now give you our blessing,’ ” he’d like to come back, Chapman told Hannity.