Production of the Hawaii-based reality show "Dog the Bounty Hunter" has been suspended after the show's star, Duane "Dog" Chapman, made repeated racial slurs in a tape-recorded phone conversation.

The A&E television network said it stopped production while it investigates the comments by Chapman, who runs Da Kine Bail Bonds in downtown Honolulu and whose appeal as a folk hero has been heightened by the three-year-old show.

The tape was obtained by the National Enquirer and published on its Web site on Wednesday. On the tape, an enraged Chapman uses profanities and a racial slur while talking about his son's girlfriend, who is African American. The Enquirer did not say how it obtained the tape and it was not clear who Chapman was talking to.

In a statement released late Wednesday, Chapman didn't dispute the authenticity of the tape and apologized for his use of what he called "a hateful term."

"My sincerest, heartfelt apologies go out to every person I have offended for my r