‘Barney’ doc details dark side of once-beloved dinosaur, how actor David Joyner became a tantric sex healer
"I Love You, You Hate Me" director Tommy Avallone describes how "Barney & Friends" became a target of conspiracy theories and shocking rumors over the years.
"Barney & Friends" wasn’t always "one big happy family."
The ‘90s children’s show about a jolly purple T. Rex became a catalyst for hate, sparking numerous conspiracy theories that still linger today. It’s now the subject of a docuseries on Peacock that premiered Wednesday titled "I Love You, You Hate Me," which explores how a TV phenomenon ended up receiving negative criticism nationwide — to the point that it became a cultural punching bag for furious adults.
The hit PBS series, created by Sheryl Leach, Kathy Parker and Dennis DeShazer, aired from 1992 until 2010. It was a top-ranking program for children under age 6.
"There’s not one main reason some people hated Barney," director Tommy Avallone told Fox News Digital. "You know, there were different pockets. When we… talked to the creator of the ‘I Hate Barney Secret Society’… he [spoke] about his daughter loving Barney so much. And when he would come home from work, and he expected this big hug from his daughter… she was just watching Barney. And as the interviews go on, you’re like, ‘Oh, I actually see where the hate comes from. It’s jealousy. It’s this, it’s that.' It’s different for each person. We have a big whiteboard in our office that just had all these different [reasons] of why someone could possibly hate Barney."
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Barney, the purple dinosaur, was the star of the PBS TV series "Barney and Friends." (Mark Perlstein/Getty Images)
"Barney & Friends," which started on video, was the brainchild of two Dallas-area educators and mothers. It quickly became a hit on public television. At one point, it starred future Disney stars Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. In 1998, the feature film "Barney’s Great Adventure" was released. But as its popularity grew, so did the rise of public disdain.
And ruthless rumors spread quicker than the dinosaur’s cheer.
"I mean, I’m not shocked, but I always find it interesting when someone talks about how a song being played backward is satanic," Avallone explained about the conspiracy theory that Barney’s "I Love You" song contained a horrifying subliminal message. "I just think that it’s so funny that there are so many of these sorts of songs that some people feel if it’s played backward, there’s an evil message."
Some also suspected that David Joyner, who played Barney, struggled with substance abuse on set.
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Barney became the subject of ruthless backlash and conspiracy theories over the years. (Mark Perlstein/Getty Images)
"My favorite [was] asking… ‘There’s an urban legend that you hid so much cocaine in your tail,’" said Avallone. "He’s like, ‘How could I even get to that? There’s so many better spots to put my drugs if I did drugs!'"
Before Joyner revealed his identity, he was the victim of an internet death hoax. Some initially believed that Joyner took his life while in his costume.
But not all the rumors were false. In 2018, Joyner told Vice that he began working as a tantra massage specialist and spiritual healer. At the time, the 59-year-old revealed he started his practice in 2004. He treated around 30 clients or "goddesses" and guided them into discovering their "sexual energy."
The former actor said he would use his tantra training of deep meditation to get through the long set days when he would be stuck in the 70-pound Barney costume for several hours. He credited the practice for helping him maintain "an abundance of joy" while wearing the costume in hot conditions.
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David Joyner, the actor in the Barney suit, began studying tantra at age 20. (Desiree Stone/Getty Images)
"David Joyner, the body of Barney, talks about this in the film where you talk about tantric — tantric sex guru and Barney," Avallone explained. "It's weird in the same sentence, you know? But once you put space in between and really talk about all the things that isn't (sic) happening, it's not as weird as you would think in that he's never doing any of this tantric stuff in the Barney suit."
"You know, I think... a lot of people don't know, and I didn't know at the time, the truth behind what tantra is," Avallone continued. "He explained it to us. It's more than what you think it is with sex. It's meditation, it's energy work. And when he talks about his meditation and the energy he would pull from his body, he tried to push it through — as weird as it sounds — push it through the television. That way children could feel the connection of Barney."
Avallone stressed that while many people associate Joyner’s tantra principles with sex, "that was never happening with Barney." Instead, he relied on the "energy work and meditation" from his practice to "heighten Barney's performance" and deliver joy.
"You talk to other people from the Barney crew, and they feel like it worked," said Avallone. "You really felt David's heart come out of his suit."
Bob West, the voice of Barney, said he received numerous death threats via email. (Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
But the set wasn’t always harmonious. Bob West, who voiced Barney, received numerous death threats via email. Plush toys were decapitated with scissors while others were set on fire.
"[This was] very early internet," Avallone explained. "But somewhere down the line, Bob’s email got through some sort of celebrity book. Children who were like 9 years old sent threats like, ‘I’m gonna find you, I’m gonna kill you.’ It’s definitely alarming, and I think Bob was like, ‘Oh my God, what’s going on here? What is this?’"
The documentary also explored a dark side associated with Barney. In 2015, creator Sheryl Leach’s son, Patrick Leach, was sentenced to 15 years behind bars for shooting his neighbor in Malibu, California. According to prosecutors, the then-29-year-old wounded his neighbor in the chest during an argument after accusing the man of trespassing. The victim, who wasn’t identified, survived. Patrick pleaded no contest to the shooting.
Sheryl Leach, the co-creator of "Barney and Friends," declined to participate in "I Love You, You Hate Me." (Clint Spaulding/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Avallone said he was in touch with the matriarch, who declined to participate in the docuseries.
"Sheryl was always someone who ignored the Barney bashing," said Avallone. "If we were making a doc that was just called ‘I Love You,’ I’m sure she would be in it. But because we explored some of the hate [and] where some of the heat came from toward Barney, I think there was no way she was going to be a part of that project. But we kept in touch via emails and I think she’s an amazing person. It was just her decision not to be a part of it. And I respected that."
Avallone said that when it came to exploring her son’s case, "it was definitely a delicate story to tell."
In "I Love You, You Hate Me" director Tommy Avallone explores the fierce backlash Barney endured. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)
"We made sure we tried to do it in the most respectful way possible," he explained. "You know, there were some people [who] were very nervous about speaking… at all. And others, when they did talk about it, they talked about it very delicately… That’s the way you have to talk about something like that. It’s not a black-and-white issue. It’s very much a shade of gray. Something really bad happened, and it happened to someone that they loved. It wasn’t just something you read in the paper, online, or saw in the news. These are people. And the people we spoke to knew this person for many years. They love him, and they were very sad to hear what happened."
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After making the film, Avallone wondered if Barney would get the same backlash today.
Barney arrives at the 55th Annual Golden Globes Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 18, 1998. (Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
"I don’t think anything could be as big as Barney was then," he reflected. "Once something is that huge, there’s a different level of backlash. But if you look hard enough… some adults or parents don’t like ‘CoComelon.’ But it would never be as big as the Barney backlash because it was just a different time."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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