In a new docuseries coming out on Peacock in early October, the actor who played Barney discusses the death threats and other negative feedback he got during his time as the famous T. rex after blatantly false rumors were circulated.
The series is appropriately titled I Love You, You Hate Me.
The person behind the docuseries, Tommy Avalone, talked to People about how the journey of making the documentary was helpful to him healing old, unfounded hatred.
"Barney came out on television when I was just 10 years old, and I admittedly didn’t understand him. As a teenager, for one of my birthdays I asked my aunt to make me a Barney costume, so my friends and I could beat him up on camera."
"Several years later, creating this docuseries, it feels good to be on the other side and no longer a Barney hater. Now having children of my own, I understand all the love that went into making the purple dinosaur."
You can see the trailer for the docuseries here:
I Love You, You Hate Me | Official Trailer | Peacock Originalyoutu.be
In the docuseries, people repeated rumors that went around during the peak of Barney hatred.
"Some of the rumors I heard: Barney hides drugs in his tail."
One of the performers in the Barney costume recalled the seriousness of the threats leveled against him.
"They were violent and explicit, death and dismemberment of my family. They were going to come and find me, and they were going to kill me.”
Reactions to the trailer appearing online have been a mix of folks being horrified people would be this viscerally violent towards a beloved children's character and others who are slightly more jaded.
Many people were surprised by the docuseries.
They either were not aware of the hate at the time or are currently too young to even be alive for the peak of Barney hatred.
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ barney had haters? i thought the show was about i love you you love me.\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ When the hell were people hating Barney?? \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ I'm genuinely surprised by the amount of comments here themselves acting surprised to learn about the hate for Barney; makes me, having remembered when it seemed like such a "cool edgy" thing to do, feel old to see it being forgotten, but clearly some trends deserve such.\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
Many people recalled their own memories of the Barney hate.
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ People really did hate Barney though, no joke, as a recreation, the way people hated Nickelback recreationally. People really enjoy hating things. If this doc is about the psychology of "why" I'd be interested.\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ My aunt wouldn't let my little cousins watch Barney because she was pissed/horrified it might teach them evolution, speaking in tongues or how to be gay.\n\nI. Wish. I. Were. Joking.\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ A lot of people in these comments don't seem to realize how true all this is. When I was a kid, we always talked about how "the guy in the suit" was "on drugs" and "set it on fire" and all kinds of heinous things that were outright lies bc it was cool to hate Barney.\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ Memory unlocked; the I hate you you hate me song on the mf playground \ud83d\ude29\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ I just remember being a kid and like you would get to middle school and kids would be like yeah Barney killed someone or was a drug dealer. Same thing though about Steve from blues clues so maybe that was just what middle schoolers say lol\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
Others were just saddened to hear the facts presented in the docuseries.
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ As a '90s baby who was a "Barney" fan when I was a little kid, this is such a depressing idea that so much hate was put on the show due to its innocent nature. Barney taught me to have an imagination and it helped so much in such a rough world. This documentary'll be hard to see.\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ I never understood the hate for, and mockery of, Barney. My daughter loved him, and it was just a sweet show that brought her joy. But God forbid ppl let something innocent exist without trying to tear it down. \ud83d\ude44\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
\u201cLittle did I know when my classmates sang \u201cI hate you, you hate me\u2026\u201d or \u201cJoy to the world, the Barney\u2019s dead, we barbecued his head\u2026\u201d they would become the subject of a docuseries\u2026 \ud83d\ude06 \n\nhttps://t.co/UpQsDtryfU\u201d— Commander Tano (@Commander Tano) 1664474425
Many were asking why would people have these impulses to hate Barney.
\u201c@WesMcQ @Phil_Lewis_ A lot was probably parents and older siblings of little kids who were just plain fed up with the character from repeated over exposure. Think \u201cbaby shark\u201d\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1664395882
What a weird and sad look back in time, but ultimately useful to know.
Now we're waiting on the Teletubbies exposé.
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The Washington Post