Dropping on Peacock, the documentary, ‘I love you, you hate me’ talks about the dark times of Barney and Friends.
The kid’s show ran from 1992 to 2010 when it was canceled. Premiering on Peacock, the documentary explores the anti-Barney backlash, digs into the show’s haters while also highlighting some of the darker tales associated with its cast and crew.
As the show soared in popularity, so did a rise in “Barney bashing” — which ranged from destroying plush dolls to online groups like the “Jihad to Destroy Barney.”
Barney and Friends’ former music director Bob Singleton talked about the first time he heard the backlash:
“The first time I really heard about Barney bashing was when I was nominated for a Grammy and I was interviewed by a local radio station. The phone calls came in and there were people saying, ‘His music drives me crazy. I’d just love to get my fingers around that guy’s neck.'”
“I was surprised that they felt like they wanted to do me physical harm. And it wasn’t just one or two phone calls. There was more than that.”
“I got to the point where I, back in the good old days, I unlisted my phone number. I was in fear. I got actual death and dismemberment threats of my family in emails. I really don’t want to revisit it, that was a terrible time. It hurt so bad.”
Bob West, who was the voice of Barney from 1988-2000, said his email address got leaked online and he was inundated with hateful messages from people he believed were all middle school aged.
“Some of them were very nice and some of them were absolutely hateful. They were very explicit and very violent,” he explained.
“There was one email that asked, ‘Are you the Barney that I stabbed and shot outside of New Orleans?’ They went on to say they were going to come and find me and they were going to kill me.”
The actors who appeared on the show as kids also felt the backlash when they attempted to return to the “real world” and re-enroll in school with their peers.
Pia Hamilton revealed that she turned to drugs at some point, while Rickey Carter joined the street hustle and started following bad boys.
The creator son, Patrick was also for arrested shooting his neighbor in Malibu after accusing the man of trespassing on his land. He only spent 5 years in jail
