Black Barney actor David Joyner recalls the KKK banning their kids from watching the show: 'I laughed'

Joyner revisits his time as the beloved purple dinosaur on the latest podcast episode of "Generation Barney."

David Joyner looked back on some of the hate he received as the benevolent Barney, recalling the time he learned that the Ku Klux Klan had banned their children from watching the program after learning that the man beneath the purple dinosaur suit was Black.

The anecdote is shared on the latest episode of Generation Barney, a new seven-part podcast from Connecticut Public devoted to the beloved dino and how the PBS program shaped generations.

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“I get a call when I'm doing Barney from my hometown news reporter, from the Decatur Herald & Review, and he asked me to comment on an article that was in Esquire magazine," recalled Joyner. "I had no idea what he was talking about, so he asked me if I would go get the magazine and then give him a call with a comment. Well, in the magazine, the Klan had found out that the guy inside of the Barney costume was African American, so they banned their kids from ever watching Barney again."

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Asked for his thoughts by the reporter, "I said, 'Well actually, when I read it, I laughed.' And he says, 'What do you mean?'" said Joyner. "I said, 'Well, it's the Klan and I can't change their opinion.' I said, 'Plus what we're trying to do is represent love. If someone's trying to represent hate, the last thing they want is to love. And if my skin color then changes that opinion for somebody, I can't do anything about it because that is what it is.'"

Joyner said he didn't let those moments get to him, instead embracing the magic of portraying Barney. Like the dinosaur, love was and remains the most important thing to Joyner. “Our parents encouraged us, before you walk outside, look in the mirror and say, 'I love you,' so that you're walking outside with love," he said. "Now little did I know that I'm literally training for this character, being able to walk outside with love in my heart. So then when I also got the role, it wasn't like I had to put on a costume and a facade and become the character.”

Joyner played the beloved dino for a decade, from 1991 through 2001 on Barney & Friends. He also shared the role with Bob West, who voiced the dino between 1988 and 2000.

Related: Barney documentary jaw-droppers: 5 things we learned from Peacock's I Love You, You Hate Me

The rise of the beloved dino was also explored in Peacock's 2022 documentary I Love You, You Hate Me, which traced Barney's beginnings to the eventual vitriol the dinosaur received. "Barney bashing" was a very real and frightening phenomenon, with program composer Bob Singleton recalling in the doc the death threats he received over the theme song.

"I was surprised that they felt like they wanted to do me physical harm," recalled Singleton. "I got actual death and dismemberment of my family emails."

Listen to the latest episode of Generation Barney above.