“Barney” Actor David Joyner Recalls the KKK Banning Kids From Watching The Show Due to His Race: I laughed.

David Joyner, “Barney” character

“Barney” Actor David Joyner Recalls the KKK Banning Kids From Watching The Show Due to His Race: I laughed.

The Klu Klux Klan’s dedication to racism didn’t seem to phase “Barney” actor David Joyner.

On a recent episode of the ‘Generation Barney’ podcast, the 61-year-old recalled learning the hate organization protested his casting by banning all their children from watching the show, stating:

“I get a call when I’m doing ‘Barney’ from my hometown news reporter…he asked me to comment on an article that was in Esquire magazine,”

 

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He continued:

“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.”

Joyner, who physically acted in the Barney costume from 1991 – 2011 while the character was voiced by Bob West, says he then returned the call of the reporter, furthering:

“I said, ‘Well actually, when I read it, I laughed.’ And he says, ‘What do you mean?…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 says he made up in his mind at the time that he wouldn’t respond to the KKK’s bitterness with hate.

The show’s legacy lives on as a classic childhood memory for many adults today!