Before they grew up to become some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, these celebs got their start on Barney & Friends. Find out which famous faces appeared on the beloved children’s series.
New Barney Docuseries Reveals Dark Side of the ’90s Show
Everyone knows Barney the Dinosaur. But what you might not know is that several stars got their big break on the beloved children’s series.
Since the show’s premiere in 1992, Barney & Friends brought smiles to kids all over the world over the course of its almost 20-year-run on PBS. And there singing alongside Barney, B.J. and Baby Bop were some of Hollywood’s biggest stars before they became household names, including Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Debby Ryan and more.
While the show was teaching kids the importance of kindness and acceptance on-screen, off-screen, Barney became a target for haters and trolls—a backstory that’s the subject of Peacock‘s new docuseries I Love You, You Hate Me.
According to the streamer’s description, the two-part series will follow “the rise and fall of Barney the Dinosaur’s furious backlash—and what it says about the human need to hate.”
Though the docuseries follows those who used the character as an outlet for anger, Barney—and the kids who starred alongside him—continue to have a lasting positive impact on fans and the show’s cast and crew.
While we wait for the must-see documentary, scroll below to see which of your favorite Disney Channel, Netflix and music stars got their start on Barney & Friends and it’s spinoffs as one big happy family.
I Love You, You Hate Me premiers Wednesday, Oct. 12, on Peacock.
(E! and Peacock are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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Selena Gomez
Before she rose to fame as Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place, Selena Gomez played Gianna on Barney & Friends from 2002 to 2004.
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Demi Lovato
Long before dominating the Disney Channel with Selena, Demi Lovato starred alongside her former bestie as Angela on the children’s series.
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Debby Ryan
Another Disney Channel vet, Debby Ryan appeared in the 2007 film Barney: Let’s Go to the Firehouse before going on to star on shows like The Suite Life on Deck, Jessie and Insatiable.
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Kyla Pratt
Before going on to voice Penny Proud on Disney Channel’s The Proud Family—and its Disney+ revival Louder and Prouder—one of Kyla Pratt’s earliest roles was Marcella in the 1998 movie Barney’s Great Adventure.
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Jaren Lewison
Jaren Lewison may be known for his role as Ben Gross on Netflix‘s Never Have I Ever, but his first-ever TV gig was playing Joshua on Barney & Friends from 2008 to 2009.
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Madison Pettis
Following the trend of Barney kids becoming Disney stars, Madison Pettis briefly appeared as Bridget alongside the purple dinosaur in 2005 and 2006 before appearing in shows like Hannah Montana and Cory in the House, as well as the 2021 film He’s All That.
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Jackson Pace
Best known for his roles as Chris Brody on Homeland and Gage on The Walking Dead, Jackson Pace got his start as Adam on Barney & Friends in 2006.
Peacock is live now! Check out NBCU’s streaming service here.
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Photo Credit: Pixabay
