Barney & Friends music director opens up about facing threats over iconic songs
- Bob Singleton, the musical director of “Barney & Friends,” shared his experiences of backlash during his work on the show.
- He faced threats and death threats after his email ID was revealed in a public forum.
- The possibility of a future “Barney & Friends” remake or spin-off remains uncertain.
Barney & Friends became a cult classic among kids for its bright, colorful characters and the catchy songs sung by the purple dinosaur and his friends. Surprisingly, songs about friendship, community, and love drew backlash. Musical director Bob Singleton shared his experience on the new podcast “Generation Barney”, revealing the criticism he faced when people learned about his work on the show.
“When I was nominated for a Grammy, a local talk radio station said, ‘Hey, this is great,’ ” he said. “Then someone called in and said, ‘I wish I could get my hands around the neck of that guy. I would just, I would really like to take him out,’” Singleton recalled.
His email ID somehow surfaced in a public forum, leading to a flood of death threats and demeaning messages. The music director recalled that people sent emails threatening him and his family with “horrible, horrible death, dismemberment, and terrible things.”
Singleton recalled another “frightening” experience at a luncheon where he mentioned his role as the music director of the beloved cartoon. Upon hearing this, one attendee remarked, “Wow, my kids loved you, but I just wanted to kill you.” Singleton felt unsettled by the comment, unsure of the man’s intentions behind the “joke.”
“In that moment, I have to think, ‘Okay, is this somebody that I need to watch for in the parking lot, you know?’ Or is he just, is that just his way of going, ‘My kids liked it, I didn’t’. So it was awkward,” Singleton added.
The beloved 1992 cartoon followed a lovable purple Tyrannosaurus Rex and his friends on playful adventures, still cherished by millennials today. The show famously featured pop star and Hollywood A-lister Selena Gomez, who joined when she was just 10 years old. The “Only Murders in the Building” actress went on to executive produce a spin-off of her other hit Disney show, *Wizards of Waverly Place”. Could “Barney & Friends” also get a remake or spin-off in the future? Only time will tell!
