--- title: The Actor Who Played Barney Is Now a Tantric Sex Therapist description: David Joyner, the actor who played jolly purple dinosaur Barney on 'Barney & Friends' is now working as a tantric sex therapist. canonical: https://time.com/5116627/barney-actor-is-now-tantric-sex-therapist/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-24T18:01:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:50:02.083Z og:title: The Actor Who Played 'Barney' Is Now a Tantric Sex Therapost og:description: "The energy I brought up in the costume is based on the foundation of tantra" og:url: https://time.com/5116627/barney-actor-is-now-tantric-sex-therapist/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt57357c34f3b4923d/6988f94f0a4a22b60d9d1834/barney-actor-now-tantric-sex-therapist.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: The Cable Show 2011 - NBC Universal VIP Party og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Actor Who Played 'Barney' Is Now a Tantric Sex Therapost twitter:description: "The energy I brought up in the costume is based on the foundation of tantra" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt57357c34f3b4923d/6988f94f0a4a22b60d9d1834/barney-actor-now-tantric-sex-therapist.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # That Actor Who Played Barney Is Now a Tantric Sexual Healer Because Love Is Love > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=ccd80797-bc6f-4b0b-b336-17bc4290ee2d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 24, 2018 6:01 PM UTC  Barney the Purple Dinosaur and Chica attend the NBC Universal VIP party during the Cable Show 2011 at Privet Nightclub and Lounge on June 15, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Lyle A. Waisman/FilmMagic) Barney the Purple Dinosaur and Chica attend the NBC Universal VIP party during the Cable Show 2011 at Privet Nightclub and Lounge on June 15, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Lyle A. Waisman/FilmMagic) Lyle A. Waisman—FilmMagic  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 24, 2018 6:01 PM UTC It turns out that the actor who brought the eponymous purple dinosaur of [_Barney & Friends_](http://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/29/these-five-songs-have-all-been-used-to-torture-people/) to life has found a second career calling as a [tantric sex](http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/29/does-yoga-really-drive-people-wild-with-desire/) therapist, something he says is based on the same philosophy as the tender-hearted Tyrannosaurus Rex he played on television for nearly a decade. In an interview with [_Vice_](https://www.vice.com/en%5Fca/article/zmzgbw/the-guy-who-played-barney-the-dinosaur-now-runs-a-tantric-sex-business), David Joyner, who played Barney from 1991 to 2001 while actor Bob West provided the voice for the purple behemoth, said that he now owns a tantric massage practice, where he works as a tantra massage specialist and spiritual healer with around 30 clients (whom he refers to as “goddesses”) who come to him for $350 sessions where he helps them release energy and balance their chakras. According to Joyner, this tantric training came in handy when he would have to be in the 70 lb. Barney costume – which could reach up to 120 degrees at times; he also felt that both practices informed each other. “A lot of the elements of Barney were a lot of the things I was training within tantra,” he said. “I always said it was never an accident, and that I was meant to do this character. The energy I brought up \[while\] in the costume is based on the foundation of tantra, which is love. 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