Photo: Lyle A. Waisman (Getty)
You know how I know I’m more of a Generation X’er rather than the dreaded ‘Millennial?’ I was never into Barney.
That’s right. The giant, dopey purple dinosaur that brain washed children for nearly two decades — I always found him to be a creep. Now it appears that while I may have been too harsh on the T-Rex, I may have been spot-on regarding the actor who portrayed the character from inside the suit all those years.
David Joyner, 52, was the ‘actor’ inside the Barney suit from 1991-2001. What has he accomplished since his ‘retirement?’ Well, for starters, he was a software analyst at Texas Instruments. But now? …. He’s a self-proclaimed tantric sex therapist.
The foundation of all our existence? LOVE!
Live it, Breathe it, Speak it, Stand on it, Share it!
I Love You, You Love Me… We’re A Spiritual Family!!! pic.twitter.com/TIcTa6CQpb
— David Joyner (@djoyner22) January 7, 2018
Yup.
And Joyner also told Vice that playing the dancing dino actually helped his current career.
“The energy I brought up [while] in the costume is based on the foundation of tantra, which is love,” Joyner said. “Everything stems, grows, and evolves from love.”
The biggest shocker? Joyner is charging $350 per ‘session,’ each lasting about four hours, all for a chance to reach “a higher and more blissful state of awareness.” And he also says that he doesn’t use protection because condoms “block the energy.”
He reportedly asks clients to declare whether they have any sexually transmitted diseases, and sign a consent form, before their sessions. “Lisa”, an anonymous source contacted by Vice, said she had been one of his regular clients for three years, after first making contact with him through the dating app Tinder.
She added that she had sexual intercourse with Joyner during their third session, and described the experience as a “spiritual awakening”.
Kimberly Resnick Anderson, a sex therapist and psychiatrist at UCLA described Joyner’s practices as “outrageous and far outside the standard of care.” There is also debate whether or not his business is illegal, some arguing it falls within the definition of prostitution.
Barney, er, Joyner, is only accepting female clients at this time.
