Credit: @ddlovato
Barney and Friends. There’s a throwback for you, right? The big purple dinosaur that was part of our childhood television lineup was not everyone’s favorite. He wasn’t the worst thing on television (does anyone remember the Teletubbies?), but he was not exactly the most popular dinosaur in the world either. While we might remember him as the purple monstrosity that sang the song “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family, with a great big hug and kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me, too?” on repeat – never allowing the song to exit our minds completely, Barney did more than that.
The Barney and Friends part are what people forget. He had friends. He had a group of kids to hang out with and play games, teach lessons, and sing songs, and some of those kids had identities that might blow your mind. Let’s talk about some of the most famous Barney stars.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez is arguably the biggest name on our list of famous Barney. Gomez would go on to have her own show on the Disney Channel called The Wizards of Waverly Place. She would become a bona fide pop star, a television star in shows such as Only Murders in the Building, and so much more. She famously dated Justin Bieber – who everyone in the world knows – and she’s a great friend of Taylor Swift. To think, it all began because she made friends with a purple dinosaur.
Credit: @selenagomez
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato is easily one of the most famous Barney stars. Unfortunately, though, her story is a sad one. She was a huge child star. She was one of the main cast members in the hit Disney Movie Camp Rock – the movie that made The Jonas Brothers famous. She later landed her own show called Sonny with a Chance and several additional television shows and movies. She even began her career as a pop star, and things were looking so good for her.
Sadly, Lovato struggles with many health issues. Among them are an eating disorder as well as substance abuse issues. She also came out to share she was raped by a Disney channel co-star in a movie when she was 15, again during her 2018 drug overdose, and she suffers from mental health disorders. Her struggles are widely documented, and the world watched her decline for many years. She’s gone through several programs to help her, and we hope that she is doing it all right.
Debby Ryan
She, like the two ladies above, went on to become one of The Disney Channel’s biggest and most famous stars. She’s the girl who starred in the hit show The Suite Life on Deck as well as her own show, Jessie. She’s a star, and it’s all thanks to the big purple dinosaur.
Credit: @debbyryan
Melise
You know her because she’s been on every show imaginable, and she’s good. Melise was part of the Barney crew in the 90s – when my younger brother watched the show. Since her days as a friend of the purple dinosaur, though, she’s become a daytime soap star. She was part of the cast of The Young and the Restless. She also spent some time working with Disney and Miley Cyrus on Hannah Montana. Most recently, however, she was part of The Vampire Diaries.
Madison Pettis
Madison Pettis did not spend a lot of time hanging out with Barney. Rather, she was just a kid who was part of the show for only a moment, but it was enough time. She ended up spending a lot of time lending her voice to different animated characters. She was a star. She voiced characters in shows such as Phineas and Ferb, Disney’s Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and more. Most recently, she was cast in the She’s All That remake called He’s All That, and she did well.
Jackson Pace
He is a former friend of Barney who went on to star in some of television’s biggest shows. He’s a former cast member of The Walking Dead, and he also starred in the hit show Homeland. He’s worked with some of the most famous men and women in Hollywood. Thus making his time as one of Barney’s young friends successful.
Brighton Sharbino
credit: Barney & Friends
You know her not from her role on Barney but from her television roles now. She’s been on The Walking Dead, NCIS, and even True Detective. She was a kid playing with a purple dinosaur, and then she moved on to some of the darkest shows on television. She did a bit of a one-eighty there.
Kyla Pratt
credit: @kylapratt
Out of all of the famous Barney stars, Kyla Pratt has had one of the longest careers. She’s a talented voice actress, and she also landed a part in the show Call Me Kat. She’s done well for herself since her days as one of Barney’s good friends, and it shows.
Jaren Lewison
He hit star of the show Never Have I Ever was only eight when he was one of Barney’s friends. He remembers the show vividly – probably because he’s only 20 right now, and it wasn’t that long ago. He got his start as one of Barney’s friends, and we’d like to say it worked out well for him.
Follow Us
