IMDB/Robert Kazandjian
"It is time for women to understand their true worth and the true essence they have to offer to the world," David Joyner, pictured, wrote on his website.
- David Joyner is an actor who played Barney on the hit TV series from 1991 to 2001.
- He is also, according to VICE, a tantra massage specialist and spiritual healer. He only accepts female clients.
- Joyner said he used nonsexual tantric practices while playing Barney as well.
Barney is now a tantric sex specialist.
Or at least, the actor who played Barney is.
Rebekah Sager at VICE reported that David Joyner is a tantra massage specialist and spiritual healer who charges $350 for a four-hour session and only accepts female clients. He currently has 30 clients, or "goddessess," as he calls them. And he prefers not to use condoms because they "block the energy."
Joyner, now 54, wore Barney's costume from 1991 to 2001; another actor, Bob West, did his voice.
Since then, Joyner has been cast in television series including "Shameless," "That 70s Show," and "ER."
Joyner told VICE that his current gig isn't so dissimilar from playing Barney. "The energy I brought up [while] in the costume is based on the foundation of tantra, which is love," he said. "Everything stems, grows, and evolves from love. Even when you have emotionally blocked energy, the best way to remove it is to remove it with love, and then replace it with God's divine love. Love heals and allows you to continue to grow."
Tantra experts say sex isn't a necessary part of the practice
In a previous interview with Business Insider, Joyner said he started studying tantra at age 19. "A lot of times when people think about tantra they think it's all about sex. Well tantra's much more than that. Because tantra deals with loving energy, life force energy, and energy that rises through your system."
Tantric practices, as Joyner suggested, aren't limited to sex. Refinery29 spoke to a healer and tantric shaman who said that tantra is fundamentally about connecting with others, with nature, and with yourself.
VICE spoke to several clients of Joyner's, none of whom said they felt pressured into having sex with him. But other tantra experts told VICE that sexual intercourse isn't a necessary part of the practice.
The "about me" section on Joyner's Tantra Harmony website reads, in part:
"It is time for women to understand their true worth and the true essence they have to offer to the world. The true spirit of a woman that lies within, must now take its true and rightful place, and shine its light for all to see. This is my goal!!! This is my calling!!! This is my mission!!!"
After the VICE article was published (and several other media outlets picked up the story), Joyner posted on Facebook:
"When I was approached to do the interview, I was told the article would capture the spiritual side of Tantra & my Spiritual Healing Practices. To shed a more positive light on the benefits of it's accent practice and teachings to those who don't know much about it. But of course, it didn't come out that way.
"I truly wish more people would try to see the spiritual size of Tantra & not think it's all about sex. Sometimes people here in the west can be so sad."