I Love You, You Hate Me

Production

The documentary originated after director Tommy Avallone saw a nostalgic social media post about a 1993 news story on a Barney-bashing event at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, prompting him to explore love and hate through Barney. Avallone began work in 2020, and the untitled project was announced on November 15, 2021 as a three-part series examining Barney's popularity and worldwide hatred. During production, cast and crew from Barney & Friends and Barney & the Backyard Gang were interviewed, along with fans and critics.

On December 1, 2021, archival producer Matt McDonald contacted users on Barney Wiki for assistance. Nearly fifty interviews from later years of Barney & Friends and touring stage shows were cut. Notable cut interviewees include Jeff Ayers, Kyle Nelson, Jess Nelson, and Josh Martin.

Julie Johnson and Patty Wirtz, original voices of Baby Bop and BJ, were intended for interviews but Johnson was on tour and Wirtz had COVID-19; Kenny Cooper also had COVID-19. Avallone met with franchise creator Sheryl Leach in Sleepy Hollow, New York, but she declined participation; her son Patrick Leach also declined. Former child actors Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez declined, with Gomez citing Mattel's ownership.

Release

I Love You, You Hate Me premiered on Peacock on October 12, 2022 during Peacock's DocFest, a six-week showcase. Originally three 45-minute episodes slated for August 2022, it was moved to October. In Canada, it was released in January 2023 via Lifetime, with episode one on January 9 and episode two on January 16. On March 1, 2023, it debuted in South Africa on Showmax.

On January 23, 2024, it was released on HBO Max in Latin America as Te Quiero Yo, Tú No A Mí, becoming the number one release in Colombia. A one-night theatrical screening occurred on March 3, 2023 at Smodcastle Cinemas in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Footage first appeared in the Peacock DocFest trailer on August 26, 2022; the official trailer was unlisted on YouTube on September 23, 2022, then publicly released on September 28, 2022, making Barney the top trending topic on Twitter in the US that day. Following the trailer, Avallone and Bob West, the original voice of Barney, conducted interviews and a satellite media tour.

Did You Know?

• The series follows the rise and fall of Barney's furious backlash and what it says about the human need to hate.
• The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported a 78% approval rating based on nine reviews.
• Metacritic assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on six critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.