Stunning manipulation from Barry here. He sends his daughter outside to chase Lauren and her friend off. When Lauren shows her the text that Barry has been communicating with them, she offers to go inside and get Barry.
Both emerge from the house, and the daughter is very emotional. Barry weaponizes this, by saying “look at what you’re doing to my daughter.”
He knew they were outside, he knew the reporters only wanted to talk to him, but he put her in the middle in order to turn the tables and basically make himself a victim of overzealous reporters who were traumatizing his family.
What a guy.
When the daughter left, Lauren and her friend tried to speak with Barry again. They could hear the tv, but he never answered the door.
As they were preparing to leave, the daughter suddenly returned. So they speculate that Barry once again tried to use her to run interference.