Josh Radnor has revealed that he and his fellow How I Met Your Mother cast members are no longer close after spending nine years together on the hit CBS comedy. Speaking on an episode of the Half the Picture podcast, the 52-year-old actor said that he, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, and the rest of the cast are not even a little bit close anymore, though he emphasized he holds no ill will toward his former co-stars.
Radnor explained that he does not mean the distance in any dramatic way and stated that he has love for all of them. He compared the experience to college, where people spend an intense period together every single day before dispersing to live their separate lives. The actor, who recently welcomed his first baby with wife Jordana Jacobs, noted that the cast knew the nine-season sitcom was going to end eventually and still enjoyed the journey.
While the core group no longer shares a table every night, they have reunited occasionally since the comedy wrapped in 2014, including Alyson Hannigan attending Radnor's 2024 wedding to Jacobs. Narrated by the late Bob Saget, the sitcom followed Ted Mosby, played by Radnor, as he recounted how he met his wife Tracy, played by Cristin Milioti. The show also starred Segel and Hannigan as couple Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin, Harris as Barney Stinson, and Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky.
Castings and early development
The series originated when 20th Century Fox asked creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas to pitch sitcom ideas. The Wesleyan University graduates drew inspiration from their post-college years living in New York City and writing for The Late Show With David Letterman. Bays told Cleveland Magazine in 2008 that he wanted to get married as a single man in New York, which felt like an unusual goal at the time.
Real events shaped the show, such as Bays inviting a date to a wedding before realizing he had no plus-one, and Thomas temporarily splitting from his college sweetheart Rebecca Alson-Milkman. Thomas shared on Reddit in 2014 that Alson-Milkman, now his wife, insisted on casting Hannigan if any character was based on her.
The lead role of Ted Mosby almost went to American Pie star Jason Biggs, who turned down the offer. On a 2021 episode of SiriusXM's The Covino and Rich Show, Biggs called passing on the role his biggest regret, explaining that he was unsure if he wanted to work in television at that point in his career. The role was also offered to Scott Foley before Radnor, a Columbus native, landed the part and expressed excitement over wearing Ohio State gear.
Jennifer Love Hewitt was initially considered for Robin Scherbatsky but chose to star in The Ghost Whisperer instead. Casting director Megan Branman spotted Canadian actress Cobie Smulders on a drama series and immediately recommended her for Robin. Meanwhile, Jim Parsons auditioned for Barney Stinson before starring in The Big Bang Theory, later telling Live With Kelly in 2015 that Harris was better suited for the part.
Although Barney was initially conceived as a Jack Black type, Harris won over the creators during his audition by doing a dramatic dive roll while acting out a laser tag scene from the pilot. Harris accidentally slammed into a wall during the movement, and Thomas joked that they offered him the role as soon as he regained consciousness. For Marshall Eriksen, Thomas wanted a 6-foot-4 actor to match his own presence, making Freaks and Geeks star Jason Segel their first choice. Although Segel, who currently stars in Shrinking, was attached to another project, the producers waited for him to become available.
Bar rules and behind the scenes details
Barney's famous wingman catchphrase, "Haaaaave you met Ted?" came directly from a habit used by Bays' boss at Letterman, who would introduce him to women in bars by asking if they had met Carter. The gang's favorite hangout, MacLaren's pub, was modeled on McGee's, a midtown pub frequented by Bays and Thomas during their Letterman years. Both the bar and its bartender Carl were named after Bays' assistant, Carl McLaren.
Many of the show's top storylines came from real life, including an episode where Robin gives Lily a vibrator that is opened in front of older relatives. The recurring slap bet was based on real slap bets Bays made with his high school friend Jon Read. The theme song "Hey Beautiful" was written and performed by The Solids, a band featuring Thomas on drums and Bays on guitar and vocals. Radnor, a passionate music fan, convinced Bays to see Bloc Party at Coachella, leading the band's music to be featured during a major first-season kiss scene.
To maintain a strong group dynamic, the main cast made a point to walk into every table read together, arriving early in season one for free breakfast suggested by Segel. The show attracted major guest stars, beginning with pop icon Britney Spears in season three as receptionist Abby. Her guest appearance drew over 10 million viewers and, according to Bays and Thomas, saved the show from cancellation risks. Other guest stars over nine seasons included Katie Holmes, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Mandy Moore, Enrique Iglesias, and Bryan Cranston.
Several cast members' spouses made appearances on set. Harris' husband David Burtka played Lily's high school boyfriend Scooter, Hannigan's husband Alexis Denisof played news anchor Sandy Rivers, and Smulders' husband Taran Killam played lawyer Gary Blauman alongside another role. Hannigan revealed to The Huffington Post that her daughter was once rejected for the role of Lily and Marshall's baby by Bays for being too old, leading Hannigan to joke about age discrimination. For Smulders' Robin Sparkles music videos, the production set aside one extra day for four-minute videos, requiring Smulders to dance for 16 hours straight.
Romance and the controversial series finale
On set, Harris quietly pushed for Barney and Robin to become a couple by giving Smulders extra looks and staring at her during scenes to see if anyone noticed. Meanwhile, Cristin Milioti, who joined the show as Tracy McConnell in the season eight finale, faced a chaotic arrival in Los Angeles. She revealed on Conan in 2014 that police stopped her on her first night driving in L.A., suspecting she was drunk because she could not stop laughing during sobriety tests, though two breathalyzer tests confirmed she was completely sober.
The final scene shot for the series depicted Ted meeting Tracy at the train station with her yellow umbrella. All the extras in the scene were actual How I Met Your Mother staff members. Creators had a backup plan if the show was canceled early: Victoria, the baker played by Ashley Williams in season one, would have been revealed as the mother.
The 2014 series finale drew intense controversy when Tracy died and Ted ultimately reunited with Robin, a choice the creators and Harris continue to defend. Hannigan noted to The Huffington Post that the finale table read lasted 14 hours and included crucial scenes that were cut, such as a funeral scene that would have helped the audience process Tracy's death. Radnor also pointed out a cut diner scene between Ted and Robin that showed Robin had been thinking about Ted for years.
Bays revealed on Twitter that the edit room produced two distinct endings from a single script, with an alternate happy ending later included on the complete series DVD set. Radnor knew about the Mother's death from season one, while Milioti was told at a Christmas party by Thomas, causing her to break down in tears. To keep the children's ages consistent, actors Lyndsy Fonseca and David Henrie filmed all their scenes as Ted's future kids back in season one under strict non-disclosure agreements. When the show ended, Radnor kept the blue French horn, Smulders took Robin Sparkles' denim jacket, Harris took the MacLaren's booth and Barney's playbook, Hannigan took a red British phone booth, and Bays kept the apartment swords. Additionally, Barney's Bro Code was published as a real-world book.
