Neil Patrick Harris Doesn't Think Barney Should Appear In How I Met Your Father

Hulu’s reboot How I Met Your Father is reimagining the popular CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother with a full new cast, but that didn’t stop the show from dropping a couple of nods towards the original pilot episode of HIMYM. And it leaves some questions if any of the original cast members could return to reprise their roles in the spinoff. But don’t hold your breath for one of the original stars to suit up again. Neil Patrick Harris revealed why he doesn’t thing Barney Stinson should appear in How I Met Your Father, unless there were some major changes made to his iconic character.

In the Wednesday, Feb. 2 edition of Harris’ Wondercade newsletter, he spoke with HIMYF Hilary Duff about the possibility of his character Barney Stinson returning for a cameo in the Hulu reboot. While fans loved Barney’s playboy antics in HIMYM, Harris doesn’t think the over-the-top character would be a good fit in the new show.

“As for coming on your show (insert joke here), I worry," Harris wrote in his conversation with Duff. "Barney's antics, his overt delusions of grandeur, would likely get everyone in trouble. So, unless he's changed his ways or joined a nunnery (insert an insert joke here), not sure if it's in anyone's best interest.”

As HIMYM fans will recall, Barney reinvented himself as a serial dater after he suffered a devastating breakup in his early twenties. So in the show, we see him steer clear of any form of commitment and regularly commit acts of seduction. Viewers come to understand his mentality when it’s revealed Barney is still carrying his childhood trauma of being abandoned by his father. Throughout the series, Barney does mature and grow, particularly because of his on-off relationship with Robin and his love for his friends.

But it sounds like Harris thinks Barney still needs some maturing before he’d walk onto the set of HIMYF.

Duff also chimed in with her take on what Barney would be up to if he entered the HIMYF universe. “I'm not sure how you feel about this, but I'm pretty sure Barney would … be in jail in 2022,” she said. “Since we're living in the world of females coming into power, I'm assuming that's why they made him a woman.” Duff was referring to the Barney-esque character Valentina (Francia Raisa), who plays her character’s best friend in the reboot.

So, there you have it. Although Barney might not be showing up on the new show, viewers can still see bits and pieces of the original characters in the new cast.

Make sure to watch How I Met Your Father every Tuesday on Hulu.