For nine seasons, Josh Radnor and his “How I Met Your Mother” co-stars spent countless hours together, becoming one of TV’s most beloved friend groups. Several years after the sitcom wrapped, however, that close-knit bond has changed. Radnor recently opened up about his relationship with his former castmates, revealing that he is no longer close with them while making it clear that he still has a deep love for all of them.
“How I Met Your Mother” aired for nine seasons from 2005 to 2014 with more than 200 episodes. It followed the lives of a tight-knit group of friends in New York City: Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), and Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), as they navigated the ups and downs of adulthood.
More than a decade after the series wrapped, Radnor shares that his relationship with his former co-stars has changed. Appearing on the “Half the Picture” podcast, the actor was asked if he’s still close to his TV friend group, to which he answered. “No. Not even a little bit.”
Radnor explained that the distance didn’t happen in “any dramatic way.” Rather, they just drifted apart.
“It’s like college where you have this very intense time together, and you can’t imagine not seeing each other every day because you’ve seen each other every day for so long. And then it just disperses, and you just go out and live your life,” Radnor said.
The Actor Has A Deep Love For His Former Castmates
Radnor shared that while the friendship dynamic has changed, he still gets to connect with his “HIMYM” co-stars in some capacity.
He exchanges text messages with Segel “once in a while” to reminisce about things that happened on set. Smulders appeared as a guest on his podcast via Zoom, as did Harris. As for Hannigan, Radnor shared that the actress attended his wedding in 2024, but hasn’t seen her since.
Radnor said his relationship with them was more like family, saying that they were cast in the series and didn’t “choose” each other. “You also have love that is quite deep and rich and probably everlasting, but it’s not an active love,” he explained.
Josh Radnor Had A ‘Healing’ Conversation With Neil Patrick Harris
Radnor co-hosts the podcast “How We Made Your Mother” with series co-creator Craig Thomas. In March, Harris appeared as a guest, and the former co-stars discussed their working relationship.
At one point, Harris said, “I always kind of felt that my performance annoyed you, Josh.” Radnor was surprised at the admission and asked Harris to elaborate. The latter said that in portraying his character, a charismatic womanizer, he sensed Radnor’s “frustration” over his “spit takes.”
Radnor said he felt a bit of “tension” at times, but in his opinion, it stemmed from drawing the line between Harris and the character he played. “Barney was often incredibly almost dismissive of Ted, and you were so good at playing that. I think sometimes I felt dismissed by Neil, but I was being dismissed by Barney,” Radnor said.
Despite the tension, Radnor admitted he enjoyed their “weird chemistry,” and Harris appreciated that they were able to have the conversation.
Josh Radnor Distanced Himself From ‘How I Met Your Mother’
After playing the hopeless romantic architect Ted Mosby for nine years, Radnor admitted that he did everything he could to distance himself from the show. He also rejected roles that had “any hint of single guy in the big city looking for love,” as he didn’t want to be typecast.
In the years following, he played a Civil War surgeon in the series “Mercy Street,” a high school drama teacher in “Rise,” and a Nazi-hunting movie star in “Hunters,” in addition to appearing in theater productions. He also took on roles behind the camera and pursued writing and directing.
Now that he has done multiple projects, he embraces his time on the series with the understanding that he is no longer defined by that one role.
‘How I Met Your Mother’ Had A Spin-Off Series
In 2022, the spin-off series “How I Met Your Father” premiered. While it featured a whole new cast and independent storyline, the show shares the same universe as the original series. It featured Hilary Duff as Sophie Tompkins, who, alongside her group of friends, navigates love and relationships in the age of dating apps.
Both Smulders and Harris returned to their respective roles as guest stars in separate episodes, though the series ultimately received mixed reviews and was canceled after two seasons.