As crazy as it sounds, it’s actually been over 11 years since How I Met Your Mother wrapped up its nine-season run on CBS. While the show ended over a decade ago, remains a beloved part of pop culture. Many became invested in the exploits of Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor, who’s older self recounted the events leading up to meeting the mother of his kids. Wildly enough, we’ve now reached the point at which Radnor nearing Future Ted’s age and, as shocked as I am, I love the actor’s take on that.
Radnor turned 51 this year (and was about 31 when HIMYM premiered). That means the actor is one year younger than Future Ted, who was 52. That closeness in age was brought up when Radnor appeared on Dinner’s On Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson. As the two actors discussed Mother (which is one of the all-time great sitcoms, Radnor talked about how surreal it is not only to be close to older Ted’s age but to also recounting past exploits (via his rewatch podcast) similar to how the character shared his own experiences:
The other thing is there’s something very meta about the meta, meta, meta thing. [Series co-creator] Craig [Thomas] and I are nearing the age where the narrator was when he looked back on this pivotal time in his life. And the pivotal time in our lives was making this show about this fictional guy’s pivotal time in his life. So we are now looking back on it with these older, wiser eyes and kind of narrating it for ourselves. You know? It’s wild.
At present, Radnor co-hosts his How I Met Your Mother rewatch podcast with series EP Craig Thomas, during which the two break down episodes. It’s hard to disagree with the irony of Radnor serving as a “narrator” of sorts now when it comes to this franchise. It’s a full-circle moment if there ever was one, and I love that Radnor appreciates the position he’s in.
HIMYM’s flashback and flash-forward framing is one of the reasons why the show is so famous. Of course, many viewers had feelings about the show’s still-controversial finale, especially with the reveal that the eponymous mother died by the events of the future timeline. (ln the real world, 2024 marked Tracy McConnell’s tragic milestone.)
The debate over the final episode shouldn’t take away from the show’s excellent legacy, though. How I Met Your Mother generates plenty of laughs and offers bits that still hold up. However, there’s also a considerable amount of heart present within it as well. It’s that sentimentality that helps make it such a charming and endearing show.
Considering the enduring popularity of the show, Josh Radnor and his co-stars have a lot to be thankful for. All the while, it still may take me a bit to truly process the fact that Radnor is reaching Future Ted’s age. Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m glad Radnor is still around and is able to articulate his feelings about his performance as Ted, as it continues to bring viewers joy.
On that note, anyone who’d like to revisit How I Met Your Mother or check it out for the first time, can grab a Hulu subscription and stream it alongside the sister series, How I Met Your Father. And, of course, newer shows are still hitting the small screen as the 2025 TV schedule winds down.
