“We were trying to dig underneath the bravado”: HIMYM creators respond to criticism that the show couldn't "get away with" Barney Stinson's jokes now

Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas recently discussed Barney Stinson, one of the lead characters from How I Met Your Mother in the latest episode of the podcast, How We Met Your Mother, which aired on March 24, 2025.

Notably, Josh and Craig addressed the criticism that the series could not easily get away with Barney’s jokes in today’s world. Stinson, portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris, has been already criticized in the past for different reasons, including his misogynistic philosophies, as per Mens XP.

The podcast hosts were speaking on the pilot episode of the sitcom where Craig said that while Barney Stinson becomes “so elaborate” on the show, he was different in the pilot episode where he has “two simple drives.” He further stated that Barney does not chase a woman in the episode and continued,

“He’s talking trash a little bit but he really wants two things, the second of which is I want Ted to say I’m his best friend, which is the saddest and most vulnerable and sweetest kind of drive he just wants to know he’s important to Ted, which makes Ted important to the audience.”

Craig later mentioned in the episode that although Barney Stinson is imagined as a “parody of toxic masculinity”, he is a needy human who wants Ted to be his best friend. He further stated that people watch Barney, thinking that he needs to be emulated.

“Sometimes people watch Barney and they go, you couldn't get away with that now. And I guess my response to that for me, and it doesn't mean we always hit the target here, but for me, we were never trying to get away with that," Craig said.

Thomas additionally opened up on their intention behind creating the character and the things they tried to explore as soon as the show progressed. He said,

"We were always trying to make a caricature and a parody. And then even as early as a pilot, we were trying to dig underneath that bravado and that suit and see this kind of needy human, vulnerable person underneath.”

Craig stated that he could mention some episodes where they attempted to show Barney Stinson’s needy side and that it was the main code for the character and the pilot episode.

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Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas opened up on their original plans for Barney Stinson

In another episode of How We Met Your Mother that aired on March 17, 2025, Radnor and Thomas addressed everything about Barney, including the process that led to the casting of Neil Patrick Harris to play the character on the show.

The episode also featured another guest Carter Bays, who was the co-creator of the series. Bays claimed in the episode that Neil was cast for the show despite that his physical appearance did not resemble the people who were an inspiration for the character. Bays addressed the same by saying,

“Barney was very much inspired by a couple guys that short of [had a] Falstaffian presence in our lives when we lived in New York.”

Josh Radnor also said that the writers originally planned to show Stinson as a big person on screen and they were considering people like Jack Black and Vince Vaughn to play the role.

Barney Stinson became popular among the audience for his habit of rejecting any kind of commitment and also became a womanizer after he was left by his girlfriend in his 20s. Stinson was also dealing with other problems since childhood, including that he did not share a close relationship with his father.

Barney had an on-and-off relationship with Robin Scherbatsky and they separated after being married for almost three years. However, Barney was also expecting a child following a one-night stand and decided to take care of his daughter during Ted and Tracy’s wedding.

Barney Stinson was featured in all episodes of How I Met Your Mother that aired until 2014.