How I Met Your Mother is a long-running television sitcom set in New York City in the mid-2000s to mid-2010s. HIMYM follows a group of five friends and their many associates, from the suited-up Barney Stinson to the hockey-loving Robin, and many more. Over HIMYM’s 9 seasons, plenty of notable guest stars appeared.
It’s common for sitcoms and other TV series to throw in guest stars, who add some star power to the show and even more color to the story. HIMYM has more than a little star power to its name. Many beloved actors, game show hosts, and other celebrities have appeared in HIMYM, notable for their fame and role in the overall story.
10 Kim Kardashian Appeared On A Magazine Cover
The reality star Kim Kardashian made a brief but amusing cameo in one episode of How I Met Your Mother. Rather than appearing in person, Kim Kardashian showed up on the cover of a generic magazine with the ability to speak. She had some kind words to share with Marshall Eriksen.
Marshall needed to use the toilet at work but felt terribly self-conscious about it, and he imagined the people on magazine covers mocking him for it. Kim Kardashian came to the rescue and reassured him while speaking from another magazine’s cover. After a pep talk from Kim Kardashian in Benefits, Marshall felt better.
9 Alan Thicke Was On A Canadian TV Show
A few Canadian stars appeared in HIMYM since Robin Scherbatsky was the show’s main link to Canada. This includes famed actor Alan Thicke, who appeared now and then in HIMYM in various ways. In Glitter, he appeared on an “educational” TV show with an adolescent Robin Sparkles and her friend, Jessica Glitter.
Alan Thicke was sometimes at odds with Barney Stinson, and they even got into a brief fight that left Barney with a black eye. Later still, Alan Thicke appeared during a Canada-themed party that Barney threw for Robin.
8 Britney Spears Portrayed Abby The Receptionist
The famed pop singer Britney Spears appeared in a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother after expressing interest in having a role. In Ten Sessions, Britney Spears portrayed a timid receptionist named Abby in a tattoo removal clinic. Ted met her when he arrived to get his unwanted butterfly tattoo removed.
Abby was instantly smitten with Ted, and she hoped that he would have eyes only for her. At the time, though, Ted was getting involved with Stella Zinman. Abby ended up having a one-night stand with Barney, despite disapproving of Barney’s womanizing ways.
7 William/Billy Zabka Attended Barney & Robin’s Wedding
Actor William Zabka, sometimes called Billy in HIMYM, made his first appearance as a clown to disguise his true self so he could take Barney by surprise. William Zabka portrayed Barney’s favorite character in The Karate Kid, the villainous Johnny Lawrence.
Zabka appeared often in HIMYM‘s ninth and final season as himself, where he was briefly appointed as Barney’s best man until Ted reprised the role. Zabka was rather upset and tried to take it out on Ted more than once.
6 Laura Prepon Was Ted’s Snooty College Girlfriend
Ted is known for dating a variety of women from college onward. His college girlfriend Karen appeared in Sorry, Bro as Ted’s on-again-off-again girlfriend. She is portrayed by actress Laura Prepon, famed for playing Donna Pinciotti in That ’70s Show.
Karen considered herself cool and enlightened, and she had a snooty remark to make about everything around her, even table salt. Ted tried to put up with her, even enduring a trip to Paris. Eventually, he broke up with her when she was caught cheating on him.
5 Bob Barker Wasn’t Barney’s Dad
Bob Barker is famed for hosting The Price Is Right for many years, and he also exists in the universe of HIMYM. In his boyhood, Barney asked his caring single mother who his father is. On a whim, Mrs. Stinson pointed at the TV and said “Him,” indicating Bob Barker.
For most of his life, Barney sincerely believed that Bob Barker was his father. In Showdown, Barney actually made it onto The Price Is Right to meet the man himself. Bob was delighted to meet Barney but he was certainly not Barney’s father, and Barney eventually accepted the truth.
4 Alex Trebek Met Robin
Alex Trebek was another game show host who guest-starred on How I Met Your Mother, as a Canadian-American who followed the career of Robin Sparkles. In the present day, Alex Trebek met Robin when she auditioned for the role of “coin-flip bimbo,” and he was dismayed by her lack of genuine enthusiasm.
Alex Trebek also appeared in a documentary about Robin Sparkles’ switch from pop music to grunge, and he falsely claimed that the grunge genre was born in 1996 in Canada.
3 Sarah Chalke Portrayed Stella Zinman
Sarah Chalke famously played Elliot Reid in Scrubs, the on-again-off-again girlfriend of Zach Braff’s character, J.D. In HIMYM, Sarah Chalke portrayed the tattoo removal doctor, Stella Zinman. Ted met Stella when he wanted his lower back tattoo removed in Ten Sessions.
Stella was hesitant to date Ted at first, given her devotion to her young daughter and her remarkably full schedule. They made it work for a time until Stella broke Ted’s heart by leaving him at the altar. Ted eventually recovered and moved on.
2 Kyle MacLachlan Was The Captain
Kyle MacLachlan is known for portraying Paul Atreides in David Lynch’s 1984 sci-fi movie Dune. Mr. MacLachlan has had plenty of other roles since then too, including playing The Captain in HIMYM. True to his name, The Captain is obsessed with everything relating to boating and the open seas.
The Captain is also known for his menacing aura. Marshall noted that, while The Captain’s smile seemed genuine, his eyes were terrifying. It turns out, covering up half of The Captain’s face totally changes what he looks like. Ultimately, though, The Captain was harmless.
1 Bryan Cranston Was Ted’s Overbearing Boss
Bryan Cranston is famed for his many TV and movie roles, from Hal in Malcolm In The Middle to his notorious role of Walter White, the drug kingpin in Breaking Bad. He also appeared in Platonish as Ted’s boss, Hammond Druthers.
Hammond is a stressed-out architect who often took his frustration and rage out on Ted, and he is also noted for his bizarre building designs. One of them was incredibly inappropriate and was never built, and another acted as a giant mirror and caused serious damage in Chicago.
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