The tease has been ongoing this season, and it is now official–Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney Stinson will indeed meet his father on “How I Met Your Mother.”
Unfortunately for those who like to be surprised, NPH’s co-star Cobie Smulders (Robin) let the cat out of the bag by confirming on the TV Guide Network that John Lithgow has been booked for the part.
Explained Smulders, “It’s really exciting and different for our show. He’s such a pioneer.”
Multiple sources say the Lithgow introduction is scheduled for a February episode.
Raised by his single mother, the character has long avoided the reality of his absentee father, previously convincing himself to believe that “Price is Right” host Bob Barker was his dad based on a passing comment from his mother. Earlier this season, Barney acknowledged the fantasy of his prior beliefs but declined his mother’s offer to learn the father’s real identity, explaining that she has always been enough of a parent (“I already have a father…and his name is Loretta”).
The father question lingered, however, surfacing in the “Natural History” episode via an implication that the man Barney knew as his “uncle” might have actually been his father. In the recent “Last Words” episode, Barney, touched by the bond Marshall had with his late father, informed his mother that he was ready to meet his dad.
