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How We Made Your Mother

How We Made Your Mother

By: Audacy & Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas
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About this listen

 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, a groundbreaking sitcom that ran for 208 episodes on CBS from 2005-2014, unfolds entirely as a flashback, using a time-bending narrative structure that spotlights the lives of five friends navigating love, friendship, dating, careers, failure, and success in New York City. The show has remained vibrantly alive in our collective pop culture memory, with fans around the world still sharing stories of how HIMYM is not just a hilarious comedy but also medicine for the soul in hard times. Now, JOSH RADNOR (who played “Ted Mosby”) has teamed up with series co-creator CRAIG THOMAS to explore, episode-by-episode, the mystery at the heart of what has made this show so durable and beloved. It’s time – much like the older, wiser narrator Ted does in the show – to look back on this adventure that occupied a pivotal decade of their lives: how the show changed them, how it changed its fans, and how it changed the culture. With plenty of special guests joining us along the way, this podcast will use HIMYM’s trenchant themes as jumping-off points for larger discussions about life, loss, and love. This is HOW WE MADE YOUR MOTHER: A flashback podcast for a flashback show.© How We Made Your Mother LLC. All Rights Reserved 088521 Art
Episodes
  • How We Entered The Lobby | S2E12 "First Time in New York"

    How We Entered The Lobby | S2E12 "First Time in New York"
    Jan 19 2026
    This week’s episode is a big, warm, lore-heavy love letter to one of How I Met Your Mother’s most meaningful episodes. Josh and Craig talk about why “First Time in New York” works so well: filling in backstories, sneaking past network standards with euphemisms, and still making real present-day moves like Robin finally saying “I love you.” They dig into the Dirty Dancing sequence (yes, it cost a lot), Lucy Hale’s early guest spot, Barney’s secretly heartbreaking virginity story, Marshall and Lily’s lobby-vs-top-of-the-building debate, and Ted’s eternal romance with the Empire State Building. Along the way, they get reflective about how we edit our own memories, why stories matter, and how HIMYM has become a comfort show for people all over the world—ending with emotional listener letters, New York recommendations, and a reminder that people will, in fact, dance. CONNECT WITH THE SHOW: Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages) Instagram READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK: Subscribe HERE. CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE! Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED. SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH: Click HERE to learn more and donate today. FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES: Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPod Follow on TikTok AND MORE: Josh’s Official Website Josh on Spotify Craig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing) Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • How We Met That Grinch | S2E11 "How Lily Stole Christmas"

    How We Met That Grinch | S2E11 "How Lily Stole Christmas"
    Jan 12 2026
    Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas revisit Season 2, Episode 11, “How Lily Stole Christmas,” the show’s first real Christmas episode—and one of its most emotionally honest. They talk about the fallout from Marshall and Lily’s breakup, especially Ted’s complicated position as best friend to both of them, and how the episode hinges on a single censored insult (the infamous “Grinch”) caught on an answering machine—an extremely 2006 plot device. The conversation digs into what a best friend actually owes you after a breakup, why Ted’s anger at Lily is about more than just defending Marshall, and how that confrontation ends up being about friendship, hurt feelings, and chosen family. Along the way they shout out Barney’s sickness subplot, Christmas movie influences like A Christmas Story and Love Actually, and reflect on why this episode still hits hard for fans who return to it every holiday season as a comfort watch. CONNECT WITH THE SHOW: Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages) Instagram READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK: Subscribe HERE. CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE! Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED. SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH: Click HERE to learn more and donate today. FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES: Check out "Office Ladies" at ⁠https://officeladies.com/ ⁠or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPod⁠ Follow on ⁠TikTok⁠ AND MORE: Josh’s Official Website Josh on Spotify Craig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing) Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • How We Met James [with Wayne Brady] | S2E10 "Single Stamina"

    How We Met James [with Wayne Brady] | S2E10 "Single Stamina"
    Jan 5 2026
    In this episode of How We Made Your Mother, Josh and Craig welcome the brilliant Wayne Brady to revisit “Single Stamina,” the Season 2 episode that introduced Barney’s gay, Black brother James. Together they unpack how Wayne came to the show, what it felt like to embody this new character, and how the episode balanced outrageous comedy with genuine heart. They discuss James as both brother and father figure to Barney, the themes of aging, vulnerability, and growth that define the show, and how the episode’s subtle pro–gay-marriage message felt quietly radical in 2006. Wayne shares memories of working with Neil Patrick Harris, his nerves walking onto set, and how he approaches comedy and fear as a performer. Josh and Craig reflect on the episode’s legacy, its GLAAD Media Award nomination, and how it captured HIMYM’s mix of humor, heart, and social progressiveness. CONNECT WITH THE SHOW: Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages) Instagram READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK: Subscribe HERE. CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE! Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED. SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH: Click HERE to learn more and donate today. FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES: Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPod Follow on TikTok AND MORE: Josh’s Official Website Josh on Spotify Craig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing) Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 2 mins
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