A How I Met Your Mother fan theory has gone viral after suggesting that Ted may have manipulated his portrayal of Barney in his narrative to prove to his kids that he was a better match for Robin.

The popular sitcom concluded after nine seasons in March 2014. Starring Josh Radnor as Ted, the show followed the escapades of a group of friends in New York City told from the perspective of Ted to his children in the year 2030.

While the titular mother in the show didn’t turn out to be Robin (played by Cobie Smulders), the show did end with the heavy suggestion that Ted ended up with Robin – a number of years after she and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) divorced.


A Tumblr user has now sparked fresh speculation among fans of the show, proposing that Ted’s narrative may have actually been deliberately skewed throughout the series to paint Barney in a negative light.

“That moment when you realize that Barney Stinson was probably not as much of a jerk or a womanizer as he was portrayed to be, but that the story was narrated by future Ted, trying to get his children to approve of him dating Robin again, so future Ted had to make the man Robin married look like the bad guy in the story,” the user writes. See the post below.

Some fans have poured scorn on the theory, however, suggesting that such examples as the existence of The Playbook – as well as Barney’s tumultuous relationships with the likes of Nora and Quinn – prove that Ted’s descriptions of Barney’s actual personality were more accurate than not.

Back in May, 20th Century Fox TV chairman Dana Walden hinted that the show may be revived in the near future.