Neil Patrick Harris Says Barney Won't Appear on 'How I Met Your Father' Unless He's 'Changed'

The How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris told HIMYF's Hilary Duff why Barney Stinson should stay in the past

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If you're holding your breath for the day when How I Met Your Mother's Barney Stinson makes his legen—wait for it—dary return to the small screen, you'll have to keep waiting.

Neil Patrick Harris discussed the possibility of a Barney cameo with Hilary Duff, who leads Hulu's spinoff series How I Met Your Father. He said his beloved television womanizer won't make a guest turn unless the character has made some major life changes.

"As for coming on your show (insert joke here), I worry," Harris shared with Duff in his Wondercade newsletter. "Barney's antics, his overt delusions of grandeur, would likely get everyone in trouble. So, unless he's changed his ways or joined a nunnery (insert an insert joke here), not sure if it's in anyone's best interest."

Duff, 34, note that Barney would probably be taken a little different in a post-#MeToo world, joking, "I'm not sure how you feel about this, but I'm pretty sure Barney would … be in jail in 2022."

She added, "Since we're living in the world of females coming into power, I'm assuming that's why they made him a woman" in the form of the Barney-esque character Valentina (Francia Raisa).

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While Harris, 48, may be missing from the new series, there are ties to the original — notably, the premiere episode of How I Met Your Father surprised viewers with the same apartment set that once belonged to Marshall (Jason Segel), Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Ted (Josh Radnor).

Hulu

While the setup of HIMYF is similar to HIMYM (Duff plays Sophie, a single woman who will eventually meet the father of her future children), there was one big change this time — viewers were introduced to the father in episode 1.

How I Met Your Father drops new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu.