Warning! Contains spoilers for How I Met Your Father season 1!The long-anticipated HIMYM spinoff is in the midst of season 2, and the How I Met Your Father cast has some big shoes to fill as they expand the How I Met Your Mother franchise. How I Met Your Father is framed through the older version of Sophie telling her child the story of how she met their father. The storytelling is split between the narrative framing in 2050 and the present day, just like HIMYM. How I Met Your Father has already stated that the father appears in the first episode, making the early How I Met Your Father cast crucial to the show’s longevity.
When How I Met Your Mother first aired, the cast consisted of a mix of well-known and almost unknown names. While Alyson Hannigan was known from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Neil Patrick Harris was known from Doogie Howser, M.D., other actors became household names because of How I Met Your Mother with Jason Segel going on to pursue other projects, and Cobie Smulders even joined the MCU as Agent Maria Hill. How I Met Your Father took a similar route with some well-known names alongside actors for whom HIMYF is a breakout role. Here is the full How I Met Your Father cast and character guide.
Hilary Duff as Sophie (2022)
In the How I Met Your Father cast, the character of Sophie takes the central role that once belonged to Ted Mosby as the figure who is in search of their life partner while pursuing a career in photography. After a huge number of failed Tinder dates, Sophie is ready to find her perfect guy and ends up with a new group of friends and a possible love interest in Jesse. How I Met Your Father’s Sophie is played by Hilary Duff, who is known for her role as Lizzie McGuire in Lizzie McGuire, The Haunting of Sharon Tate, and Younger.
Kim Cattrall as Sophie (2050)
Taking over the Bob Saget narration role from How I Met Your Mother, Kim Cattrall is shown on screen as the future version of Sophie in the How I Met Your Father cast. In a change from the original, Kim Cattrall’s Sophie is visible rather than her child, but otherwise, the framing is much the same. Cattrall is best known for her role as Samantha Jones in Sex and the City, Queer as Folk, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Francia Raisa as Valentina
Fresh from her devastating breakup with Charlie back in How I Met Your Father season 1, Valentina is Sophie’s roommate and best friend. She’s prone to impulsive decisions and eager to support Sophie in her new mission, even if she doesn’t always have faith in it. In the How I Met Your Father cast, Valentina is played by Francia Raisa, who is known for her role as Leti in Bring It On: All or Nothing and as Ana Torres in Grown-ish.
Tim Ainsley as Charlie
Tim Ainsley plays Charlie in the How I Met Your Father cast. Charlie is from a rich British family, but after he hooked up with Valentina during London Fashion Week, he was threatened with being disinherited if he didn’t end the relationship (mirroring a hated New Girl plot). He chose to stay with Valentina and now finds himself in New York City, penniless, and out of touch with the lives of those who aren’t uber-rich. Unfortunately, this proved to be too much for Charlie and the two broke up in season 1. Tom Ainsley previously played Tom in Safe Inside and Pawlo in Boots on the Ground.
Christopher Lowell as Jesse
Jesse is played by Christopher Lowell and is an Uber driver that happens to pick Sophie up to take her on a date with a guy that she thinks could be the one. He has largely given up on the idea of love at the start of the series after a video of his failed proposal went viral online. However, he develops feelings for Sophie, and the two start a budding romance. In the How I Met Your Father cast, Christopher Lowell plays Jesse and is best known for his role in Veronica Mars as Piz, Inventing Anna, and Promising Young Woman.
Tien Tran as Ellen
Ellen is Jesse’s sister who has recently moved to New York after divorcing her wife. Keen to get onto the dating scene in a community that has more than one lesbian, Ellen is enthusiastic about all the new group’s outings and starts a tumultuous relationship with Rachel. Ellen is played by Tien Tran in the How I Met Your Father cast and has previously played Jane Ji in Candyman, Laura in the TV series Hot Date, and voiced Anya in an episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Suraj Sharma as Sid
Suraj Sharma plays Sid in the How I Met Your Father cast and is Jesse’s best friend. In an echo of Marshall’s plot from How I Met Your Mother, Sid is preparing to propose to his girlfriend, but he and Hannah end up eloping. Sid is the owner of a bar where the group hangs out and Jesse works, and he hopes it will really take off soon. Suraj Sharma is best known for his roles as Pi Patel in Life of Pi, Rakesh in God Friended Me, and recently appeared as Aditya in Gulmohar.
Ashely Reyes as Hannah
Hannah is Sid’s girlfriend who he proposes to at the beginning of How I Met Your Father. While she is excited to accept, she has to quickly rush off to her job as a doctor in LA. Therefore, the two end up eloping toward the end of season 1. Ashley Reyes plays Hannah in the How I Met Your Father cast and is best known for her role as Cordelia in the American Gods TV series, and Cassie in the series Walker.
Daniel Augustin as Ian
Ian is played by Daniel Augustin and is one of the potential fathers introduced in the How I Met Your Father cast. A marine biologist, Ian appears to be the perfect match for Sophie, but the possibility of their relationship is complicated by his imminent move to Australia and lack of desire for a long-distance relationship. However, Ian is back for season 2, which causes tension between Sophie and Jesse. Daniel Augustin has previously appeared in Cake: The Series as Rick Devine, David Makes Man as Eman, and Qaseem in Robyn Hood.
Josh Peck as Drew
Josh Peck plays Drew in the How I Met Your Father cast. While he is a character that Sophie dates in How I Met Your Father season 1, but is not introduced as a potential identity for the father in episode 1. Josh Peck is best known for his role as Josh Nichols in Drake & Josh, but has more recently appeared as Scott Turner in the Turner & Hooch TV series and the Rabbi in 13: The Musical.
How I Met Your Father Supporting Cast
Stony Blyden as Jasper: Stony Blyden plays Jasper in the How I Met Your Father cast, who is employed by Sid to work at his bar, but has yet to appear in season 2. Blyden has previously appeared as Emerson in the TV series Bluff City Law and Jackson in Big Shot.
Brick Jackson as Bouncer: The bouncer at How I Met Your Father’s nightclub, FOMO, is played by Brick Jackson in HIMYF season 1, known for his role as Fred Wesley in American Soul.
Aby James as Rachel: Aby James plays Rachel in the How I Met Your Father cast, who is initially introduced as a neighbor in Charlie and Ellen's apartment building. She and Ellen begin a complicated relationship where Ellen learns more about herself than she initially bargained for. Aby James is relatively new to the industry, appearing in an episode of Crashing.
Meaghan Rath as Parker: Meaghan Rath plays Parker in the How I Met Your Father cast. A new addition for season 2, Parker is one of Jesse's coworkers. Rath is mainly known for playing Alexa Alani on Hawaii Five-0 and Astrid in Children Ruin Everything.
Returning How I Met Your Mother Characters In The Spin-Off
Outside of the main characters in the How I Met Your Father cast, several characters from How I Met Your Mother have made short guest appearances on the show. While not all of the main cast of HIMYM has appeared on the show just yet, HIMYF tries hard to make it clear that the two series exist within the same universe, even bringing back more little-known characters that appeared on its parent series. One of the first characters to appear is Robin Scherbatsky's coworker and news reporter, Sandy Rivers (Alexis Denisof), who interviews Jesse and his girlfriend (guest star Leighton Meester).
Neil Patrick Harris' Barney Stinson makes a cameo in the How I Met Your Father season 2 premiere when he and Sophie get into a minor fender bender. The appearance isn't long, but it's certainly memorable. In the season 1 finale, audiences got to see Cobie Smulders' Robin Scherbatsky, and she got more screen time than Barney, helping Sophie to determine not to base her decisions on fear. Carl (Joe Nieves) from McLaren's makes an appearance when Sophie visits the iconic HIMYM bar. In addition, both The Captain (Kyle MacLachlan) and his ex-wife/Ted's former girlfriend Becky (Laura Bell Bundy) also make cameos in How I Met Your Father.
How I Met Your Father releases new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu.