How I Met Your Mother cast ages: How old was the cast then (and now)?

In June 2024, the fan-favorite sitcom How I Met Your Mother returned to Netflix with all nine of its hilarious seasons. If you can believe it, almost 20 years have passed since the series first made its premiere on CBS, and a full 10 years have elapsed since the show bid farewell with its much discussed series finale. Time sure flies when it comes to pop culture phenomenons.

Prior to the show's premiere in the mid-2000s, audiences were familiar with cast members Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris from their work in other popular television shows and movies. But the rest of the cast were relative newcomers. After the show? They have each found continued success and are still on our screens today. But how old were they then? And how old are they now?

Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby

Josh Radnor was born on July 29, 1974, which means the Ted Mosby actor will turn 50 years old in July 2024. When he first took on the leading role of How I Met Your Mother in September 2005, he was 31 years old, and when the show came to an end after nine seasons in March 2014, Radnor was 39 years old.

After HIMYM ended in 2014, Radnor appeared in the series Mercy Street, Rise, Hunters, Centaurworld, and Fleishman Is in Trouble. He also appeared in a 2018 episode of Grey's Anatomy. He wrote and directed the movies Happythankyoumoreplease (2010) and Liberal Arts (2012). In January 2024, he married Jordana Jacobs.

Jason Segel as Marshall Eriksen

Jason Segel was born on Jan. 18, 1980, making the Marshall actor 44 years old as of June 2024. When How I Met Your Mother premiered in September 2005, Segel was 25 years old, and when the show ended in March 2014, he was 34 years old.

Prior to his work on the sitcom, Segel was best know for his roles in Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. He continued to work with Judd Apatow in the movies Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He's also appeared in such titles as Bad Teacher, Sex Tape, Despicable Me, The Muppets, The End of the Tour, Jeff Who Lives at Home, Dispatches from Elsewhere, Windfall, Winning Time, and Shrinking.

Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky

Cobie Smulders was born on April 3, 1982, making the Robin actress 42 years old as of June 2024. When she made her breakthrough in the sitcom, she was 23 years old, and when the hit comedy came to an end in March 2014, she was almost 32 years old. She's the youngest member of the main cast (apart from Cristin Milioti, who was born in 1985).

Smulders starred in movies such as The Avengers, Safe Haven, and Delivery Man during the run of the series, and continued her role as Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for five additional movies and appearances in multiple Marvel television shows. Smulders has also starred in titles such as Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, The Lego Movie, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Friends from College, Stumptown, Impeachment: American Crime Story, and High School. In 2022, she reprised her role as Robin in an episode of How I Met Your Father.

In 2012, Smulders married actor Taran Killam. They became engaged in 2009 and met four years before their engagement. Together, they have two daughters, born in 2009 and 2015.

Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson

Neil Patrick Harris was born on June 15, 1973, which means the Barney actor will turn 51 years old in June 2024. When How I Met Your Mother premiered in September 2005, Harris was 32 years old, and when the show ended in March 2014, he was 40 years old.

Post-HIMYM in 2014, he starred in the Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and the Western comedy film A Million Ways to Die in the West. He's also starred in such titles as Gone Girl, Downsizing, American Horror Story: Freak Show, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Uncoupled. He reprised his role as Barney in 2023 in two episodes of How I Met Your Father.

Harris and his husband David Burtka have been together since 2004 and officially got married in September 2014. Together, they have two children, twins Gideon and Harper, born in 2010.

Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin

Alyson Hannigan was born on March 24, 1974, making the Lily actress 50 years old as of June 2024. Best known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the American Pie movies, Hannigan was 31 years old when the CBS sitcom premiered in 2005, and she was 40 when the series aired its last episode in 2014.

After How I Met Your Mother, Hannigan has appeared in a number of movies and shows, including Flora & Ulysses, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Fancy Nancy, Kim Possible, and the 2023 season of Dancing with the Stars. In 2003, Hannigan married her Buffy costar Alexis Denisof and together the couple has two daughters: Satyana (born 2009) and Keeva (2012).

All nine seasons of How I Met Your Mother are currently available to watch on Netflix.