Pop star Britney Spears might have been pretty influential to the success of “How I Met Your Mother,” at least according to one of the series’ co-creators. The “Toxic” singer played Abby, the sweet but slightly scatterbrained receptionist in the CBS sitcom. She appeared in two episodes during season 3: episode 13, titled “Ten Sessions,” and episode 19, “Everything Must Go.”
Inside Britney Spears’ ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Appearance
In season 3, Abby works as the receptionist at Stella Zinman’s dermatology clinic. Stella is played by “Scrubs” alum Sarah Chalke. Although Abby develops an unrequited crush on Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) while he is visiting the clinic to get a tattoo removed, Ted remains focused on Stella.
After being ignored by Ted, Abby has a one-night stand with Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris). When Barney fails to call her back, she decides to “sabotage” him by warning other women about his behavior.
However, in her second appearance, she and Barney pretend to be in a serious relationship and even wear matching sweaters to try to make Ted jealous.
Britney Was Originally Planned To Play Stella
According to the show’s co-creators, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, they had originally considered Britney for the role of Stella; however, Britney preferred the role of Abby. According to Screen Rant, the cast and crew were impressed with her comic timing and her improvisation skills.
In addition to a cameo on “Will & Grace,” Britney is best known for appearing in the film “Crossroads.” She was even a top contender for the role of Allie in “The Notebook” and tested opposite Ryan Gosling in 2002. Her audition tape was released in 2023, with Hollywood casting director Matthew Barry praising her “phenomenal” acting ability.
“It was a tough decision,” Barry said. “Britney blew us all away. Our jaws were on the floor. I was blown away. Absolutely blown away. She brought her A-game that day.”
Britney Spears’ Cameo Appearance Helped Give The Show A New Audience
In 2022, Bays told Metro.co.uk that “How I Met Your Mother” was “doing okay” before Britney Spears’ two episodes. He revealed that the “Oops!… I Did It Again” singer “brought a ton of new eyes” to the show.
“I’m very thankful that happened to be an episode I was really proud of, and that had a lot of funny stuff in it,” he said. “It was a big turning point in the show, our audience grew sizably that day.”
Neil Patrick Harris Reveals ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Was Under Constant Threat Of Cancellation
In an upcoming two-part episode of the How We Made Your Mother podcast, obtained by PEOPLE magazine, Neil Patrick Harris revealed that the show was under constant threat of cancellation, prompting everyone to bring their A-game.
“We never felt secure,” Harris recalled on the podcast, which is hosted by co-star Josh Radnor and co-creator Craig Thomas. “We thought we might get canceled all the time. That hunger kept everyone sharp — writers, actors, everyone. We weren’t coasting.”
However, Harris admitted that he always felt “insecure” in his role and never felt like he “nailed” his scenes. Despite this, he thinks “that insecurity absolutely played into the bravado” that made his character a success.
“I’ve always felt Barney was kind of broken,” he said. “He wore armor. The suit was armor. He hid sincerity and vulnerability behind bravado because that’s how he survived.”
‘How I Met Your Mother’ Stars Move Over To ‘Shrinking’
In addition to Josh Radnor and Neil Patrick Harris, the show also starred Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders. Although Segel and Smulders shared very little one-on-one time on the show, Smulders was actually selected to play the role of Sofi, the potential love interest for Jason Segel’s Jimmy, on the hit Apple TV+ series “Shrinking.”
“I’m such a fan of this show. I think that it’s so brilliant,” Smulders told PEOPLE magazine of her role on the show. She went on to praise her costars and said that she was “stunned by everybody, by the greatness and by the greatness in front of you.”
“You’re like, ‘Whoa. Everybody here is so cool, so talented,’” she said. “It was pretty easy.”
The Marvel actress also praised the “very, very funny” show for its “amazing” ability to educate audiences about grief, as much of the show revolves around the way Jimmy and his friends and family move on after the loss of his wife, Tia.
“They get to sneak in ways to handle trauma loss that feel like a lighter way to reach an audience than other ways of doing it,” she explained. “They are able to blend comedy and tragedy together in a way that’s watchable and also educational.”