How We Made Your Mother

Josh and Craig joined Jenna and Angeles on The Office Ladies podcast to talk about their favorite cold opens from How I Met Your Mother and The Office. And so, (as we smash to credits), here we go!

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Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED.

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Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack


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This Instagram Live bonus episode of How We Made Your Mother features Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas answering fan questions and sharing behind-the-scenes stories from How I Met Your Mother. Early in the conversation they pause to remember James Van Der Beek, reflecting on his fearless, against-type performance in “Sandcastles in the Sand” and how generous and grounded he was when guest-starring on the show. The discussion then turns to production details—like how the crew created the show’s big rain scenes on the Fox lot using massive water rigs and blackout tarps to simulate a New York storm in sunny Los Angeles. Craig also talks about how season two intentionally reshuffled the characters—Ted and Robin as a couple, Marshall newly single, and Barney without his wingman—which opened up new stories and dynamics. Along the way they field lighter questions about things like whether someone could open a real-life bar called Puzzles, and they explain how the podcast came together after Josh started rewatching the series with his wife Jordana and decided to turn the experience into a full rewatch show with producer Alek Lev. 

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:

Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)

Instagram

READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:

Subscribe HERE.

CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE!

Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED.

SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH:

Click HERE to learn more and donate today.

FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES:

Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts!

Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPod

Follow on TikTok

AND MORE:

Josh’s Official Website

Josh on Spotify

Craig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)

Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack


To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Family Lore is a weekly narrative podcast that celebrates and investigates ancestral mystique. Each episode begins with a guest sharing a fascinating family legend, followed by a historical deep-dive to uncover the truth and meaning behind the tale. Available now: https://link.pscrb.fm/f0281/FLFD

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This special How We Made Your Mother Instagram Live episode features producer Alek Lev in conversation with Craig Thomas, co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, centered on Craig’s novel That’s Not How It Happened. Over an intimate, wide-ranging 54-minute discussion, Craig unpacks the personal origins of the book—drawing from his experience parenting a son with a disability—while exploring language, representation, and the loneliness parents often feel navigating disability without a shared vocabulary or community. The conversation traces how those lived experiences intersected with his time on HIMYM, why he ultimately chose not to mirror his real life directly through Marshall and Lily, and how years of frustration trying to tell disability-centered stories in Hollywood led him to write a novel instead. Craig dives into the book’s multi-perspective, non-linear structure (very much in the HIMYM storytelling DNA), his commitment to avoiding both “inspiration porn” and tragedy narratives, and his goal of making a story about disability that is genuinely funny, human, and messy. Along the way, audience questions spark candid reflections on friendship, guilt, advocacy, inclusion, creative responsibility, and the idea that every character—and every person—is standing on some kind of life “cliff.” The live concludes with gratitude to the disability community, readers who felt seen by the book, and the shared hope that telling these stories helps people stay connected instead of pulling away. 

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:

Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)

Instagram

READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:

Subscribe HERE.

CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE!

Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED.

SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH:

Click HERE to learn more and donate today.

FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES:

Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts!

Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPod

Follow on TikTok

AND MORE:

Josh’s Official Website

Josh on Spotify

Craig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)

Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack


To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This February 4 Instagram Live episode of How We Made Your Mother brings together Josh Radnor, Craig Thomas, and producer Alek Lev for an expansive, warm, and frequently hilarious conversation that doubles as a love letter to the show, the podcast, and the community that’s grown around both. Broadcasting at a new midday time to reach international fans, the trio talk about why they started the podcast, how listener voice notes and letters have become its emotional core, and what it’s been like revisiting How I Met Your Mother nearly two decades later. Topics range from New York winters, unrealistic sitcom apartments, long-term storytelling payoffs and accidental continuity errors, to Craig’s emotional reflections on the end of The Late Show legacy after his formative years writing for Late Show with David Letterman. Josh opens up about rediscovering pride in the series after years of distance, becoming a fan of the show himself, and how the podcast has softened his relationship with Ted Mosby and the audience. The group shares behind-the-scenes stories about the origins of running jokes like the Major General salute, the ripple effects of tiny life choices, fan proposals sparked by the podcast, and the optimism behind the phrase “People Will Dance,” which may soon become merch. Along the way they shout out fans tuning in from around the world, reflect on music’s role in the show (and Josh’s late-in-life songwriting journey), and close on the idea that HIMYM now belongs to its viewers as much as its creators—something all three clearly cherish.

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:

Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)

Instagram

READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:

Subscribe HERE.

CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE!

Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED.

SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH:

Click HERE to learn more and donate today.

FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES:

Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts!

Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPodFollow on TikTok

AND MORE:

Josh’s Official Website

Josh on Spotify

Craig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)

Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack


To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices