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It’s still a mystery how Neil Patrick Harris’s Barney Stinson became a fan-favorite character despite all the terrible things he did.How I Met Your Motherfeatured a cast of imperfect characters (with the possible exception of Marshall Eriksen), and fans continue to debate who was the worst among them. However, Barney’s antics often bordered on psychopathic, a fact that many seemed to overlook.
Perhaps it was Harris’s charm that overshadowed Barney’s flaws, or maybe fans were drawn to the character because he never pretended to be a good guy. Some fans still argue that Ted Mosby or Robin Scherbatsky was the worst character on the show, often overlooking Barney’s more troubling behavior.
Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney Stinson Would’ve Been Canceled In Today’s Circumstances
While TV characters with major red flags always received flak from the audiences, Barney Stinson appeared to always evade such extreme criticism. Sure, people agreed on the fact thatNeil Patrick Harris‘s character was not a great guy, but they still held him on a pedestal when it came toHow I Met Your Mothercharacters.
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Long debates would ensue on whyCobie Smulders‘ Robin, Josh Radnor’s Ted Mosby, or Alyson Hannigan’s Lily were the most horrible characters on the show. But fans never bothered with such deep analyses of Barney’s character. The a-hole womanizer character gave him a pass from such internet debates.
The r/HIMYM subreddit saw one such“Why Robin is the worst character?”post some time back and one Redditor responded with Barney’s more problematic antics. After reading the list of reasons why Robin was a terrible person, u/liamluca21491 shared that Barney deserved far worse for his behavior.
The user shared thatBarney was the biggest example of suspending your disbeliefwhen it comes to TV shows. According to the user, the character was a legitimate psychopath and was one of the worst people to have in a friend group, considering his antics.u/liamluca21491shared:
Neil Patrick Harris’s role would’ve been easily subjected to public scrutiny if the show was released today. However, it is undeniable howHarris gave an incredible performance, so much so that fans almost forgot that his character would’ve been a detestable person in the real world.
The Worst Things Neil Patrick Harris’s Barney Did InHow I Met Your Mother
Barney Stinson has a long list of morally questionable antics but some are worse than others. The subreddit,r/howimetyourmother, found some answers to the question of the worst things he did and fans can confirm some of them to be the actual worst. Most of these come up in theHIMYMepisodeThe Bracket(Season 3 Episode 14).
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Barney once traded a woman for a Mercedes car, which could in normal situations amount to human trafficking. He convinced a woman in a psych ward that he was his husband. In another instance, he convinced a lesbian woman that he was a woman. Both instances could be considered as non-consensual s*x.
He also abandoned a woman in the forest when he heard a bear, taking her car to escape. He also impersonated a scuba instructor, causing a woman to face a near-death situation. And the list has more!
How I Met Your Motheris now available for streaming on Hulu and Netflix.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3017
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
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Barney StinsonHow I Met Your MotherNeil Patrick Harris
