How We Made Your Mother Meets World (PART 2)

Summary

Pod Meets World — "How We Made Your Mother Meets World" (PART 2)

Podcast: Pod Meets World
Host: Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, Rider Strong (iHeartPodcasts)
Guests: Josh Radnor (Ted from "How I Met Your Mother"), Craig Thomas (co-creator, "How I Met Your Mother")
Release Date: December 22, 2025
Summary by: [Podcast Summarizer AI]

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Episode Overview

In this special crossover episode, Danielle, Will, and Rider from "Pod Meets World" continue an in-depth, candid conversation with Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas, central to "How I Met Your Mother." Together, they reflect on the process and power of rewatch podcasts, confront past self-criticism, explore the evolving impact and accountability of older TV shows, and discuss the strange experience of revisiting formative roles decades later. The episode is rich with vulnerability, industry insight, and heartfelt humor, offering both "Boy Meets World" and "How I Met Your Mother" fans a rare backstage view into the emotional realities of long-running, beloved TV.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Healing Through Rewatching Older Work

[03:32–07:24]

• Josh Radnor shares how rewatching "How I Met Your Mother" has helped him reconcile with being harshly self-critical during the original run.

  • Quote:

    "I almost am, like, in dialogue with that younger actor who was so hard on himself, and I'm like, I almost... I sit him down and be like, you did a great job." (Josh Radnor, 06:00)

  • He describes shifting from being embarrassed by watching himself early on, to now being able to see the show’s success and his vital role more objectively.
  • He realized that in ensemble TV, when a show is perfectly cast, “your essence is doing a lot of the work.”

• Rider Strong identifies closely with this experience.

  • Quote:

    “It's almost like you have to turn around and hug the show closer to you and... say, this is a part of my life. This will always be with me.” (Josh Radnor, 07:04)

• Josh’s wife, a psychologist, is deeply involved in his healing and even appeared as a recurring podcast segment in the first season.

2. Reckoning with the Past: Problematic Jokes and Growth

[13:42–19:48]

• Craig Thomas acknowledges that there are a few jokes from "How I Met Your Mother" that don’t age well:
  • Quote:

    “There have been a few things that, you know, 20 years later, like, play insensitively... there are certain jokes that we made and thank God they're fairly few and far between…It is healing in a weird way to go back and go, oh, this thing that's bothered me for a while. I'm happy to have this place where I can admit it.” (Craig Thomas, 13:44)

• The conversation includes a moving fan letter from a trans viewer, who said:

  “I loved How I Met Your Mother even when I felt like How I Met Your Mother didn’t love me.” (Josh Radnor, 15:04)

• Both Josh and Craig speak to the importance of owning past mistakes:
  • Quote:

    “A whole community has risen up en masse and said, please stop using that word. Yes. And we should listen to them.” (Josh Radnor, 16:12)

  • Craig’s experience as a parent of a disabled child further deepened his commitment to disability rights and awareness in writing and media.

3. Fan Impact & Wish Fulfillment in TV

[20:00–23:25]

• Will Friedle shares that convention encounters with fans are especially emotional, as many share how "Boy Meets World" provided essential comfort and escape during tough childhoods.
  • Quote:

    "Somebody comes up and just says, you have no idea what you did for me. I mean, it really, really matters quite a bit." (Will Friedle, 20:26)

• Danielle Fishel reflects on the deeper 'wish fulfillment' both shows offered:
  • Quote:

    "For both of our shows, there's a lot of wish fulfillment, but it's stuff like I wish my best friend was that loyal. I wish I had parents who cared about me..." (Danielle Fishel, 22:08)

• Both podcasts have made their hosts newly accessible to fans as their real selves, not just as iconic characters—this is described as surprisingly rewarding.

4. Identity, Parasocial Relationships, and Actor Challenges

[23:25–32:26]

• Josh Radnor discusses the emotional complexity of constantly being mistaken for “Ted,” and even receiving birthday wishes on the fictional character’s date:
  • Quote:

    “People form such parasocial relationships with you... It hurts their feelings that their friend is not really real and that Neil and I aren't rolling around New York City together. You know, like, they're mad about it.” (Josh Radnor, 24:07)

• He unpacks the Enneagram personality typing system, explaining how being “flattened” into a TV character can sting for actors who value uniqueness (he identifies as a mix of a 3 and a 4 on the Enneagram).
• Rider Strong echoes these feelings, linking childhood fame with struggles over identity and the loss of acting’s thrill of reinvention.
  • Quote:

    “In some ways, it's the worst thing that can happen to you as an actor... because you can't do the thing you want to do, which is play a completely different character.” (Rider Strong, 29:43)

5. The Experience of Revisiting Past Performances

[43:42–47:28]

• The conversation covers the strangeness of watching forgotten scenes or episodes, especially ones filmed as children.
  • Quote:

    “It's not like one of us is like, I remember everything about this, and the other two are going, wow, I don't remember. It's usually the three of us going, do you remember this at all?” (Will Friedle, 45:01)

• Both casts agree that acting is best when unselfconscious, recalling favorite moments when genuine laughter or spontaneous choices made it to air.
  • Quote:

    “Truly, when you finish a take and you're like, that was some great acting. The worst, almost assured acting, dude.” (Josh Radnor, 46:04)

6. Lasting Legacy and the Changing Face of TV

[40:20–43:42]

• They discuss whether long-form, episodic sitcoms (22-24 episodes a season) like “Boy Meets World” and “How I Met Your Mother” can exist again today.

  • Quote:

    “That thing is gone. That's gone except for sporting events. And I don't know how to get it back.” (Craig Thomas, 41:51)

  • Streaming and binging have changed how viewers experience TV; however, there’s a slow return to weekly release models.

• Will Friedle offers a philosophical take on TV as a kind of immortality:

  • Quote:

    “Hot Lips and Henry Blake and Trapper, they're alive forever… So Ted Mosby, 150 years from now, is still very much going to be alive and well.” (Will Friedle, 32:48)

  • Josh counters with a story about young people not knowing Al Pacino—implying that even TV immortality may fade!

7. Behind-the-Scenes: Shared People and TV Connections

[47:48–50:38]

• Fun anecdotes surface about shared crew members (e.g., first assistant director Michael Shea, writer Barbie Adler) between the two shows, reinforcing just how interconnected the TV world can be.
  • Michael Shea’s signature set call (“Guys, guys, guys”) became an inside joke and tribute carried over onto "How I Met Your Mother."

8. Current Projects and Closing

[51:02–52:26]

• Craig Thomas plugs his new novel, That's Not How it Happened (HarperCollins).
  • Audiobook features Josh Radnor and Cobie Smulders as narrators.
• Josh Radnor promotes his music: thoughtful, indie-folk-acoustic tracks available on streaming platforms. He also composed the podcast’s theme song.
• The cast jokes about having lunch to keep the spirited conversation going.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On making peace with your past performance:

  "I actually had to turn around and hug the show closer to me and say, this is a part of my life." (Josh Radnor, 07:04)

• On problematic jokes and evolving standards:

  "We all change, the world changes. We all grow up. We all know how to say, when you know better, you do better. Yes, we know better now." (Craig Thomas, 13:53)

• Fan letter from a trans listener:

  "I loved How I Met Your Mother even when I felt like How I Met Your Mother didn't love me." (Josh Radnor, 15:04)

• On typecasting and identity:

  "I always felt... like there were things I really loved and valued about myself that they took, I gotta put into Ted, and then people... ridiculed for them." (Josh Radnor, 27:37)

• On sitcoms and TV immortality:

  "Television is one of those ways a part of you will be around forever." (Will Friedle, 33:13)

• On the magic of weekly TV as a cultural event:

  "That thing is gone. That's gone except for sporting events. And I don't know how to get it back." (Craig Thomas, 41:51)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Healing through rewatch podcasting: 03:32–07:24
• Owning past mistakes & problematic jokes: 13:42–19:48
• Fan impact & wish fulfillment: 20:00–23:25
• Actor identity & parasocial relationships: 23:25–32:26
• TV as legacy & changing sitcoms: 40:20–43:42
• Rewatching as child/teen actors: 43:42–47:28
• TV world overlaps (shared crew): 47:48–50:38
• Plugs for new projects: 51:02–52:26

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Tone & Takeaway

The episode is candid, thoughtful, and filled with affection—for the work, for the fans, and for each other. There’s a raw honesty as the guests and hosts reflect on fame, personal growth, fan relationships, and regrets—mixed with industry wit and behind-the-scenes laughter. It’s a must-listen for fans of either show, and anyone interested in the emotional realities beneath the surface of sitcom success.

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Listen to more:

• [Pod Meets World on iHeartRadio/Apple Podcasts]
• "How We Made Your Mother" rewatch podcast with Josh & Craig
• That's Not How It Happened by Craig Thomas ([book/audiobook])
• Music by Josh Radnor ([streaming platforms])

Transcript

[Danielle Fishel]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

You know at&t believes hearing a voice can change everything. It's why people love a good podcast or save voicemails from loved ones cause everyone appreciates the sound of a familiar voice. And when you need a recharge or want some comfort, you call a family member or friend. AT&T wants everyone to share their voice over the holidays. So send a voice note, leave a voicemail, Call someone because that convo is a chance to say something they'll hear forever. Happy holidays from AT&T. Connecting changes everything. Every year I think I'm ready for the holidays and then suddenly I'm the one hosting. This year though, Whole Foods Market low key saved me.

[Will Friedle]

Maybe even high key same Susan and I walked in for one thing and walked out with a whole game plan. Their heat, neat sides, lifesavers and 365 staples like stuffing mix, cream of mushroom soup and green beans have made my pantry the quintessential Thanksgiving haven.

[Rider Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

I grabbed their bone in rib roast and I'm not kidding, it's a showstopper.

[Will Friedle]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Limited time only. Additional charge for pan, extra cheese, extra topping, select desserts and cheese stick upgrade. Product availability, packaging, prices and participation vary. Taxes, tip and delivery fees, extra.

[Danielle Fishel]

Welcome to a special bonus episode, Part two with Josh and Craig.

[Josh Radnor]

Enjoy.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, one of the things I wanted to talk to you guys about specifically for your podcast is, Josh, I heard you on Jesse Tyler Ferguson's podcast talk about how doing the rewatch has been very healing for how critical you have sometimes been about your own participation or performance on the show. And that's something that I know especially for Ryder is something he has experienced as a. Can you talk with us a little bit more about what the rewatch has done for the way you look back on the show?

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, sure. You know, I think that I come from the theater, right, and. And that those are. That's how I fell in love with acting. And that's where I kind of thought of myself, like, that's where I'm a theater actor. And the blessing of the theater is it goes away. You know, you do it and it evanesces into the air, and then you come back, you do it again, and no one's like, this is what you looked like last night. This is what you did. Or this is when you didn't hit that line or moment. And there was something, you know, I had done, I think it was my fourth pilot. I had done a bunch of guest stars, so I had done some on camera work and I was still acquainting myself with my face. You know, what I look like. And you know when you're a kid and you hear your voice on tape for the first time, you're like, no way. Like, it's grotesque, right? Yeah, it's like, it's like they had.

[Craig Thomas]

That experience, but in front of 30 million people.

[Josh Radnor]

But I think it took me, I had some time to. I needed some time to acquaint myself with like, okay, this is what I look like and this is what my body is. And, and. And I was I was having to. Everyone else, even including Kobe, had just. They had made more peace, I think, with themselves or weren't as self conscious as me for some reason. But I remember, especially in those early seasons, I was very hard on myself and I didn't even watch all the episodes, but sometimes I would be, like, pleasantly surprised, and other times I'd be like, oh, I hate that. I hate that. And just watching. Watching the show again all these years later with my wife and where my life is now, I have this, like, detachment. Like, I'm watching it from a distance.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And I'm so. I almost am, like, in dialogue with that younger actor who was so hard on himself, and I'm like, I almost, like, I sit him down and be like, you did a great job. Yeah, you did a great job. And I thought in certain ways that the. The value of my performance or the. The worth in my performance was based on whether that joke was funny, whether I had a good episode or a bad episode. Nailed a beat. But. But the truth is, and. And I think, Will, this is what you're talking about. Like, when it's perfectly cast, it's almost like your essence is doing a lot of the work.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes.

[Rider Strong]

You're just showing up.

[Josh Radnor]

You're just showing up. And, like, it's the five of us around a booth. And for whatever reason, that works. And I see that the show works and it. And. And I was a vital part of that working. And in some ways, my naivete and my, like, very young face, even though I was 29 or 30 when we started, like, I had a really young face, and I had a really, like, vulnerable, like, open quality that they cast me for that I wasn't even in control of in a weird way. So I just have made some peace with, like, I understand why people love this show. I understand why this show worked and wormed its way into so many people's hearts. And I'm walking around, like, even Jordana said, you're a lot different. Like, since the podcast has been on, when people come up to you and want to talk about how I met your mother, I can tell you're different. Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Riders, the same to them in a.

[Josh Radnor]

Much more, like, engaged way. And I just had to make some peace with it. I thought that when I got off the show, I have to run as far from the show as I can. But the truth was, I actually had to turn around and hug the show closer to me and. And. And say, this is a part of my life. This is a part of my Biography. This will always be with me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And let's stop, like, running from it and just, like, love it because it was wonderful.

[Will Friedle]

Now, curiously, does.

[Josh Radnor]

Does.

[Will Friedle]

You know. I know. Should she lie to you? Because she loves you. But does your wife like the show?

[Josh Radnor]

She loves the show and not. But she's a binger, so she's like.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Josh Radnor]

She, like, watching one a week. It's like she's having to, like, go back to, you know, the old days. She didn't like it. She wants to keep watching. And if we have to watch two, she gets really excited. But she is mirroring, you know, there was. I remember there was an episode, first season, and I think I talked about this on the podcast, Craig, where Jordana turned to me and she goes, I'm totally in.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

Like. Like, there was an episode where she was, like, super invested in everyone.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And I imagine that's probably when the audience got invested.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. I was like five or six.

[Josh Radnor]

And I remember the medicine starts, like, taking.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

I was so terrified. Like, I was like, what if she doesn't like this show? This whole podcast was. Because she said we'd be.

[Will Friedle]

We. She'd be on our podcast right now going, so I'm doing a podcast about how I hate my husband's television show.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, she was actually.

[Craig Thomas]

She's.

[Josh Radnor]

She's taking some time off, but on first season, she was a guest star in every episode. We had. What was it called, Craig? It was called Questions and Observations from a Clinical Psychologist who's never seen How I Met yout Mother, who also happens to be married to Josh. We had a whole acronym. I love it. Yeah. Yeah. And she was great because she. One of the things we're really doing on the show that I really love is we're. We're getting underneath it. Like, we're really excavating. It's almost like a college class in, like, How I met your mother. Nis, you know, and she really. She's quite a. A deep, you know, person. And she. She sees, like, she. She has a PhD and, you know, her thesis was on the connection between love and death, which is, like, a great thing for How I met your mother. You know, she. So she. She lent a lot of gravitas, I think, to the first season. And we've been getting some letters. People are missing her. So we're back in, man.

[Will Friedle]

Ever been at the pharmacy counter and the pharmacist asks, do you have any questions? And suddenly your mind goes blank? That's exactly why you need to listen to beyond the Script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia starting January 14th. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, this podcast brings you real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you see most answering the questions you wish you'd asked, like which medications might not mix well, what vaccines should you consider before a big trip, and even those questions you were too embarrassed to say out loud. Each episode busts myths, decodes health trends, and gives you practical, trustworthy advice straight from the people behind the counter. No white coats, no lectures. Just real talk, real answers, and maybe a few laughs. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will.

[Will Friedle]

Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you will definitely want to check out season four of Mind Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks.

[Rider Strong]

Mind the Business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry.

[Will Friedle]

In this latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janice Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business.

[Danielle Fishel]

They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss and using Intuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it.

[Will Friedle]

Listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Fishel]

All right you two, let's be real. We're all adults now, but the holiday scramble is upon us and it's overwhelming. Topanga would have had a spreadsheet and everything planned by now.

[Will Friedle]

I'm more of a last minute type of guy and my friends and family are hard to shop for. So yeah, this is the toughest time of the year.

[Rider Strong]

That's why Apple Gift Card is the perfect solution. Your loved ones can use it for their favorite subscriptions, apps, games, music, movies, even upgrading their AirPods.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

It's perfect for me and all my fellow last minute shoppers.

[Rider Strong]

Visit applegiftcard.apple.com to learn more and gift one today.

[Danielle Fishel]

You know at and T believes hearing a voice can change everything. It's why people love a good podcast or save voicemails from loved ones. Because everyone appreciates the sound of a familiar voice. And when you need a recharge or want some comfort, you call a family member or friend. AT&T wants everyone to share their voice over the holidays. So send a voice note, leave a voicemail, call someone. Cause that convo is a chance to say something they'll hear forever. Happy holidays from AT&T. Connecting changes everything. Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder? With a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other.

[Will Friedle]

One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software.

[Rider Strong]

Instead of growing your business, this is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

And the best part, Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business, whether you are just starting out or already scaling up.

[Rider Strong]

Plus, it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's o d o o dot com. Now on the flip side, is there anything for either one of you that's given you a little bit of ptsd, that you've seen it and you're like, oh God, I remember that week. Or I remember that bit. And, and, and it's made you feel not so warm and fuzzy.

[Will Friedle]

Gives you the ick.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. I mean, yeah, there have, there have been a few things that, you know, 20 years later, like play insensitively in ways that I'm like, I just. We wouldn't have written that now. And you're aware of the 20 yearsness of it all. You know, you're like, oh, we all change, the world changes. We all grow up. We all know how to say, when you know better, you do better. Yes, we know better. Now. There are certain jokes that we made and thank God they're fairly few and far between. But there are some where you're like, oh, I don't remember ever. I can't imagine I ever thought that was a good thing to say. And there's been a few of those that leap out and we've really tried to own them on our podcast and really talk about them and say, like, we wouldn't say this now and we're aware that these clunker lines are out in the world. They're circulating right alongside all the other parts we're really proud of. And it's really complicated, but you have to own it. You have to go, like, this is what. It's almost. It is healing in a weird way to go back and go, oh, this thing that's bothered me for a while. I'm happy to have this place where I can admit it.

[Josh Radnor]

We often start the episodes of How We Made youe Mother with like an audio letter that someone sent in, like an audio voice memo about, like, what the show means to them. And we got this letter that was just such a heartbreaker and it was so beautiful.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And it was from a trans person who said, I loved How I met your mother. Even when I felt like How I Met yout mother didn't love me. Wow. And it was so moving and it was about. We linked it up with an episode where there was a word that Craig was just really upset that we used. It was kind of just a silly joke. It didn't even need to be in there. It wasn't like a plot dependent joke or something. But it led Craig and I, I actually really. It's one of my favorite things we've recorded, Craig. It's like we had a really deep discussion about words and the power of words and the misuse of words. And, you know, there's a lot of, you know, people fighting to say certain words. And Craig has, you know, you can talk about this or not Craig, but like, you know, Craig has written beautifully about the use of certain words. And I think if you're doing comedy, the, the rules and the, you know, standards in society change and they should, like. I don't think it's like, we should be like, it should. We should always be able to say whatever it's like. No, actually a whole community has risen up en masse and said, please stop using that word. Yes. And we should listen to them.

[Will Friedle]

Culture.

[Rider Strong]

Culture's evolving. Language is evolving.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. And it's tricky in comedy because you, you know, part of comedy is barriers pushing and leaning into certain stereotypes and all this stuff. But it's tricky. And I, I feel like we. There were certain things that we didn't. It's not only that Carter and Craig didn't think about it. There were no objections to it at the time. Sure. You know, so why would you. Yeah, I think there is a kind of, like, appropriate reflection and atoning that we're doing. That feels, like, really appropriate and good.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, all you can do is reflect the society that you live in at the time, and then it's okay to look back and be like, wow, thank God that's not what it's like anymore.

[Josh Radnor]

And I think I wrote and directed this movie, the first movie I directed, called Happy thank youk. More, please. And there's a moment in there where it's a scene between me and Pablo Schreiber, and my character talks about a writer, told him that every five years, you realize what an asshole you were five years ago. And it keeps happening every five years. And I think this is actually a good sign that you're growing, because you should look back on your former self with, like, a bit of a blush and a bit of a. Like, why did I do that? Why did I say that? Because it means you're. You're updating yourself.

[Craig Thomas]

And I'm so. I'm so grateful Josh referenced that message from this trans person who was so generous to us, who said a couple times in series, there were jokes that used what was then kind of a word people threw around in comedy circles sometimes. That is. That is actually a word that really hurts our community.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

And I was so grateful to this person for their generosity towards us. To say, I still love your show, and a couple of things in there really hurt me during How Much Mother. I had my son who has disabilities. He has a rare genetic syndrome, and he was born between year two and three of How Much yout Mother. And it changed so much of my life and how I see the world and how, you know, I've become, like, this disability rights advocate because I love my son so much, and I want to help educate people on how to talk about and think about disability in our culture and in pop culture. I just published a novel that is actually a comedic novel kind of about this. About this journey.

[Josh Radnor]

It's amazing. It's called that's Not How It Happened by Craig Thomas. And you should definitely check it out. Oh, and Kobe and I did the audiobook.

[Craig Thomas]

Josh and Kobe do. The audience are amazing at it. It's a comedy about the journey of being a parent of a kid with a disability while also working in Hollywood, which is kind of reflective of what my experience was like while working on How Much yout Mother. And that's all to say, like, it got me thinking so, so much more deeply and introspectively about what did we say? And do on nine years of television episodes that may have stepped on people's toes that we didn't even know we were doing. Because I didn't know how important it was to not say the R word for the disability community, things like that. Until I was very much living, you know, my heart was in the disability community, my son. And so it's okay to admit what you didn't know then, and it's okay to admit that you can improve things now. And whenever we get this kind of feedback on how much yout Mother from somebody, we just, we try to own it and say like, thank you for letting us know that. And now we have this place to talk about it with our podcast, which is great because we, like get moved to tears sometimes talking about it where we're so moved by, again, the generosity of people who stuck with the show, even if sometimes we got things wrong.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, we're gonna.

[Will Friedle]

We're gonna steal that idea and we're gonna open every Pod Meets World now with a letter about how somebody loved How I Met yout Mom.

[Craig Thomas]

Thank you.

[Josh Radnor]

You guys must. You guys must like, hear from people. And. And it's just incredible, right, to have been a part of something that was so meaningful to people.

[Will Friedle]

The thing that's really cool for us is, I mean, obviously we hear from a ton of people email wise and we get the letters and all that kind of stuff, but we also do the convention circuit, so we get to go out there and meet the fans face to face. And those are the ones where it's. They'll just walk up to you and they're holding it together and then they burst into tears.

[Craig Thomas]

And it's like.

[Will Friedle]

Especially because our show targeted such a young audience. There's a lot of these kids did not have good lives. And something like Boy Meets World was the thing that was. They had a 22 minute escape from whatever the hell they lived in. And it's really powerful when somebody comes up and just says, you have no idea what you did for me. I mean, it really, really matters quite a bit.

[Josh Radnor]

I was a busy. Phillips had a talk show for like a year or two, and I was a guest on it. And she always ended the show by saying right into the camera, she say, I love you. Right? Yeah. And she said, because she did it one night and she got a letter from someone who said, you're the only person who says that to me in my life. So she was very committed to saying it every night, if only just for that person, for that one person, for that one person. And yeah, I. I mean, I get so moved at realizing that I was like a big part of people's like, formative years.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

You know, and people say, like, you taught me that it's okay to have feelings, and you taught me that it's okay to fail and that there might be a bigger plan. You know, all these kind of big how I met your mother lessons that were recurring themes. And I think, yeah, I didn't like how I was in episode three of season four or what, you know what I mean? Like, I can, I can do that. But the truth, I was just a part of something that meant a lot to a lot of people. And not everyone gets that.

[Craig Thomas]

It's a real honor. I mean, you guys, I know your guys show was like that to people.

[Josh Radnor]

Right.

[Craig Thomas]

And when you hear about it now, isn't it, doesn't it make you feel good? Does it make you feel like, my God, we did this thing, we didn't even know what we were doing when we were doing it. And it's something that has made people feel less alone or more seen or more connected. It's a great honor, really.

[Danielle Fishel]

You hear a lot about wish fulfillment on like a kid's show, you know, and the wish fulfillment is, ooh, I wish I had magical powers or I wish I was super rich. And for both of our shows, there's a lot of wish fulfillment, but it's stuff like, I wish my best friend was that loyal. I wish I had parents who cared about me. I wish I had a girlfriend that loved me. You know, it's like those that kind of. And that's the thing that we were able to give to people is I envisioned that you were my friends. And now doing the podcast for all of us, I don't think any of us could have predicted Will Writer or myself how much we have enjoyed letting people get to know Will, Danielle and Ryder. Whereas for our entire careers, people have just thought of us as Eric, Topanga and Sean. And now when they come up to us and they've been listening to six seasons of a podcast, they really know us. And that has been so rewarding. Have you, Josh felt that way that letting people get to know Josh has felt even more rewarding than all the accolades of being known as Ted.

[Josh Radnor]

I mean, that's such a landmine in terms of, like, identity and what is my name? Like, I don't know if you guys know this. Like, every April I start getting happy birthday messages. My birthday's in July.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Josh Radnor]

But I guess at Some point, they dropped that Ted Mosby's birthday was in April. And I'm like, this isn't my birthday. Like, it's such a. That's. I always find that to be supremely strange. I think in some ways, all of my work, I mean, you have to resp. You know, your first challenge in show business is getting known for anything. You know, just getting work. Then if you're on a show like ours, your next challenge is to differentiate yourself or make another move or get into something else where you can diversify or broaden. And a lot of my work has just been about what doesn't feel like how I met your mother. Like, I was offered a number of, you know, single guys in the city looking for love after how I met your mother. And I wouldn't do any of them, of course, because I had thoroughly explored that archetype. You know, I would take roles that felt really different and really strange. You know, I always appreciate it when people come up to me and, you know, call me Josh and recognize that I was an actor on a show, because there is. People form such parasocial relationships with you that the fact that you are not named Ted, born in April, is actually. It hurts their feelings. Hurts their feelings that their friend is not really real and that Neil and I aren't rolling around New York City together. You know, like, they're mad about it. But I think that, you know, I just honor that. It's tricky. Sometimes. Reality gets tricky for people around this stuff.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

But I think that for me. And again, you know, marrying someone who had never seen the show or, I mean, most of my community now, I don't. I have one friend who's now a dear friend, who grew up in Iran, in Tehran, until he was 15, and he learned to speak English from Scrubs and how I met your mother. Yeah, I'm sure you guys have heard that.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. And he didn't reveal that to me for, like, the first two years of our friendship, which I thought was really cool. Yeah. But. But, you know, there's just. I think. I don't know, are you guys Enneagram people? Do you know what the Enneagram is?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, I know about the Enneagram.

[Josh Radnor]

Okay. So it's like this personality classification system, and it's nine different personalities.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, I think Danielle tried.

[Josh Radnor]

I did.

[Danielle Fishel]

I tried. I tried to enneagram them.

[Will Friedle]

Somehow ended up with an A.

[Josh Radnor]

It's like I didn't know what it was. But one of my. I'm actually a mix of a 3 and a 4 and a 3 is the achiever. And this kind of thing of like, the wound is like, you don't feel like you're loved for who you are. You feel like you're loved for what you do, right? And that. That's very hard. A lot of Hollywood people are threes. You know what I mean? It's like, it's like, I gotta keep. I gotta do the next. Right, the next big thing, or I'm not worthy enough. But a four is called the individualist. And it's. And it's. Our biggest fear is kind of being. Having our identity or uniqueness flattened, you know, that we won't be valued for our uniqueness. And I found that being three thought of or called a name or a character that I am actually not was really, like, hurt my four. Like, it hurt that part of me that needed to be like myself, like, truly myself. And then I've talked with Craig a lot about this. Like, and I'm. And maybe you guys have something analogous that happened on your show. But the, the pilot is like, that just came from Carter and Craig's imagination. But then they get these actors and they start like, I do crossword puzzles. So I would often do crossword puzzles on the. But Carter also does crossword. So suddenly there were crossword puzzle jokes, and then there were. I'm a big reader. And then there were reading jokes. And then Ted was intellectual, but he was kind of ridiculed for being an intellect, which I, I like, love ideas and philosophy and all this stuff. And I, I always felt, and I've talked a lot about. This is a Craig. I'm not spoiling anything, but I sometimes felt like there were things I really loved and valued about myself that they took.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, God, you're Ryder.

[Rider Strong]

You're Ryder again.

[Will Friedle]

You're Ryder.

[Josh Radnor]

I gotta put into Ted. And then people. I was ridiculed for them. And then I would recommend a book on Twitter and people be. You're just like Ted. I was like, because I read books, like, this is insane. You're both even wearing green.

[Will Friedle]

Like, they're both exactly the same.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, it just gave me, like this kind of identity crisis where I was really struggling. But I think I'm. I'm largely past it. Like, I've spent so many years, and I will say, marrying a woman who is a psychologist, like, when I tried to explain this to her, she understood it in such a, like, bone deep cellular way. And I remember her putting her hand on my arm in one of our first dates and saying, you can complain to me about this as much as you want.

[Craig Thomas]

Right.

[Josh Radnor]

And it was so beautiful because normally you feel like, well, I want to be grateful. I don't want to, you know, spit in the face of this thing, but it is disorienting, and it does produce a kind of vertigo. And I don't know, maybe just for me and Ryder, I don't know, like, it could not. Other people, I think, might deal with this or be less introspective or kind of beat themselves up around this, but for me, it was really hard. And that's why the podcast and the marriage have been great. Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

And one came out of the other. Ryder, how. Where. I have to know, where are you? And you're making peace with this? Looking back on it, I think you were the one that had seen the least of your own show of the three of you guys, right? Yeah. Where are you now? Having gone through it? Like, where do you find that healing or forgiveness that Josh is talking about?

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. No, this has been it. I mean, this is. The podcast has been it for me. I mean, it was, like, perfect midlife crisis, like, you know, And, Josh, you put it perfectly when you. You said, you know, hugging that former self, like, that's basically what this has been for me. And then now. Yeah. When people recognize me, like, I used to just run away. Like, I would literally run away. Like, I would avoid being recognized. I'd avoid everything. And now I can just be like, wow, this is really great, and this is such a cool thing. And when people connect with me because of the character, I'm just grateful now. I'm just, like, cool, man.

[Josh Radnor]

Like, that's awesome.

[Rider Strong]

And a lot of it is, you know, just letting go of that ego. And I feel it's hard because part of being an actor is that you just have to embrace these characters and, you know. But I feel like, Josh, I hear what you're saying, Like, I think I started in theater, too, and I feel like there's something to being able to just forget that it ever happened, to move on to the next project and play the next role that television doesn't allow. Especially popular. When you're on a show this popular. Right. It permanently cements you. And in some ways, it's the worst thing that can happen to you as an actor. It's the best thing in that you're successful, you've done the thing, and hopefully you earned it because you're doing a great job. But then it ruins you for the next however many years because you can't do the thing that you want to do, which is play a completely, completely different character or, or bring parts of you to something without people being like, oh, you're doing the same thing you did on that show, like, right. You just want to be able to reinvent. That's the fun of acting. That's why I had to stop acting, you know, And I feel like part of it is because I started so young, you know, like, I think if I had been in my 20s, I might have been able to wrap my head around the idea like this, this could happen. And you know, but it's, you know, for me it's like it's kind of broken permanently. Like it's too bad. But now I love writing, I love directing. I get the same high that I do from acting from that because it's the same process. But I don't have to do it myself. I don't have to be the one doing it.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, man, we should have lunch.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, that'd be such a depressing lunch. Worst sandwich ever.

[Josh Radnor]

You don't get us, Will.

[Craig Thomas]

I don't.

[Josh Radnor]

I woke up every day like, this is the best thing that ever happened. Do you guys know about like internal family systems ifs?

[Danielle Fishel]

I know, I know about all Danielle.

[Josh Radnor]

Now we have to have another lunch.

[Craig Thomas]

Where we just talk about all this.

[Danielle Fishel]

The only one psychology major wanted to be a marriage and family therapist are.

[Will Friedle]

Gonna go have lunch.

[Josh Radnor]

But it's this idea that there are different parts of ourselves that are, that are active. You know, there's a 15 year old and a 5 year old and all these different parts and they're still active and they still sometimes come over and take us over and take over our face. And I actually it's helped me to think of Ted as a part. It's both a part I played and it's a part of me. Not to deny it, but the thing that I will probably never stop fighting for is the recognition that it's a part of me, it's not the whole of me. And that there' I what I was really fighting for was dimensionality. And I felt like I was collapsed into this small bordered kind of guy that I didn't even write. You know, it'd be one thing if I wrote the part. It was just like I sometimes want to say to people like, I was contractually obligated to do that, man. Like, yeah, Craig made me do that. Craig made me do that.

[Will Friedle]

But, you know, you also realize, though, that's one of the things that I love about television is You've also discovered, or we as actors have discovered, if you get this opportunity, the key to immortality in that I. You know, my favorite show ever is mash. We talk about it all the time.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh, I'm doing a MASH rewatch right now.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, I will talk to you whenever.

[Craig Thomas]

The hell you will. That'll be at our lunch.

[Rider Strong]

We'll talk about you guys.

[Danielle Fishel]

You guys have your MASH lunch.

[Will Friedle]

I know it backwards, forwards, and sideways. I know every single line of every single episode. And while McLane Stevenson, Wayne Rogers, Loretta, Swit, they're gone. But Hot Lips and Henry Blake and Trapper, they're alive forever. And I can go and watch them whenever I want to. So Ted Mosby 150 years from now is still very much going to be alive and well.

[Josh Radnor]

Will I be or.

[Will Friedle]

No, we're gonna be gone. But that's the joy. I mean, people talk about, how do I last forever. Well, television is one of those ways of a part of you will be around forever.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, but I look at, like, where I live in Brooklyn, there's, like, on Atlantic. There's like a. Or maybe Flatbush, but there's like, a general, like a. Like a statue.

[Will Friedle]

Sure.

[Josh Radnor]

Or named, you know, streets. Named it. And I'm like, I don't. No one cares. Like, no one cares. I actually, you know what?

[Craig Thomas]

Our show is funnier than that guy's show.

[Josh Radnor]

It's not that funny. But I heard Albert Brooks, like, a theater actor, said to him, you know, you. You. You do film, so you're going to live last forever. And he's like, no, we're all going away. And I'll give you an example. I did. I did this show with Al Pacino for two years called Hunters. It was a great show. Nazi hunting show set in the 70s. And I would tell young people, I'm working with Al Pacino, and they would say, who? Who?

[Will Friedle]

Sure, yeah, of course.

[Josh Radnor]

So what I'm saying is like, say.

[Will Friedle]

You know what I'm saying? But no, but that's my. Exactly my point. Because if you said to those same, I'm working with Scarface, they'd know exactly who we're talking about.

[Craig Thomas]

There'd be a better shot.

[Will Friedle]

The character is still alive. Al Pacino might disappear.

[Josh Radnor]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

But saying godfather, I'm working with.

[Josh Radnor]

I guess that the difference is, is that I am on set making the things. So I think of myself as an actor playing a character, of course. Whereas, you know, Jordana and I have a joke like, she'll watch, like, a Viking show. And I'll say, like, they get smoothies at Erwan.

[Will Friedle]

No, that's real.

[Josh Radnor]

She's like, you guys tell me thank. Like they get smoothies at erewhon.

[Will Friedle]

They don't. $22 smoothies right off of the bone and tasting life.

[Craig Thomas]

That's real John Lewis.

[Rider Strong]

That is the case. He's literally weaving his own clothing to play Lincoln.

[Josh Radnor]

Exactly.

[Craig Thomas]

I think there was a Game of Thrones episode where you saw like Starbucks.

[Josh Radnor]

Starbucks house ruins it.

[Will Friedle]

God, go watch Braveheart. There's guys walking in the background of almost every scene in Braveheart with baseball hats on and there's cars in the background.

[Craig Thomas]

It's.

[Will Friedle]

It's amazing. Amazing.

[Josh Radnor]

Hilarious.

[Will Friedle]

Ever been at the pharmacy counter and the pharmacist asks, do you have any questions? And suddenly your mind goes blank? That's exactly why you need to listen to beyond the Script from CVS Pharmacy and I heart Media starting January 14th. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, this podcast brings you real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you see most answering the questions you wish you'd asked, like which medications might not mix well, what vaccine should you consider before a big trip? And even those questions you were too embarrassed to say out loud. Each episode busts myths, decodes health trends, and gives you practical, trustworthy advice straight from the people behind the counter. No white coats, no lectures. Just real talk, real answers, and maybe a few laughs. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you will definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks.

[Rider Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Offer from Legacy box go to legacybox.com meets world that's legacybox.com meets world. Just briefly because it is my love. Do you think there's any chance that sitcom, like a How I Met yout Mother, like a Boy Meets World, like any of the shows that I grew up watching or loving, has a chance of coming back and being as popular as they were?

[Craig Thomas]

I just think the fact that no one does 22 or 24 episodes anymore, it's eight episodes and people watch them in three seconds and then they go. A year later it comes back and they go, oh, I forgot about that show. Or two years later. Yep, I think that has ruined the. You just can't replicate that feeling. Even Jordana. I was thinking about this when Josh was saying that Jordana being forced to watch one episode at a time. Josh the night before we're gonna record our podcast, she's having to experience the show in the way that it originally was experienced. But she doesn't like it. But she I don't know. There's something to it, I think. And I feel like it's hard to replicate that with these bingey things. And by the way, I love that people binge Ham at yout Mother and have watched it 30 times and they watch 20 in a day or whatever. But I think that thing that our shows had where people waited a week and they couldn't wait till the night Friday night to watch your show. I'm gonna sit down with my family Friday night in the late 1990s or whatever it was, and watch Boy Meets World. That thing is gone. That's gone except for sporting events. And I don't know how to get it back.

[Josh Radnor]

I do have to say so everything got atomized right into streaming. Network tv kind of cratered. Big hit shows now are a fraction of of the numbers we were doing. You know Back in the day. And then you have this binging thing. But then the streamers were like, you know what? It's actually fun for people to wait a week to watch. So you're seeing more of that happen.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes.

[Josh Radnor]

And then I'm watching stuff on Amazon and there's commercials. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Network tv.

[Josh Radnor]

I'm like, they're just having to invent. And then they're like, well, you can bundle all the streamers together. Yeah, that's called cable. Cable. Like you're inventing television all over my podcast. Exactly. So I think there were some things that the 20th century kind of figured out.

[Rider Strong]

We broke and then rebuilt it.

[Josh Radnor]

We try to, like, pull them apart and then we reinvent them. And then we're like, okay, I guess. I guess that model was good and fun for people.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. You know, so maybe that's the answer. Maybe it will. Maybe it is evolving back to where it will become the thing that captured all these people's minds and hearts. That doesn't seem to be happening in the same way anymore.

[Josh Radnor]

I will say seven, eight, nine year runs. I don't know.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, I don't know. 22 a year, 24 years. A nine year run. That's a big beast, right?

[Will Friedle]

I mean, even back in the day with all the best shows ever. We talk about this a lot in our podcast. It's very difficult to find a show that got better the longer it went on.

[Craig Thomas]

That's true. That's true. You're stretching a bit. You're stretching at times.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. So you do find maybe some. Maybe two, three seasons is kind of the sweet spot now.

[Josh Radnor]

We're actually shocked at the first two seasons. How many, like, banger episodes there were. Like, we came out of the gate really, like, having a voice and knowing everyone knew kind of what their. Their. The task at hand was. And I'm pretty delighted that we. We came out so strong for Boy Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

We had a similar thing in the sense that because we started when we were so young, over seven seasons, it's almost like there were three different versions of the show. They're like, the first two years are very much elementary and junior high school kids really figuring out the world. And then there's like high school. And then was like, all right, now these kids are in college and they're more adults. And so we had like, we got to evolve three different times.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. I do have to say because we. I was in college, in grad school when you guys were on, which was not heavy TV watching Gears for me, but my younger Sister. I told her I was doing this podcast, and she's like, I never missed an episode. Every single, every single time.

[Danielle Fishel]

So that's nice. Tell her we said hello.

[Will Friedle]

What's her name?

[Josh Radnor]

Joanna.

[Danielle Fishel]

Joanna.

[Will Friedle]

Hi, Joanna.

[Josh Radnor]

She'll be delighted.

[Rider Strong]

I was just curious to ask one.

[Craig Thomas]

Other question for you guys. Josh and I are talking about this. That idea of he's watching his younger self 20 years ago, and there's scenes where he's like, I don't remember doing that with my body. I know that's me. And I'm saying those things and doing those things, but I forgot it existed. I feel like I heard you guys say that in your. When I listened to your podcast, you were like, I don't remember. I know there's visual proof that I'm doing this thing. Is there that weird out of body vertigo for you guys doing this rewatch thing? Because I feel like Josh is having a little bit of that at times, is that it seems like such a strange thing to look back at yourself, especially when you're a kid.

[Will Friedle]

It is. The thing that's amazing, too, is a lot of times what I'm finding that's very, very strange is that we'll have an episode that none of us remember. And that's the thing that seems to be happening more and more. It's not like one of us is like, I remember everything about this, and the other two are going, wow, I don't remember. It's usually the three of us going, do you remember this at all?

[Josh Radnor]

No, I do.

[Will Friedle]

Nothing.

[Rider Strong]

Going back to something Josh was talking about way early on in this conversation, about seeing your past performances. I often find when I remember, oh, I cared about that beat, or I thought that that beat was important, it's the worst acting. It's the ones that I didn't think about where I was completely unselfconscious and just showing up that I'm the most proud of now because I'm like, wow, I was just in it. And it's actually a great lesson as an actor. Cause it's very hard to learn. If you're smart at all, you're gonna want to analyze the text and come out, make choices as an actor. But what you realize, ultimately, as you get, at least I have, is that that's not the best acting. The best acting is when you can make all the choices and then just let them go.

[Josh Radnor]

Truly, when you. When. When you finish a take and you're like, that was some great acting. The worst, almost assured acting, dude, it was. Yeah, I I notice because we had a thing like a policy on set. We didn't like it on sitcoms when people would say objectively hilarious things and none of the characters would act, like, something objectively hilarious. So we decided we would laugh at each other. Like, we're a bar. We're drinking beer. We're gonna laugh if someone says something funny. And some of my favorite moments are watching me actually laugh.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right?

[Josh Radnor]

Like, having an honest response or just, like, just listening in, like, an unselfconscious way. I totally get what you're describing, Ryder.

[Danielle Fishel]

We have experienced that too, where we can tell in scenes when we were just trying to make each other laugh, where separate moments are. Or like, you know those awkward moments in sitcoms where. Where people are exiting at the same time people are entering, and do they acknowledge each other as they pass? Because we know each other, but the scene needs to progress forward. And there was one Christmas episode where people are. Some of us are exiting and some of us are entering. And you can tell we just decided to go wild with the actors.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, we just went way too big.

[Josh Radnor]

We're like, oh, hey, good to see you short.

[Rider Strong]

It's like we crammed five minutes of dialogue into two seconds, and it's one of the funniest moments.

[Danielle Fishel]

We're all breaking but trying not to break and think. It's just some of the.

[Josh Radnor]

There's the show you're making for the audience at home, and then there's the show or the. The. The ecosystem you're all living in that you're trying. Like, we had a first A.D. mike Shea, who's an incredible guy.

[Danielle Fishel]

We also share a writer trivia question.

[Will Friedle]

Who's the writer?

[Danielle Fishel]

We share.

[Rider Strong]

Help us out.

[Will Friedle]

Help us out.

[Josh Radnor]

Help us out. Out.

[Craig Thomas]

You've blown my mind. My blown mind cannot think of the writer that we share either.

[Josh Radnor]

And now we have a special guest. What if we had him queued up? That'd be unbelievable.

[Rider Strong]

All right, what was your Michael Shea story? I wanted to hear it.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, so the Michael Shay Barbie Adler.

[Josh Radnor]

Barbie Adler.

[Craig Thomas]

I forgot that too.

[Josh Radnor]

She's great. So Michael Shea to Qu. When he wanted everyone to quiet down, he would say, guys, guys, guys. Do you remember this?

[Rider Strong]

Of course.

[Josh Radnor]

So whenever. For once, we hooked into this, whenever it just said, guys, we should go, whatever. Like, whenever the word guys was there, you'll watch how I met your mother, and you'll hear, guys, guys, guys. We just always say it three times as an homage to our beloved Michael Shay.

[Will Friedle]

He would always say things to us like, we still joke. So Our first AD and first stage manager's name was Steve, and at one point, he and his wife got pregnant. And so we just hear Michael Shea going, like, all right, everybody, come on, let's get the scene ready. Steve's having a baby.

[Craig Thomas]

Steve's having a baby.

[Josh Radnor]

Help us out. Help us out, Steve. Baby knows how to run a good set. He keeps it funny and light.

[Rider Strong]

We had him on the podcast we.

[Will Friedle]

Had, and it was so great because.

[Rider Strong]

We asked him about this, and he's just said. He said, like, he. Because, you know, his father was a. A big TV director, and so he grew up knowing that he had to keep the energy on set going. And so he would just look at it as, like his job was, hey, everybody, we're all going to just freshen it up, and I'm gonna say something stupid to get everybody's attention. And we're like, dude, it totally worked.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. When we had background, like, at club scenes, he would go, all right, guys. Sexy, sexy time. It's a sexy time. I hope we're talking about the same Michael Shay, but I think we are.

[Danielle Fishel]

Still in touch with. Yeah, I'm still in touch with Michael Shea. I just saw him recently. We talked when he was on our show, we talked about his experience on.

[Josh Radnor]

We love that guy.

[Craig Thomas]

We love that guy.

[Josh Radnor]

He was.

[Craig Thomas]

That's cool. See, there are serious overlaps between our two shows. We have writers. We have ads.

[Josh Radnor]

I have one more overlap Question. Ryder, did you do the Graduate on Broadway after I did the Graduate on Broadway?

[Rider Strong]

No, you got it, and I did not. Oh, I was, too, for Kathleen Turner. So I went and read with Kathleen, and she was like. Made me take my boots off.

[Josh Radnor]

I thought you did it after me.

[Rider Strong]

No, I did it. I did the tour. So I was gonna. Cause you replaced Jason. Did you replace him for the summer.

[Josh Radnor]

Or just for, like, three?

[Will Friedle]

And then I. Yeah, so they brought.

[Rider Strong]

Me in at that point and had me read with Kathleen, and she was.

[Craig Thomas]

Like, you're too, too, too, too.

[Rider Strong]

I was too short. So she made it, like.

[Josh Radnor]

It was like a height thing.

[Rider Strong]

I was like, fine. But then they offered me the tour, so I did the.

[Josh Radnor]

Oh, okay. Got it. Got it. Quite a play to do that. I knew your name was in that world, so.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes, you did it, though. That's cool. That's crazy. Well, it's a small world, y'.

[Josh Radnor]

All. We have.

[Craig Thomas]

We both have meet or met in the title. There's. There's a lot of overlap.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, I want everyone to be able to know. I think you can get how your mother. You can listen to it anywhere. You get your podcasts. What else can. Where can we go? I know Craig talked about his book. Let's plug that again. Talk to us about your book. What else can people do?

[Craig Thomas]

I just released my first novel. It's called that's Not How it happened from HarperCollins. You buy the book or buy the audiobook starring Josh Radner and Cobie Smulders and two other wonderful actors too. But it's a four person story, four narrators, four point of views, and it's my favorite thing I've ever written besides I Met yout Mother Soul people.

[Josh Radnor]

It's really written, like, genuinely just a fantastic, fantastic read.

[Craig Thomas]

This is why we do the podcast. We actually. We actually love each other.

[Danielle Fishel]

And Josh, is there anything you want to talk about outside of the podcast?

[Josh Radnor]

I make music that I'm really happy about and proud about. I just finished a new record, but I have a bunch of stuff up on all the streaming platforms. Just my name. Josh Radner. My friend Jeremiah just remixed a couple of my tracks that are really.

[Will Friedle]

What type of music?

[Josh Radnor]

How would you describe it? Chris Craig.

[Craig Thomas]

I mean, thoughtful, indie, folk, acoustic, smart.

[Will Friedle]

You guys are best friends already?

[Danielle Fishel]

You guys are best friends but haven't had lunch yet.

[Craig Thomas]

Totally. We gotta do it.

[Will Friedle]

We're gonna have a mash lunch.

[Craig Thomas]

You. I will. Total mash lunch. I will sing Josh's praises now. His music is so great. He does the. It's the theme song for our podcast, among other things. It's a great Josh song called nyc. He's super great. Everyone go check out his music.

[Will Friedle]

It's so good. Amazing.

[Rider Strong]

Awesome.

[Josh Radnor]

That's so great.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, thank you both so much for being here.

[Josh Radnor]

Here.

[Rider Strong]

Thank you guys.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's fun. I'm so excited to see where this journey takes you over the next nine seasons of the show. And yeah, so thank you both for being here.

[Josh Radnor]

This was a really great. Thanks for inviting us. This was a blast.

[Will Friedle]

Thank you.

[Craig Thomas]

It was fun.

[Rider Strong]

Great to meet you guys.

[Josh Radnor]

Bye. Bye. Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

Can't believe how much overlap there. I mean, we knew. We knew there was that overlap.

[Rider Strong]

You know, we were talking about, like, there's also something to the romance, like love storyline of like boy meets world being this Romeo and Juliet. And like How I Met yout Mother in the title starts as like. The point of this is like ultimate union and ultimately a love that makes sense. So it's like, I feel like the audience that grew up with Boy Meets World must have just shifted right into How I Met yout Mother.

[Will Friedle]

Well, I mean, when you think about it, there's.

[Josh Radnor]

You could.

[Will Friedle]

With a few tweaks. This is Cory and Topanga moving to New York and meeting a whole new group of friends.

[Josh Radnor]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

And, you know, or wherever the show takes place and meeting a whole new group of friends.

[Rider Strong]

I've never seen a single episode. I didn't want to admit that, but I've never seen a single episode.

[Danielle Fishel]

But I'd like to watch it.

[Rider Strong]

I know my part was obsessed with. I knew people that loved it, but I never watched it.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was so good.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

I hear Neil again. I hear Neil kind of, like, steals the show, where he's just. He's so hysterical. And I think he won. I think they all won, like, a whole bunch of awards for the show.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, this was nominated for 28.

[Will Friedle]

Emmys, which is somehow 29 more than we ever were nominated.

[Rider Strong]

So, yeah, it's fine, but yikes.

[Josh Radnor]

Crazy.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you all for joining us for this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram Pod Meets World show. You can send us your email podmeets worldshowmail.com and we've got Merch.

[Will Friedle]

The How I Met yout Mother theme song.

[Josh Radnor]

Merch.

[Will Friedle]

I don't know the theme song.

[Josh Radnor]

So that's. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

You're just making it up.

[Will Friedle]

I am, 100%. I was gonna do Don't Know how to. That's anybody's guess, but that's Blossom, so that wasn't gonna help at all. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Podmeetsworldshow.com writer, send us out.

[Rider Strong]

We love you all. Pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Wilfred L. And Ryder Hawk Strong, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tara Sugbash, producer, Matty Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superman Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram odmeatsworldshow or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com ever been @ the.

[Will Friedle]

Pharmacy counter and your mind goes blank when the pharmacist asks any question? That's why you need to listen to beyond the script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia starting January 14th. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, each episode features real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you see most, breaking down the questions you wish you'd asked from which meds may not mix well to what vaccines you need before a big trip. They'll bust myths, decode trends and share practical advice you can actually use. Listen to beyond the Script on the I Heart Rate app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your.

[Danielle Fishel]

Podcasts. Season two of Unrivaled Basketball is here and the talent is unreal. The best women's players on the planet are running it back with even bigger moments and bigger stakes. Don't miss as Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more take the court and redefine the game. This isn't your regular season. This is unrivaled, where the pace is faster, the energy is higher and every athlete changes, shines. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5th on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. Okay, only 10 more presents to wrap. You're almost at the finish line.

[Josh Radnor]

But.

[Danielle Fishel]

First, There the last one. Enjoy a Coca Cola for a pause that.

[Will Friedle]

Refreshes. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with a It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra, SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, LLC SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comdisclosures make.

[Danielle Fishel]

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