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]

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.

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.

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)

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

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.

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])