While we’re all busy figuring out who is the titular ‘father’ in How I Met Your Father, there’s another big mystery in the series we don’t talk enough about. Who is Sophie’s father?
Since the beginning, we’ve never seen Sophie’s father. But Sophie and her best friend Val has mentioned him a few times in various episodes, and all we can conclude is that Sophie never met her father.
If you’ve been following the show, you must have wondered if Sophie’s dad is actually Barney, just like me, just like all of us fans. I believe the makers definitely wanted us to think that way, which is why they’ve dropped several clues hinting at it.
But as fans, we’re always one step ahead so we get it when they’re trying to fool us! As of writing this article, Sophie’s dad’s identity has not been revealed in How I Met Your Father. It is unlikely for him to be Barney, however, it could be a character from How I Met Your Mother.
1. What Happens to Sophie’s Father?
According to Sophie and her mother, Lori, Sophie’s father left them even before Sophie was born. Sophie’s mother was not married to him, and she conceived Sophie after a one-night stand.
After that, Sophie never met her father and I am guessing she’s never seen him either, because if she would be, then the plot towards which the show is progressing would not work (more on this later).
The show also mentions how Lori has always been an irresponsible mother with multiple wrong, reckless relationships which led to her and Sophie moving around pretty often. Sophie also suffered as a child because of her mother’s breakups and eventual shifting. It seems like Sophie’s father was one of Lori’s impulsive relationships, but Lori decided to keep the child.
As of now, we don’t know anything else about Sophie’s father. In my rough estimation, Sophie’s dad should ideally be around 55-60 years of age, as Sophie is now 30.
2. Is Barney Stinson Sophie’s Father?
I am sure you must have come across this bizarre theory about Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother (HIMYF is a spin-off of HIMYM) being Sophie’s father.
However, Barney Stinson is not Sophie’s father. Timeline wise, it is impossible for Barney to be Sophie’s dad. Moreover, HIMYF showrunners have also debunked this theory.
Here’s what showrunners Aptaker and Berger had to say about the theory –
APTAKER: Yeah, we can debunk that, just based on the fact of the math of it. He would be something like a sophomore in high school. It’s not really the story that we’re trying to tell.
BERGER: We never like to dispel a theory because we love a good fan theory but because How I Met Your Mother fans are so diehard and so good at tracking the timelines, and our fans are as well now, we can safely say that that is not the case and he is not the father.
This theory stems from Barney’s cameo in the season 2 premiere where we see Sophie driving a car while sending her mother a voicemail where she says, “Mom, call me back! I think I’m dating my dad!” In the next moment, Sophie bumps into a car and it’s revealed that the car was none other than Barney’s.
Other than that, since Sophie was born out of a one-night stand, it is natural for fans to connect it to Barney as he’s known for womanizing ways. However, there is no way Barney can be Sophie’s father.
According to HIMYF, Sophie turned 30 in 2022. In that case, she should have been born in 1992. But according to HIMYM, Barney began having sex only in 1999. So mathematically, it is impossible for Sophie to be Barney’s daughter.
The only daughter of Barney we’re sure about is Ellie, who was born in 2020, according to Ted’s timeline in HIMYM. So in 2022, Barney has just one 2 year old daughter.
3. Is Robert Sophie’s Father?
In HIMYF season 2, episode 9, Sophie meets a chef called Robert at a party, who seems much older than her. Since one of Sophie’s biggest worries was that Sophie is dating her dad, Robert could be Sophie’s father.
Sophie meets Robert in episode 9, while Sophie’s voicemail to her mother and eventual meet-up with Barney is supposed to take place in the mid-season finale (episode 10 or 11). If we connect the dots, Sophie could have been talking about Robert.
The season 2 trailer featured a short clip where Sophie’s friends are also shocked to hear that Sophie is dating a guy much older than her. All of this points at Robert being a potential candidate for being Sophie’s father.
I hope the makers aren’t going forward with this theory, because Sophie and Robert literally kissed in the last episode. It would be gross if Sophie discovers that she actually kissed her father.
4. Theory: Sophie’s Father Could Be Someone from HIMYM
Though we’re sure that Sophie’s father is not Barney, there’s a possibility that Sophie’s father still turns out to be someone familiar: someone from HIMYM.
HIMYF has found unique ways to connect itself to its parent show, such as a cameo by Cobie Smulder’s Robin Scherbatsky in season 1 or the upcoming cameo by Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson. If Sophie’s father turns out to be someone from HIMYM, it could be a beautiful way to connect the two shows.
Let’s be realistic: It is impossible for any of the three main male characters to be Sophie’s father. It cannot be Marshall, Ted or Barney. But it could be someone we’ve already met, such as Barney’s real father, or even Ted’s father.
As we know, Barney’s father too left their mother at an early age and later he and his brother were brought up by his mom. Later, we even met Barney’s dad and he had children. Maybe Sophie is Barney’s sister from his father.
Ted’s parents got divorced during HIMYM. What if Ted’s father had another child? These are just examples, but it could be anyone. She could even be related to Tracy or Lily.
There’s a lot of scope for Sophie’s father to be someone we know, which is probably the reason why the makers are trying to build up our interest about the matter.
Nevertheless, I am sure “we’ll get there soon!” But before anyone says it, I am starting a petition for the episode to be named “How I Met MY Father!” I said it first!
5. About How I Met Your Father
How I Met Your Father (HIMYF) is a spinoff series of the incredibly successful CBS show, How I Met Your Mother. The original show ran for nine seasons, from 2005 to 2014, quickly making its mark with a dedicated cult-like fanbase.
HIMYF was announced to start production in April 2021 with the Lizzy McGuire star Hilary Duff playing the lead called Sophie, narrating her journey to her children in the future.
The show’s flashbacks will start from Sophie and her close friends navigating love, life and struggles in the modern era of dating, paying bills and more, in 2021.
Created by writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger of This Is Us fame and directed by the original show’s director, Pamela Fryman, the first season of HIMYF is revealed to have 10 episodes. No further details have yet been released.
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