In what could turn out to be the mother of all casting scoops, Rachel Bilson has landed a pivotal — some would say legendary — role in How I Met Your Mother’s 100th episode.
Last month, exec producer Craig Thomas told me that the milestone episode (airing in January) would feature “some serious mother action,” adding, “It’ll be the closest Ted’s ever come to [discovering who she is]. He’s getting a step closer every episode this season, and episode 100 [we] kind of go bananas with it.”
Thomas went on to say that he and fellow exec producer Carter Bays have been “spending a lot of time trying to cast the female role in Ted’s story for episode 100″ — a role a Mother insider confirms has gone to Bilson.
But is she really Ted’s baby mama? Or is this just the latest in a long line of fake outs (see also: Sarah Chalke, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, etc)? Speculate away in the comments!
PHOTO CREDIT: Marion Curtis/Startraksphoto.com
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i say she’s like the moms sister or best friend or something
I thought the same thing!
The show isn’t really about finding the mother of the children. It’s more about his navigation of relationships throughout his life. I would be happy for him not to find the mother until the series finale. It was an intriguing way to get it started, but it really is less about that ultimate goal. That’s why they shoudl wait until the last EVER episode to finally find her. My money is on it being Lily somehow at the end….
I don’t think it could be Lily. Notice how Future Ted refers to her as “your Aunt Lily.” I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t call her “your aunt” if she was their mom.
No way it’s Lily. That would be so wrong.
The narrator repeatedly refers to Lily as “your aunt Lily” so I don’t think it will be her…
there is NO way it could be Lily!! What about Marshall… they are too perfect, there is no way… It would be like Ross and Rachel never ending up together..
They have already showed the future anyway and Lily and Marshall are definitely still together.
I thought that would be a mean, but neat twist too, but I’m thinking no.
Not only do they show that Lily and Marshall are still together in the future but Ted is married to the title mother at their college reunion. Also, Lily is not in Ted’s class. And, Ted has already MET Lily, hasn’t he? I would go on but I think that Lily being the mother would be the dumbest and most illogical twist to the show imaginable. And, if you say, “Well, maybe Robin, then”, I will slap you.
Lily being The Mother would be a betrayal of the show’s concept of Marshall and Lily as Ted’s heroes. That said, I do believe that given the twisty structure of the show and the fact that Future!Ted has deliberately lied to The Kids numerous times for story effect, he’s the very definition of an unreliable narrator and thus, “Aunt” Robin — or somebody else we’ve already met who isn’t named Lily — could be The Mother. IMO, it’s got to be Robin, since in the pilot, The Kids were gobsmacked to find out that Robin (allegedly) wasn’t The Mother.
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In any case, whether Robin is The Mother or not, whoever they’re going to pick to ratchet up the tension about who the mother is to the breaking point, she’s got to have a similar background (career and personal) to Robin’s so that they can justify The Kids having been gobsmacked. Bilson and Smoulders are definitely the same type in brainy brunette spunkiness, so they’re certainly heading in the right direction either way.
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– Rob
It’s not Robin, either. The kids know her as “Aunt Robin”. They drew pictures of her as “Aunt Robin”. Robin was not in the economics class that Ted accidentally thought was his architecture class.
The reason that the kids didn’t know that Ted was talking about Robin in the pilot was because her name is never mention until the end when Ted said, “This is the true story of how I met you Aunt Robin.” The kids respond with “Aunt Robin? I thought this was how you met mom.” But, before this last scene, Robin is never mentioned by name.
Sorry, Rob, it is not Robin. No way. No how.
That’s ridiculous as he always says Aunt Lily and Uncle Marshall. He also says Aunt Robin. So, it’s clear it is neither of them.
As people already pointed out, it can’t be Lily because they showed the reunion in the future. Lily and Marshall were there, but they asked where Ted’s wife was. Also, they showed future Marshall and future Lily when he opened her deathbed letter (years after promising he wouldn’t, as long as she lived) and she came in and told him off.
Add that to the “Aunt Lilly” and “Uncle Marshall” references, and it just can’t happen. End of.
in the episode how i met everyone else, it shows right at the end marshall lilly and ted all “eating a sandwhich”, after which ted asks “where’s my wife?”, therefore lily can not be the mother. lol
and the whole aunt lily thing,
and how he says in the “slapsgiving” episode, “thats why we go to aunt lily and uncle marshalls house for thanksgiving every year.”
actually not being rude but…do u actually watch this show
lol
I’d be surprised if it was her. She’s maybe a relative or best friend, sorority sister…
BEST. NEWS. EVER. love it.
This show is terrible, its just yuppie trash, “look at me I live in New York!” toss in a gay actor and boom you have a critical darling….just like the oscars where to win all you need is to put on weight, have mental disability, be gay, or somehow involved in the holocaust
Meow….
Do you even watch the show to make such a heinous comment like that?
I’m wracking my brain. What gay actor did they “toss in”? As far as I remember, Neil Patrick Harris didn’t come out of the closet until a few years into the run of this series, so his being gay has nothing to do with his inclusion in the cast.
To mention “gay” derogatorily twice in a single post. The mind boggles at the homophobia.
have you ever seen an actual episode? didn’t think so.
Clearly you’ve never seen this show you just want to spew hate.
it’s actually a really genuine show with heart, and it just so happens to be hilarious.
I admit the New Jersey hate has gotten really old, but I would not call this a show about yuppies. The yuppies were the wine tasting, Gruyere cheese eating, “Norah Jones has gotten dark” ***wipes they made fun off in the first season. Add the “throw in a gay actor” bs? PLEASE. Neil Patric Harris is “awesome!” BECAUSE he completely transcends those labels. Join the 21st century, watts.
Keep your comments to yourself if you don’t watch the show.
Anitamargarita…what do you mean New Jersey hate? I’m from Jersey and I love HIMYM!
Anitamargarita was referring to the fact that most of the HIMYM heroes openly mock New Jersey, not that New Jersey viewers don’t like the show.
And yeah, the person hating on HIMYM has obviously not watched the show very much.
Dude, what is your problem… if you don’t like it, then go away – and leave the ones that LOVE it alone… NPH is so great, along w/ the rest of the cast…Quit being homophobic!
Susan: the fact that the characters always make jokes about New Jersey.
Watts, Watts, Watts…you poor, probably gay loser. First of all, sorry about the “dad” thing…that must’ve sucked (like you did). Second, just because you don’t get the jokes, doesn’t make the show not funny…it makes you dumb. That being said, you’re right about the Oscars.
No much of this post is utter garbage
a)the point that others have mentioned – NPH didn’t come out well into the second season
b) they’re hardly yuppies by any stretch.
c) The show never actually wins awards
d)every other word.
Yes, because that’s all it takes to make a successful TV with a great audience these days. *rolls eyes*
Awww….look at the cute little troll. No one feed him, they get whinier when you feed them.
Wow…..well I do think Neil Patrick Harris is getting a bit overexposed and yeah just setting a show in New York thus making the show hip is kind of lazy writing and old hat, but I doubt his having gay has anythign to do with it. You are right about the oscar thing though, Dark Knight should have been nominated for best picture but instead we get the Reader….seriously there are other atrocities whose victims should have their stories told like the Armenian massacre or the Boer War crimes or the plight in Uganda.
Maybe next time give Bruce Wayne a prosthetic nose like Nicole Kidman in the Hours and it will win best pic
I agree with you Watts, it is seriously Yuppie and stuff. Oh well, plenty of shows out there to watch.
NPH is overexposed!!!!, stop shoving him down our throats, its worse than what disney does with Miley Cyrus or the music industry does with taylor swift….And yeah the whole New York is hip thing is overplayed on tv, there are other great cities in the US..(San Diego, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Austin)
Why would you even bother reading an Ausiello file about a show you detest, let alone comment on it?
So sad
I agree with Jamie,I think she will try and set Ted up with her and something goes wrong and they don’t meet.
The mother or not (I say not), I welcome her to HIMYM! She was the only good part of OC, she was great on Chuck and she’ll surely be great here.
I like it. Approved.
Awe that would be cute. But it’s too early for a mother reveal. Sadly.
I agree with the mom’s sister guess. So excited – I love Summer Roberts
Here’s the thing – I would welcome the show shifting from “Met” to “Married”, because let’s face it, whoever it is (and I LOVE Rachel Bilson), audiences WILL want to spend some time with and get to know the future Mrs. Mosby. We’ve earned it.
I agree! I want at least a whole season of Ted wooing The Mother. I want to see him fall in love with her, and her in him.
I disagree, actually…after all this build-up to The Mother, I think it would be hard for them to have her be a long term character that can live up to all the hype. I pretty much just want to meet her in the last episode or two.
exactly, i think the mother reveal would be the kiss of death for the show.
Disagree. It’s the elephant in the room; just get it over with so we can enjoy it with Ted. Don’t you want to see Ted’s wedding (where the final slap will inevitably be)?
My bet and the best fit would be Felicia Day
Love Felicia and would love to see her on the show, but I don’t think she’d be right for YM.
I like that that idea. I love the casting of Rachel Bilson, but she seems to young to be the mother.
Felicia Day, however, I could totally get behind.
I see what you did there!
Ted says their mother was in that economics class he mistakenly taught. As a 300 level class, that’s a college junior. So she would be younger. Which would mean technically, Rachel Bilson is a little old.
Ooh – Felicia Day! A much better fit than Rachel Bilson (who I did actually like on Chuck, but I don’t see here here…)
Melissa, it’s perfectly possible to be a college junior and be older, depending on what age a person is when they start college, and how long it takes them to reach their junior year. There’s no reason to think Rachel Bilson is too old.
Jamie I was thinking the exact same thing while reading this. I really doubt she’s the mother. I think it’s time for the show to introduce the mother, though. Regardless of its title, there’s still a lot of story potential after we find out who the mother is.
Sitcom couples don’t work if you know the outcome already. thats why all of ted’s previous relationships haven’t been great: you already know that it won’t work out
Poor Chuck; losing Lou to Ted like that…
I blame the imported salami.
Lou had to move to NYC after Casey revealed her smuggling crimes.
Poor Chuck if Sarah dumps him he won’t have a rebound girl.
Whatever the role is, I wish they had gone with someone talented and not some semi-famous starlet who neither tastes nor smells of anything but boredom and cliche. In other words, I hope it’s a small role.
Actually, from what I’ve seen of her, she’s a fairly good actress, and I think she’ll fit in well with the cast. I’m looking forward to seeing her on the show!
Agreed. I think it’s a pretty good pick. Rachel Bilson has decent comedic timing. But I agree that Felicia Day would have been awesome. Or maybe Mila Kunis? It has to be someone fun and funny.
I love, love, love Felicia Day. I mean, she’s Penny (and Codex, and Mag), for heaven’s sake, but she doesn’t look anything like the kids. Rachel Bilson does… a LOT. I’d like to see Felicia on the show, though, just because she’s wonderful.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
BOOOOO!!!! I love Rachel Bilson (especially on the OC) but this wreaks of stunt casting. I’m hoping she’s a red herring and that the actual mother will be someone we’re not familiar with yet.
IMO she’s not famous enough for this to be stunt casting.
Would you call Sarah Chalke stunt casting? ‘Cause she was awesome.
Honestly, I didn’t like Sarah Chalke’s Stella. Especially the way she left Ted at the alter like that. Ted is awesome and didn’t deserve that. But I’m super glad she wasn’t the mother because she grated on my nerves and would probably eventually forced me to stop watching the show…
Britney as Sarah Chalke’s assistant, however…
IMO, it’s not stunt casting if it works. Which it has in the cases of, among others, Amy Acker, Danica McKellar, Sarah Chalke and Britney Spears. (Yes, Britney Spears. Bilson will do great.
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Stunt Casting = Guest Star that the fan doesn’t like.
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– Rob
She’s going to be playing Summer on HIMYM, which is pretty much the only role she’s capable of playing.
That’s not true. In Zach Braff’s The Last Kiss, her character was not the same as Summer at all.
Did you actually watch Last Kiss Lefty? Because I did and that character was very very similar to Summer.
She does have a limited acting range. I guess that why she’s now known as a ‘fashionista’ – pfft.
She has always played Summer. Even offscreen, she sounds and talks like Summer. Watch her interviews. She can’t play any other role,
this has to be a trick.. it doesn’t seem right that they would cast someone so recognizable to be the mother. i don’t mind her but she’s so tiny.. i worry she’ll snap in half whenever i see her on screen.
I’d be OK with it being RB, but I’m still waiting for Victoria to come back!
Yeah, I’m still holding out hope that it somehow turns out that Victoria is the mother, too.
but ted already met her
Jamie’s right… and he CERTAINLY would have noticed if she had been in that economics class!
Ew Victoria was awful. I’ve introduced the show to at least 10 friends and whenever we get to those episodes I apologize for how embarrassing they are. Her tap dance moment makes me gag.
Victoria was so annoying. I was so glad when she left.
YES!!! I loved Victoria!
Seth and Summer were the best part of the OC- really, really hope she’s the mother! And I agree with the other poster, I think we have earned finally meeting the mother and we can now actually watch Ted’s courtship with her. IT’s been long enough.. and it won’t ruin the show in any way because the rest of the cast and storylines rock!
I think, if she weren’t so busy that Kristen Bell would have made a great choice. But she’s tied up with movie projects for the next 12 months and would be unavailable.
I’m sorry, but she may seem appealing, but she plays way too young for me to believe she’s the Mother. So am really hoping that she will be playing the younger sister!
Well, think about it: the mother was in the econ classroom that Ted accidentally introduced himself to on his first day. Ignoring the obvious but unlikely non-traditional college student angle, that makes the mother 18-22, a minimum of 9 years younger than Ted. (Forget for a moment that Josh Radnor is actually a couple years old than his character).
I doubt she’ll be the mother. Too soon. I’m still hoping the mother will be an unknown.
Surprisingly (because I had no real opinion of her beforehand), I thought Jamie-Lynn Sigler was awesome and wouldn’t have minded her being the mother at all. Yes, she was a “whoo” girl, but then she also showed she had a brain. God knows Ted has his “moments”, and then somewhat makes up for them. They would’ve made a nice pairing.
My money is still on Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Love Rachel Bilson though. I wish they’d work her back onto Chuck.
SMG? are you confusing her with Sarah Chalke??? or are you saying that because she was on a show with Alyson Hannigan??
PLEASE!! PLEASE!! SMG would be great.
ME TOO!
OMG, I love her so much! Even if she’s not the mother, I’m glad she’ll be in the show! She did a great run on Chuck and now she’s going to be on my other favorite show! January can’t come soon enough.
This is interesting. Based on the way C&C have phrased the scoops they’ve released, I don’t think Rachel will be YM. However, she does bear a pretty striking resemblance to the kids, so I’m going to agree with those who’ve suggested that Rachel could be playing YM’s sister. Another possibility is that Rachel IS the mother, but while the audience might see a lot of her in this episode, Ted doesn’t actually meet her yet. Regardless, I like her a lot, and I’m looking forward to seeing her on the show.
I like this theory, so we meet her but Ted doesn’t. Maybe they will just show her standing under a yellow umbrella.
Ted still has the yellow umbrella. But I think think you’re on the right track. They’ll almost meet — like in No Tomorrow — but not quite. Cue cheesy line about the Universe and its plans.
Great show, but this whole “mother” concept is really boring. Who cares how he met their mother? Just keep making us laugh with stuff set in the present.
I agree, to me it’s sorta secondary. Conceptually, I’ve always thought it more as a clever title for a show about a single guy in NYC than the real driving plot of the show.
best casting scoop ever
id be HAPPY if she did become the mother however i doubt she is
i still hope she gets a long part in the show and not just a couple of eps love rachel bilson and the more rachel we get the better
I don’t mind her in general, but I actually don’t like the idea of her being The Mother. I think (hope) that she’ll be somehow connected, but I just don’t picture her as being the one. Plus, I’m not sure how good an actress she is. I feel like she’s always her OC character whenever I see her. Granted, I didn’t see her on Chuck, so maybe I’m wrong?
She was actually really good on Chuck, Josh Schwartz knows how to write for her and Lou was right up her alley.
It can’t be the Mother. I truly think that the Mother role should be some unknown actress — if not, I think it will feel fake. The show is awesome enough on it’s own without having to stunt-cast for the mother. I didn’t like Stella AT ALL because all I could think of was Elliot from Scrubs…I would like to see the mother as an actress with no other big roles so she stands alone as the mother!
I think part of the reason Stella felt like Elliot to me was that they were both doctors. Maybe if she would have had a different career it wouldn’t have felt so weird.
This would be awesome. I love Rachel Bilson!