How I Met Your Father / Characters

Characters from How I Met Your Father. For the How I Met Your Mother characters, go here.

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Main Characters

Sophie

Sophie Tompkins

Played by: Hilary Duff (2022), Kim Cattrall (2050)

The protagonist. In 2050, she narrates the story of how she met her son's father to him. In 2022, she's a photographer on the lookout for true love.

Celebrity Paradox: Kim Cattrall's most famous role was as Samantha in Sex and the City, which was (in)famously mentioned in the parent show's episode Bachelor Party. Especially noteworthy since, while Kim Cattrall was playing the older Sophie, she was very publicly not playing Samantha in the former show's spinoff And Just Like That....
Consummate Liar: Season 2 reveals that she lies when she feels insecure, whether it's related to her job or her love life.
Disappeared Dad: She didn't meet her father when she was very young and even tried to contact him during Valentine's Day. Though a flash-forward reveals that she might have ended up dating her dad. Turns out the guy she's dating is an old friend of her mother. But after listening to Barney's story of meeting his real dad, Sophie decides to find hers too. She eventually meets him in "Not a Mamma Mia".
Freudian Excuse: Inverted. In the pilot, Jesse snarks that Sophie must have had an idyllic childhood for her to end up such a hopeless romantic. Valentina corrects him — Sophie's parents were not together and she actually had a very unstable and lonely childhood, what with Lori constantly moving from boyfriend to boyfriend. That's the reason why Sophie's kind and wants a happy ending for herself.
Green-Eyed Monster: She gets jealous when Jesse dates other women such as Meredith and Parker.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: As one would expect from Hilary Duff, Sophie is blonde and a sweet-natured, idealistic person.
Nom de Mom: Tompkins is her mother's surname as Lori never married.
Timeshifted Actor: Duff plays Sophie in 2022, while Cattrall narrates her younger self's story from 2050.
What the Hell, Hero?: At the end of "Shady Parker", she gets called out by Jesse for falsely accusing Parker as a con artist. While he has forgiven Sid because he understands that he'll miss him when he moves into Parker's place, Jesse is not pleased with what Sophie did.
Will They or Won't They?: The premiere episode gives Jesse, Sid, Charlie, Ian and Drew as possible candidates for the father of Sophie's child, hinting that she will have this kind of relationship with all five of them. So far, Jesse is the one she's had the most up and down with.

Valentina

Valentina "Val" Morales

Played by: Francia Raisa

Sophie's best friend and roommate, an assistant stylist who is in a relationship with Charlie.

Celeb Crush: She has a huge crush on Lance Bass of *NSYNC but she doesn't know that Lance is gay.
The Fashionista: She's very stylish with her clothes and even helps out Ellen pick the right outfit for her interview.
Holiday Motif: A beautiful and sensual Spicy Latina appropriately named Valentina.
Spicy Latina: A excitable, promiscuous Mexican-American party girl who has a very sensual relationship with her boyfriend Charlie.
Valentina: I dated a Brazilian once. I didn't speak Portuguese, he didn't speak English, so we had to speak with our bodies - and those conversations went deep.

Charlie

Charlie Winthrop

Played by: Tom Ainsley

Valentina's boyfriend. He's a British aristocrat who was disowned for his relationship with her.

The Bartender: Invoked. He wants to listen to people's problems but can't go to school to become a psychologist or psychiatrist, so he becomes a bartender instead.
Fag Hag: More like a Lez Bro. He's very close to Ellen after they become roommates.
Fish out of Water: Most of the humor surrounding him is about how out of place he is (as a sheltered British aristocrat) in middle-class New York City.
Not Wanting Kids Is Weird: In the Season 1 finale, he breaks up with Valentina because he doesn't want to have kids. In Season 2, the reason for this is he feels uncertain about how to take care of them because he's afraid he might mess it up.
Serial Romeo: In the sixth episode, Valentina learns that he actually has a habit of dropping everything and moving across the world to follow a girl he likes, and is dismayed thinking she's just part of a pattern. He later admits that it's because he was always trying to get away from his stifling family, but it never felt right until he did it for her.
Sheltered Aristocrat: Charlie is a clueless and gullible English blueblood who doesn't know how things work outside his circle such as not knowing what bathroom stalls are and letting strangers insert their fingers on his mouth while traveling in the subway.

Jesse

Jesse Walker

Played by: Chris Lowell

An aspiring musician, music teacher, and Uber driver.

Aloof Big Brother: Inadvertently to Ellen, who blames him for choosing to live with his father when their parents split up. She considers it the reason they're not close, and never considered that he was also only a child when it happened.
Deadpan Snarker: Jesse is a cynic who copes with everything with dripping sarcasm.
Love at First Sight: He seems to have feelings for Sophie when he first met her as his Uber driver on the night of Sid's proposal to his fiancee.
Love Hurts: At the start of the show, he is recovering from the embarrassment of his failed marriage proposal to his ex-girlfriend, Meredith, which became an internet meme.
Serial Romeo: Season 2 reveals that he has a habit of confessing his love to girls he barely knows, not unlike Ted Mosby.
Waiting for a Break: His main gig is being a musician, while he works as a part-time music teacher and Uber driver to support himself. Drew has offered him a "real" job as a full-time music teacher at their school, but he turns it down.
Will They or Won't They?: With Sophie. They've kissed by the end of episode 8 but Meredith's return complicates things. Afterward, they end the relationship when Jesse chooses to be with Meredith. But after breaking up with Meredith, he dates Parker which got Sophie jealous.

Sid

Siddhartha "Sid"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himyf_sid.png

Played by: Suraj Sharma

Jesse's best friend and roommate, a bartender who gets engaged to his long-distance girlfriend Hannah in the first episode.

Bollywood Nerd: Discussed. According to him, he had a very stereotypical Indian-American upbringing where his father expected him to study hard and become a doctor. Unfortunately, he didn't have the stomach for it and bought a bar instead.
Friend Versus Lover: He is Jesse's best friend and does care about his well-being most especially after his break-up with Meredith. When Jesse and Meredith got together again, he vehemently opposes it because he already knew that Meredith doesn't really love Jesse before the failed proposal. When he tells him the truth about Meredith, Jesse gets angry at him and tells him to not attend the concert. Fortunately, the two became friends again after Jesse breaks up with Meredith.
Sickeningly Sweethearts: Prior to their marriage, he and Hannah show how lovey-dovey they are but as the show goes on, they ran into several relationship problems, particularly with Hannah's job in Los Angeles.
Shipper on Deck: He is ecstatic when he hears about Jesse and Sophie kiss, and even says that he has been shipping the two of them since day one.

Ellen

Ellen Gilbert

Played by: Tien Tran

Jesse's recently divorced sister, a farmer who has recently moved to New York to reconnect with him.

Big Brother Instinct: More like "Little Sister Instinct" as she's very protective of Jesse. She scolds her co-worker because her pet snake bit Jesse's leg. She also disapproves of Jesse's relationship with Meredith because she saw that she really doesn't care about him.
Butch Lesbian: She's a "soft" butch lesbian — she dresses in a relatively masculine manner and is quite brusque.
Hairstyle Malfunction: In "Shady Parker", she tries to cut her own hair after taking Jesse's book about haircuts. But she's horrified that she accidentally cut one of her strands. Charlie tries to help but it got worse. At present, Ellen reveals she's wearing a long wig all along.

Main Characters' Partners

Ian

Played by: Daniel Augustin

A marine biologist who met Sophie through Tinder.

The Bus Came Back: After having one date with Sophie in the pilot episode, he leaves to do his full-time job in Australia. He comes back in the season finale because Becky, the Captain's divorced wife, took all his boats including the one where Ian and his team were working.
Romantic False Lead: Had the show not been renewed for a second season, his return at the end of season 1 could have been the reveal that he is the titular "father," as Victoria was meant to be on HIMYM. Though in the Season 2 premiere, he leaves Sophie when she admits to him that she's not ready to be in a relationship. Though "A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Valentine's Day" reveals that he and Sophie are dating again but it's on another Valentine's Day date.

Drew

Drew Rubin

Played by: Josh Peck

The vice principal of Jesse's school, and a college friend of him, Sid, and Hannah.

Boring, but Practical: How his life choics are presented. Being a school administrator isn't all that exciting, but it's a relatively good and stable job, in contrast to Sophie and Jesse who are pursuing their artistic dreams but don't have a lot of money. He makes a derisive comment about Sophie and Jesse needing to grow up and move on from their Starving Artist lifestyles, which causes Sophie to realize they are not right for each other and dump him.
Nice Guy: Drew is unfailingly kind and respectful to Sophie throughout their relationship, is a good boss to Jesse, and takes it graciously when Sophie breaks up with him.
Not So Above It All: Despite being uptight, Drew can be giddy about dealing with former employees wanting their job back. He'll take them back but all he wants to do in return is ask "Who's your daddy" and expects the desperate individual to answer "Drew's my daddy". Jesse learns this the hard way.
Shipper on Deck: Back in college, he helps out in bringing Hannah and Sid together by pretending to date Hannah to make Sid feel jealous.
Uptight Loves Wild: Sophie worries that Drew (a serious and mature 30-year-old with a steady job) has it all figured out, while she is still too messy and immature to be dating him. He reassures her that he enjoys her company and likes spending time with her.

Hannah

Played by: Ashley Reyes

Sid's long-distance fiancee, a Los Angeles-based doctor.

Hypocrite: In the first season, she calls out Sid for endorsing Sophie cheating on Drew with Sophie. A year later, she cheats on Sid with a coworker.
Only Sane Man: She's the only one in the group who acknowledged that Sophie is cheating on Drew with Jesse because she hadn't broken up with him yet.
Out of Focus: Despite being a recurring character married to a main character, we don't know much about her and she rarely interacts with anyone besides Sid. The fact that she lives in Los Angeles away from the show's main setting
Satellite Love Interest: Her presence is more on being Sid's fiancee and later, wife and how their long-distance relationship is portrayed in the show.

Meredith

Played by: Leighton Meester

Jesse's ex-girlfriend, who rejected his marriage proposal and embarked on a solo career.

The Charmer: Sid accuses Meredith of being very engaging and charismatic to hide how she mistreats other people. Even he is briefly sucked into making small talk with her before he catches himself. Episode 2 of Season 2 confirms his suspicion about her that she doesn't really love Jesse.
It's All About Me: Season 2 reveals that she doesn't really love Jesse at all and only using him to increase her career. It doesn't help she put Jesse's failed marriage proposal in her music video despite being one of the most traumatizing experiences that Jesse ever had. This leads Jesse to realize that Sid is right and he breaks up with her.
Leaving You to Find Myself: How she rationalizes turning down Jesse's proposal. According to her, she didn't feel like she had a voice in their professional or personal relationships, and left him so she could grow by herself as a person and as a musician. She returns after doing so and tells him that she wants to give their relationship another shot.
Write What You Know: In-Universe, she wrote a song about her breakup with Jesse.

Rachel

Played by: Aby James

The granddaughter of Charlie and Ellen's deceased neighbor in their apartment. Ellen takes an interest in her.

Fiery Redhead: Inverted. She's the only redhead in the cast but is very sweet and level-headed, in contrast to everyone's wild shenanigans.
Lipstick Lesbian: In contrast to her girlfriend Ellen, her fashion is more feminine.
Romantic False Lead: She and Ellen end up together in the Season 1 finale. But in Season 2's Episode 16, she breaks up with her because she needed space.

Robert

Played by: John Corbett

A chef Sophie dates briefly in season 2.

Former Teen Rebel: He used to deal drugs in the 90s before becoming a successful chef.
Love Father, Love Son: Defied. He and Sophie have a definite spark but they mutually admit they can't keep dating after learning that Robert once got handsy with Sophie's mother Lori.
Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: He's handsome, established, and successful, so Sophie and Val convince themselves that Robert must only see Sophie as a pretty young plaything. He's actually completely sincere in his pursuit of her.
Supreme Chef: He's a professional chef. Sophie meets at a fancy party and keeps getting distracted by how good his food is. When they start dating he is always whipping up something delicious.

Swish

Played by: Michael Cimino

A college student Val winds up engaged to in season 2.

Brainless Beauty: Played with. He's considered gorgeous, but is very naive and not book-smart at all. However, he surprises Val's parents with a genuine five-year financial plan.
Raquel: He thinks India closed?!
Likes Older Women: He's excited by how Val is 12 years older than him, and says he loves being with an experienced woman.
Nice Guy: He's so friendly and cheerful that Val can't bring herself to break up with him face-to-face. Val and Sophie compare him to a puppy. Ellen is initially supposed to scare him off but is instantly charmed by how encouraging he manages to be during their short conversation.
Ellen: I want to be his mom. But, like, a cool one.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Everyone calls him Swish. Val claims it's not his real name, but even she doesn't know it (and they're engaged!).

Parker

Parker James

Played by: Meaghan Rath

Jesse's new coworker at school, who is a gym teacher.

Nice Girl: She's very friendly to everyone including Jesse's friends.
Mistaken for Thief: Both Sophie and Sid accuse her of being a con artist because they found that her credit card and prescription pills have different names. Turns out that the credit card belongs to her brother and he took his wife's surname because he's a feminist while the pills belong to her ailing mother and she retains her maiden name because she's a feminist too.

Main Characters' Families

Lori

Lori Tompkins

Played by: Paget Brewster

Sophie's promiscuous mother.

Commitment Issues: She and Sophie moved 13 times because Lori kept ending her relationships. She chalks it up to "wanting fireworks", but Sophie calls her out for it, saying it's the reason she had an unstable and unhappy childhood.
Has a Type: According to Sophie, Lori likes gruff men who resemble Jeff Bridges. Becomes a Bait-and-Switch when Brad, the gruff Jeff Bridges lookalike next to her isn't her boyfriend, but the manager to her actual boyfriend Ash, a young and handsome man played by Mason Gooding. And then that's subverted when she's caught cheating on Ash with Brad.
One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: She conceived Sophie with Nick during the 1991 Lollapalooza.
Parents as People: Lampshaded by the older Sophie in the episode where she's introduced. Sophie tells her son that parents are not perfect. Lori herself had severe Commitment Issues and would blow up a relationship as soon as it gets boring.
Stacy's Mom: She's hot enough to pull a handsome boyfriend younger than her 30-year-old daughter. Sid (who is also around Sophie's age) is struck dumb by her presence because he once masturbated to a poster of her.

Juan and Raquel

Juan and Raquel Morales

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/valsparents.png

Played by: Mark Consuelos and Constance Marie

Valentina's parents, who are Long Island-based realtors.

Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: While they're great parents to Valentina, they tend to do some embarrassing stuff in front of her.
Happily Married: Juan and Raquel have been together since high school and are still very much in love. Sophie, who was raised by a messy single mom, tells Valentina that she's lucky to have such stable parents. Even Sid asks advice from them when he's having problems with his marriage with Hannah — and the first 'couple's conflict' they think of was disagreeing over whether to see a superhero movie or Cats.
High-School Sweethearts: They were prom king and queen of their high school and are still happily married.
Parental Marriage Veto: Subverted. They're justifiably pissed at Valentina's rushed engagement to Swish, and in a bid to break them up Sophie tries to get them to disapprove of Swish — but he's so charming that they are instantly won over.
Stacy's Mom: Their daughter's best friend Sophie idolizes them and repeatedly says she would sleep with both of them.

Nick

Nick Foster

Played by: Clark Gregg

Owner of Nick's Staten Island, a hot dog restaurant, and Sophie's biological dad.

Nice Guy: Sophie and her friends attempt to see if he's actually a decent person before approaching him. He's almost comically fatherly: he literally gives Sid the shoes off his feet, plays a makeshift game of catch with Jesse, and encourages Valentina to follow her dreams in a feminist way.
New Old Flame: For Lori. They meet up again before they had dinner with Sophie. The two immediately click together and the next thing they knew, they start making out with each other.

Characters / How I Met Your Father

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