How I Met Your Mother was a long-running sitcom that starred Josh Radnor, Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jason Segel. The show aired on television for almost ten years. It cast a lot of guest stars. But not all the actors wanted to have celebrities in their show. Neil Patrick Harris did not want Britney Spears’ cameo on How I Met Your Mother. This is the reason why!

Neil liked the show a lot and was very protective of it, even though he didn’t like cameos. Even if they were from well-known people like Britney Spears. He told the reason behind it.

                                                        “Viewership is not our game.”

In the end, he thought that the show didn’t need any cameos and that having celebrities show up would hurt the plot. He also didn’t want the show to be a copy of Will & Grace. He said, “I’m in the minority thinking that our show doesn’t need stunt casting to do well. I worry that the show will suffer if they start Will and Grace-ing us too much. And we’re all proud of the content of the show. I mean, viewership is not our game. It’s the network and the studio’s game. It’s the promotion.”

Because they were competing with “Dancing with the Stars,” Britney’s much-needed cameo was necessary for many reasons. Even though Harris doesn’t like it, the million different views she got directly result from her appearance! Without a doubt, that was a great choice.

And if it were a classic stunt casting, like, “Oh, my tour bus broke down outside,” I’d be like, “Wow, Britney Spears, what are you doing here?” “Then, we’re going to fly right over that shark. It was a great role; I think she did a good job with it. I’m glad we didn’t try to mess it up. When the pop stars’ camp approached the show, we knew what was at stake,” the show’s executive producer said.

The Los Angeles Times said that it was a brilliant move. Not only did it get record-high ratings, but it was also a very memorable episode. The show loved her cameo, and they were open to having her back in the future. On the other hand, Neil Patrick Harris had a different opinion when all was said and done.