Hulu's How I Met Your Father Features All Your Favorite Early 2000s TV Stars

A standalone sequel to CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, Hulu’s How I Met Your Father premiered on Jan. 18. The new series flips the script on the beloved sitcom 17 years after its premiere, following a woman named Sophie as she tells her son the story of how she met his father.

Told in flashbacks like the original series, the reboot stars Hilary Duff as a 20-something version of Sophie, who’s seeking love in New York City. Rounding out the cast is a slew of actors you definitely remember from the early 2000s, including some of Duff’s former co-stars.

After debuting in 1998’s Casper Meets Wendy, Duff rose to fame in 2001 in the titular role on Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire series and its iconic theatrical film, while also foraying into pop stardom with 2003’s chart-topping Metamorphosis album, featuring the hit “Come Clean.”

Three albums, many films (including 2004’s A Cinderella Story), and countless business ventures later, she most recently portrayed Kelsey Peters on all seven seasons of TV Land’s Younger. After nearly starring in Disney+’s ill-fated Lizzie reboot, Duff landed the role of Sophie.

Taking over the late Bob Saget’s role from How I Met Your Mother, Kim Cattrall narrates the reboot as 58-year-old Sophie. Following decades of roles in films like 1987’s Mannequin, she became well-known in 1998 for playing horny publicist Samantha Jones on HBO’s Sex and the City.

The actor played the role for six seasons and two films, and she most recently starred in Fox’s Filthy Rich. Cattrall announced her HIMYF casting in November 2021, a month before the premiere of HBO Max’s SATC reboot And Just Like That..., which she notably refused to join.

While Duff was dominating Disney Channel, Josh Peck emerged as a child star on Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh in the early 2000s. After wrapping the latter series in 2007, Peck starred alongside Duff in an indie comedy titled What Goes Up, released in 2009.

Peck’s since lent his voice to the Ice Age franchise, vlogged on YouTube with David Dobrik, and acted in Disney+’s Turner & Hooch. He’ll appear in Season 1 of HIMYF as an elementary school vice principal named Drew, then join ex-co-star Miranda Cosgrove in the iCarly reboot.

Leighton Meester made her acting debut in a 1999 episode of Law & Order. After scoring several other film and TV roles, she broke into the mainstream as Blair Waldorf on The CW’s Gossip Girl, which ran from 2007 to 2012 — and featured Duff as a recurring Season 3 character.

Since Gossip Girl concluded, Meester’s released an album, made her Broadway debut, and starred in ABC’s Single Parents. She’ll reunite with Duff on How I Met Your Father as recurring character Meredith, aka Jesse’s ex-girlfriend who rejected his proposal in a viral video.

Known as Mr. Moseby on Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Phill Lewis acted on many of the network’s other shows in the early 2000s — including Lizzie McGuire. He’s also pivoted into directing on shows like Netflix’s One Day at a Time and Paramount+’s iCarly reboot.

Breaking our nostalgic brains in the process, Peck hinted at Lewis’ involvement in HIMYF in October 2021, posting a photo of the Nickelodeon and Disney Channel stars with Duff to Instagram. Mr. Moseby directing Josh Nichols and Lizzie McGuire? Sign us up for the rest of Season 1.