This one theory from How I Met Your Mother claims Ted exaggerated Barney’s flaws to make himself look better to his kids

How I Met Your Mother premiered in September 2005 and became one of the most beloved American sitcoms over its nine-season run. Created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for CBS, the show focused on Ted Mosby, who recounted how he met their mother to his children, Luke and Penny.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for How I Met Your Mother.

Ted's story also involved his friends, one of whom was Barney Stinson. Ted would often emphasize how Barney's behavior was inappropriate and that he was a womanizer. However, there is one theory that flips this entire narrative on its head.

The theory suggests that Ted portrayed Barney in a negative light to cast himself as the hero in his children’s eyes. Since Ted is the sole narrator, the audience only sees his version of events, but what if that version isn't entirely accurate? Ted might have made Barney the villain to whitewash his own image.

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Ted began painting Barney as an awful person as early as How I Met Your Mother season 1

Mary and Ted in How I Met Your Mother season 1 episode 19 (Image via Hulu)

Throughout the series, Ted's narration was filled with selective storytelling as it often had sanitized language and moments that reflected his personal bias. One example of how Ted made Barney look worse in comparison to him was apparent in episodes 18 and 19 of How I Met Your Mother season 1.

In episode 18, titled Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M., Ted was dating a girl named Victoria when Lily told him that Robin had feelings for him.

He was waiting for Victoria to call and break up with him, but Robin called him first and invited him to his apartment.

Since Ted was sure that Victoria would break up with him, he lied to Robin that they had already broken up. So, Robin kissed him.

Then, Ted went to the bathroom and had a conversation with an imaginary Victoria in which he admitted that he just wanted to get laid and was still in love with Robin.

When Ted returned from the bathroom, Robin was upset because she had picked up Victoria's call and found out about his lie. Robin told Ted to leave. Ted returned to his apartment and broke up with Victoria.

In the next episode, titled Mary the Paralegal, Ted paints Barney the villain by saying that his friend intentionally embarrassed him. Ted needed a date for Robin's Local Area Media Awards. So, Barney suggested that they hire a s*x worker.

Barney introduced Ted to a blonde woman named Mary and claimed that she was a paralegal. Ted thought Barney was lying about Mary's profession, but it turned out that she was really a paralegal.

Ted portrayed Barney's actions as a cruel prank, but in reality, it could be just Barney trying to lift Ted's spirits.

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Neil Patrick Harris weighed in on this How I Met Your Mother theory

Exaggerating Barney's flaws would help Ted elevate his own image. At the end of the show, Ted asked for his children's blessing to pursue Robin, and framing Barney as an unworthy partner for her would give him an upper hand.

In an interview with Digital Spy on March 29, 2018, Neil Patrick Harris, who portrayed Barney in How I Met Your Mother, said that he thought the theory was correct.

"I think that that's very accurate. Given the story structure, and with [Ted] telling the story to his kids, everything was able to be overdrawn," Harris said.

Neil Patrick Harris supported the theory with an example from the episode, The Rough Patch, in season 5, where future Ted admits he exaggerated Barney and Robin's struggles during a rough period in their relationship.

"There's the crazy things, like when Barney and Robin started dating, and they get tired of each other; in that episode, Barney had gained 75lb, and Robin had her hair falling out and had gaps between her teeth! So Ted's revisions of the characters are, for sure, proven," Harris said.

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How I Met Your Mother is available to stream on Netflix and Hulu.