Neil Patrick Harris has revealed why he prefers not to know which twin is biologically his.
The beloved actor, known for How I Met Your Mother and A Series of Unfortunate Events, and his husband, David Burtka, welcomed their children - a daughter, Harper, and a son, Gideon - in 2010 via surrogate.
The process involved implanting one of Harris’s sperm and one of Burtka’s sperm in separate eggs, with the hope that “they would both take.” Miraculously, both did.
In a 2014 interview with Barbara Walters, the now-51-year-old was asked if he planned to find out which child was biologically his, and he responded: “I have no interest in [finding out]. We are their parents, and I love them implicitly."
Reflecting on the unique approach, he added: “It's so funny. I see myself in each of them at different times,” acknowledging his deep connection with both children.
Now entering their teenage years, Harper and Gideon continue to bring joy and humor to their parents’ lives.
Harris shared a lighthearted view of parenting teens in an interview with Entertainment Tonight: “We keep being told that at a certain point, they’re going to hate us,” he said with a laugh. “That hasn’t happened yet. So you know, so far, so good!”
Burtka added: “They’re good kids. We’ve done a good job. You know, you put the work in and you get it back, you know?”
Before becoming a devoted dad, Harris made his mark in Hollywood. He first gained fame starring in Doogie Howser, M.D., and later as Barney Stinson on the sitcom.
In a revealing segment on The Howard Stern Show, Harris disclosed a remarkable perk of his rise to fame: “$250,000 a week? Yes, I was happy with that.”
He explained that in the show’s final season, all main cast members earned an equal share.
“We’d gotten eight seasons out of it… this was an extra season, a fantastic final lap and why shouldn’t we be reaping the benefits of that,” he said. “And I feel like everyone has proven their worth on the show, everyone is providing and deserves to get paid well.”
But getting there wasn’t without hurdles. The actor revealed that during the show's middle years, especially as syndication deals rolled in, contract talks became tricky.
“It seemed like we all had individual careers that we had nurtured up until that point,” he said. “And so when you end up with an agent and a manager and an attorney, you have relationships with them and they’re hardcore fighting for you financially for your future.”
When Stern asked if he’d been hesitant to negotiate as a united front with the rest of the cast, Harris was candid: “I was more in the latter camp than the former camp.
“It wasn’t like I was trying to take someone else’s money. I just wanted my team to fight as hard as they could for me for my next season’s worth," he added.