Content warning: This article contains discussions/depictions of racism and misogyny.
Just because fans adore How I Met Your Mother doesn't mean it was perfect. Whether through sexism, racism, homophobia, double standards, or slut-shaming (the latter two of which are usually aimed at Robin), many parts of the show are uncomfortable to rewatch for fans.
On top of these problematic issues, some emotional moments put fans on edge due to the sadness about to ensue. Then there are those scenes that are so cringey while failing in their attempts to be funny, with characters — usually Ted — either annoying the fans or making them feel very uneasy.
Ted's First "I Love You" To Robin
When Ted first utters the words "I think I'm in love with you," the audience can really feel the ick coming from Robin, who is understandably shocked by this revelation considering this is their first date.
It obviously sets up the entire show, but it is so painfully ludicrous and awkward on Ted's end. Furthermore, it kicks off an obsession with Robin that never ends, which is enough to give fans a bit of nervousness when rewatching the pilot.
Ted Talking To Future Versions Of Him & Barney
From the uncomfortable to the heartbreaking, one of the saddest reveals in all of How I Met Your Mother comes after a strange conversation between Ted, Barney, and different future versions of the two characters.
It turns out Ted is alone with a single ticket to Robots vs. Wrestlers while Lily and Marshall care for the baby, and Robin and Barney plan their wedding. The reveal breaks fans' hearts and is made even worse when he goes and meets the mother, and there is a small instance of foreshadowing of her death.
The Final Blue French Horn Moment
Another unique way How I Met Your Mother can make its audience sweat on a rewatch is with the sheer lack of quality in the finale, which many fans feel betrays the core of the show and its characters.
That final moment when Ted arrives and holds the blue French horn up to Robin is not only the heartbreaking end of the show but the encapsulation of everything that went wrong in that final episode.
Brad Seducing The Court
How Brad did not get disbarred for this, or at least get a slap on the wrist for him and the company, is beyond anyone. Brad is no doubt a hilarious side character in the show, but this storyline made audiences uncomfortable.
Using his toned physique, flowing hair, and bearded face, Brad seduces the jury into siding with him on his defensive case against Marshall. Funnily enough, the judge also has a thing for Brad, the jury is made up completely of women, and Brad was even encouraged to do this. It was severely unfunny then and has aged worse and worse.
Robin & Barney Announcing Their Divorce/The Aftermath
All in all, the finale was not going too badly until this moment. Before this, fans get some flashbacks with the gang, and Barney and Robin's relationship has some tension, but it's not that bad.
Then the gang meets up at Marshall and Lily's home, where it's revealed that Marshall is miserable and Barney and Robin had divorced, setting in motion every bad decision to come. This bleeds into Robin drifting from the group, Barney going back to his womanizing ways without a second thought, and Robin revealing she should have been with Ted. None of these things are good narrative choices, and it all starts with the reveal that Barney and Robin divorce, a controversial move in itself.
Barney's Longest Second
Moving back to the more emotional side of things, fans of Barney and Robin as a couple have experienced a lot of heartbreak before their divorce, the pinnacle of which arguably came here.
With the two having cheated on their partners with each other and agreeing to break up with them, Barney follows through; Robin does not. The pain on Barney's face is clear as Robin shakes her head and the world stands still.
Marshall's Dad's Death Countdown
Perhaps the saddest moment in all of How I Met Your Mother comes in "Bad News," an episode where there is a countdown happening through numbers appearing in clear yet random places, but nobody knows what for.
When the cab arrives delivering the number one as Marshall stands outside MacLarens and a teary-eyed Lily approaches, hearts sink. She reveals that Marshall's dad had a heart attack and died, and it is a moment that induces tears and shock like no other, perhaps the best-executed bit of heartbreak in the series.
Tracy's Death
Tracy's death, is the point of no return for the finale, with Ted revealing he loved her right up until she became ill and died before finishing his long story.
This moment is a complete shock. In the alternate ending, Barney and Robin get back together and seemingly live happily ever after, the mother is alive and happy with Ted, and that finale is pretty fantastic. In this, though, Tracy dies, and it turns out the show really should have been called "How I Met Your Aunt Robin."
Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment In Slappmara
This whole episode really should not exist. Every scene in which it uses Asian culture as a costume, "yellowface," and racial stereotypes in a poor attempt at comedy is pretty out of order. The creators have come out and said in the past that they never intended the homage to Kung-fu movies to come across that way, but the episode's racism makes it an unpleasant one to rewatch..
Robin Getting Slut-Shamed
One of the most significant ways in which How I Met Your Mother has not aged well is in how women in the show are slut-shamed, particularly Robin.
Marshall, typically the nicest and most consistently unproblematic member of the gang, flat-out calls Robin a slut after the Naked Man incident, but that is not the only time she is a victim of it. Her relationship with Scooby, the Mermaid Theory, the woo girls, and more lead to some double standards amongst the group. All of these scenes are nerve-wracking and uncomfortable to watch; they were not okay then and certainly are not now.