Over the course of How I Met Your Mother's nine seasons, a number of big-name celebrities made guest appearances. One of the most memorable celebrity cameos came in the form of Britney Spears during the sitcom's third season. Here's the story behind Spears' cameo and how it benefited the CBS series.
Award-winning pop singer Britney Spears first appeared in the How I Met Your Mother episode, "Ten Sessions." Spears played the role of Abby, the receptionist at Stella Zinman's (Sarah Chalke) dermatology clinic. Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) went to Stella's office for ten sessions to get a tattoo removed. Abby was instantly attracted to Ted and tried to get his attention as the sessions went on. Even though she dressed to impress and dropped numerous hints regarding her crush, Ted never caught on. Abby ended up spending the night with Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), but she was upset that he never called her after their romantic fling. She then made it her mission to warn women about Barney's behavior before he had a chance to seduce them.
Prior to her appearance on How I Met Your Mother, the pop icon had acted in the feature film, Crossroads, and cameoed on Will & Grace. Spears was a fan of How I Met Your Mother, so she had her team contact the show's co-creators, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. Some of the cast members were hesitant about a big name making a cameo, since they feared the series would look like they were relying on celebrities to bring in ratings. Bays and Thomas later agreed to have a cameo by Spears and they considered her for the role of Stella. The creative team then decided to develop another role for the singer and planned to have Alicia Silverstone portray Stella. Silverstone later dropped out, believing her role would be overlooked with Spears' involvement. Either way, Spears exceeded expectations with her performance as Abby.
The cast and crew of How I Met Your Mother were instantly impressed with Spears' comedic acting. She supposedly had everyone laughing on set and improvised a few of her lines during the episode. Spears was also said to have impeccable comic timing, leading to her scene-stealing performance. The sitcom loved her cameo so much, they asked her to reprise her role a few episodes later in the episode "Everything Must Go." Barney finally figured out that she was the "mystery woman" sabotaging his one-night stands. To make Ted jealous, Barney and Abby pretended to be in a serious relationship. At one point, he even proposed Abby in front of Ted and she thought it was legitimate.
Spears' appearance in How I Met Your Mother ultimately worked out for all involved. The singer's first appearance awarded the series with a major bump in ratings. The creators credited her at keeping the sitcom alive since they believed Spears helped put them on the map. The cameo also gave Spears the opportunity to get back into the entertainment world since it was her first major project after taking a multi-year hiatus.
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