This casting update will have you shouting, "Hug me, brotha!"
E! News has learned that Josh Peck will be joining fellow former child star Hilary Duff on CBS' How I Met Your Father, a spinoff of the network's long-running sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Per Deadline, who first broke the casting news, Peck has been cast in a recurring role and will act opposite series lead Chris Lowell.
Peck, who currently stars on Disney+'s TV adaptation of Turner & Hooch, is said to be playing Drew, the good-looking vice principal at the school where Jesse (Lowell) works. E! News readers likely know Peck best from his days as a child actor on Nickelodeon, starring in the comedies Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show.
The 34-year-old actor's addition to the cast comes amid Brandon Micheal Hall's exit from the series. Hall, who starred on God Friended Me between 2018 and 2020, has since been replaced by David Makes Man's Daniel Augustin.
Additional cast members include grown-ish's Francia Raisa, The Royals' Tom Ainsley, Candyman's Tien Tran and God Friended Me's Suraj Sharma, who will all play the friends and family of Lowell and Duff's characters. Ashley Reyes has also been cast in the recurring role of Hannah, the girlfriend of Sid (Sharma).
As the streaming service previously shared, like its predecessor, HIMYF follows Sophie as she recounts to her son how she met his father, bringing viewers back to the year 2021, when Sophie and her friends are trying to figure life out.
While we dust off our ducky ties and prepare for more HIMYF news, take a closer look at the actors we hope make an appearance on the spinoff below.
This smoldering hottie had a "will they, won't they" relationship with Hilary Duff's character on Younger. Yet competitive Zane (Charles Michael Davis) couldn't handle Kelsey's (Duff) success at Millennial Imprint. Could Zane and Kelsey get their true happily ever after on How I Met Your Father? Even if he's not the father, we'd just be happy to see them together again.
Hilary Duff's real-life husband would make for the sweetest cameo in her new series. While Matthew Koma isn't an actor (yet) he is a famous musician known for collaborating with Shaina Twain, The Knocks, and Zedd.
McLovin' still has more love to give. Christopher Mintz-Plasse counts Hilary Duff as a real-life pal—he even officiated Duff's wedding to Matthew Koma! Koma and Plasse are BFFs, so why not have them both appear on Duff's new series?
Princeton can wait: we're still shipping Sam (Hilary Duff) and Austin (Chad Michael Murray) from 2004's A Cinderella Story. Let's just not have Murray reprise his Riverdale role as a cult leader and we'd love for him to win Sophie's heart on How I Met Your Father.
Just in case you needed a reminder of Lizzie McGuire's middle school crush Ethan (Clayton Snyder), it's clear they're still pals IRL. Snyder even took Hilary Duff to his middle school dance! "I can't say she had a great time, but she's a great sport for going," Snyder previously joked of inviting his teen A-list co-star to his school. Who wouldn't want to see that be recreated in How I Met Your Mother? Sign up Snyder for a role as a middle school teacher, and it's a full circle love story.
Fans need to Raise Your Voice to get Hilary Duff's 2004 onscreen love interest to return to Hollywood. While Oliver James—who also is beloved for his role in What A Girl Wants opposite Amanda Bynes—hasn't acted since 2012, but we have a feeling Duff might be able to convince him to come out of retirement.
Ok hear us out: Tom Welling is too hot to just play Hilary Duff's sibling in Cheaper By the Dozen. It's a throwback, but one we're definitely here for.
It hasn't not been proven that Regé-Jean Page left Bridgerton to be on How I Met Your Father. Seems legit, and we know Sophie (Hilary Duff) wouldn't be able to resist the Duke's burn for her.
The High School Musical hunk can return to his Disney Channel roots opposite Hilary Duff. And yes, we want Zac Efron to be in every show, movie, commercial...anything to see him onscreen.
Lizzie McGuire viewers remember Frankie Muniz playing himself on an episode of hit Disney Channel series. But die-hard Frankie fans know that Hilary Duff also starred alongside him in Agent Cody Banks. Their reunion would be a heavenly gift for any former 2000s tween!
The OG How I Met Your Mother star would be a great fit for Hilary Duff's spinoff. Plus we just want to see Ted Mosby again!
Paolo, is that you? Last time we checked, teen heartthrob Yani Gellman is still acting long after The Lizzie McGuire Movie. His last TV role was in Bosch in 2019, so we know he's just waiting for Hulu's call.
Reboot be damned, we still want to see Gordo (Adam Lamberg) and Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff) together as adults!