Who Was Ted's Best Non-Mother Love Interest In How I Met Your Mother?
Sarah Smith
Published Aug 02, 2026
To no one's surprise, landing in the number one spot of our survey is Robin (Cobie Smulders), with just over 16% of the vote as the fan's favorite Ted love interest. Robin and Ted's on-again, off-again relationship was a highlight of "How I Met Your Mother," and the chemistry between the two was undeniable. Fans learned quickly she wasn't the mother, but that didn't stop the viewers from rooting for the couple.
Becky (Laura Bell Bundy) and Naomi (Katie Holmes) are tied for second in our poll, with exactly 15.42% of the vote each. Both were small flings for Ted, and we're guessing Naomi landed up high in our survey due to the excellent guest appearance by Holmes. Tied for third place are Stella (Sarah Chalke) and Jeanette (Abby Elliott), with 10.88% of respondents choosing them. These women couldn't be more opposite, with Stella serving as an ex-fiancé of Ted's while Jeanette was a crazy stalker ex.
In a very close fourth and fifth place are Zoey (Jennifer Morrison) and Karen (Laura Prepon) with 9.9% and 9.58% of the vote, respectively. Coming in the last two spots are Victoria (Ashley Williams) and Royce (Judy Greer), with 6.82% and 5% of respondents choosing them as Ted's best non-Mother love interests.