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Carl MacLaren
CarlPilot
Portrayed by:
First appearance:
Last appearance:
Full name:
Carl MacLaren
Occupation:
Bartender at and possible owner of MacLaren's Pub
Romances:
Yasmin (ex-girlfriend, presumed)
Gallery of Carl MacLaren images (0)
“Yeah, most famous people don't go around saying 'I have fans' but okay.”
―Carl to Robin when the latter meets Sophie.[src]

Carl MacLaren is a bartender at and possible owner of MacLaren's Pub since the Pilot. He is good friends with the entire gang, occasionally serving them free drinks.

Character History[]

In the Pilot, he has a Lebanese girlfriend named Yasmin, however whether they are still together or not is unknown. Although it is worth noting that in 2006, he was trying to hook up with Lily.

He makes his own special shots for the gang in The Pineapple Incident, and Marshall tells the gang his theory that Carl might be a vampire.

In Three Days of Snow a large blizzard hits Manhattan, which results in much of the city being shut down, including MacLaren's, with Ted and Barney it's only patrons. Carl decides to close the bar early since the church's basement doubles as a shelter during big storms. Ted and Barney protest the early closure because they were hoping to rendezvous with the two college girls from Arizona they met earlier. Carl lends them the keys allowing them to keep the bar open for themselves for a while longer and placing the responsibility of closing the bar down on them, expressing his trust in them.

Carl

Carl in Three Days of Snow, entrusting the keys to the bar to Ted and Barney.

Ted and Barney take advantage of the situation and attempt to practice their mixology skills but end up breaking several liquor bottles and pint glasses in the process. Eventually the college girls arrive, but bring the entire college marching band with them packing the bar out. Ted and Barney eventually break their rule of "no last call" and evacuate the patrons, sending them to their apartment to continue the party.

Future Ted recounts in Blitzgiving that once previously, the beer taps broke and wouldn't stop pouring, so Carl, trying to stop the flow, offered free beer to everyone there.

In the beginning of The Best Man, Marshall and Lily decide not to tell anybody that Lily is pregnant yet. However, when they approach the bar to order a round of drinks, Lily asks Carl for four beers and one non-alcoholic beer. Carl immediately deduces that Lily's pregnant, and ecstatically reaches across the bar to give her a congratulatory hug. This makes him the first person, aside from Marshall, to learn of Lily's pregnancy, even before the rest of the gang.

In The Time Travelers Carl names a drink after Robin, which upsets Marshall for he was the one who invented the drink. After Robin tricks Marshall into hiding in the women's bathroom, he and Carl get into a spat, with Carl wagering that he will name every drink in the bar after Marshall if he can tell him his last name. Marshall failed to do so, guessing that Carl's last name was "Junior" associating with the fast food chain Carl's Jr. 

In Gary Blauman it is revealed that Carl still works at MacLaren's and it is now a family business with plans to hand the bar onto his son. He is still shown working there in Timing is Everything.   

In a deleted scene of Last Forever - Part Two, he tells Barney that August has 31 days, and not 30, after Barney told him about scoring a perfect month.   

Family[]

  • Unnamed son

Episode Appearances[]

How I Met Your Mother
  1. Pilot
  2. Sweet Taste of Liberty
  3. Slutty Pumpkin
  4. Matchmaker
  5. The Pineapple Incident
  6. Ted Mosby: Architect
  7. Swarley
  8. Columns
  9. Monday Night Football
  10. Three Days of Snow
  11. Girls Versus Suits
  12. Twin Beds
  13. Blitzgiving
  14. The Perfect Cocktail
  15. The Best Man
  16. The Time Travelers
  17. Something New
  18. Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra
  19. Gary Blauman
  20. Last Forever - Part One
  21. Last Forever - Part Two
How I Met Your Father
  1. Timing is Everything

External Links[]

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