Neil Patrick Harris Talks About His Marriage With Husband David Burtka
Neil Patrick Harris is a major celebrity but he has been able to keep most of his private life quiet. Despite playing womanizer Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother, Harris is gay and has been married to David Burtka for a few years now. In a recent interview, Neil Patrick Harris talked about his husband and where they are in their marriage.
Neil Patrick Harris discusses his husband, David Burtka
In an interview with WIRED, Harris answered some of the internet’s most searched questions. One of the questions was “Is Neil Patrick Harris married?” The actor answered by showing the ring on his finger and explaining more about his husband and their relationship.
“I am married to a youngish man, David Michael Burtka,” Harris said. “He’s an actor. He’s won the Fred Astaire award for his dancing skills on Broadway. He’s very critical of me — No, he’s not. David’s great. We’ve been married for 8 years, but together for 18.”
How did Harris and Burtka meet?
US Weekly provided a timeline of Harris’ relationship with Burtka. Neil Patrick Harris first met his future husband while they were both performing on Broadway. Harris was performing in Cabaret while Burtka was performing in Gypsy. However, Burtka was with somebody else at the time. Harris shared that he first met him at an American Idol viewing party and was immediately entranced.
“I didn’t want to be that guy who was creating some sort of romantic interference,” Harris explained in a 2012 interview with Out. “So, I was always around when he was around, hoping the stars would align. When we all hung out for the first time — I was invited by [mutual friend] Kate to an American Idol viewing party — I just stammered around him. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.”
Shortly after Burtka broke up with his then-boyfriend, Harris and Burtka began dating. They later moved in together in New York City before moving to Los Angeles once Harris had booked his role in How I Met Your Mother. After Burtka guest-starred on the series in 2006, Harris publicly came out as gay.
In 2014, the two officially tied the knot at a small reception with only 45 guests, including Elton John.
Do Harris and Burtka have kids?
Neil Patrick Harris and his husband have two kids together: Harper Grace Burtka-Harris and Gideon Scott Burtka-Harris. The fraternal twins were born via surrogate in 2010. The two got married four years later, partly because their kids began asking serious questions about their relationship, and they wanted to clear up some confusion.
“Our kids got to the age when they were having reasonable conversations where they’re asking lots of ‘Why?’ questions, then it seemed [important] to be able to have a real clear-cut [identity] of who their daddy is — that he’s my husband, it was easier than partner or boyfriend,” Harris shared during a September 2014 appearance on The View.
During his interview with WIRED, Harris provided a brief update on what he is up to with his family.
“Now, I’m hanging out with my kids in our place in East Hampton with my husband called ‘Funhouse Farm,’” Harris said. “Fixing things, supergluing things, and learning how hand tools work.”
Harris is currently starring in Uncoupled, a new series now streaming on Netflix.
