"That's Not How it Happened" | Instagram Live 1/11/26
4/27/20261 hr
This special How We Made Your Mother Instagram Live episode features producer Alek Lev in conversation with Craig Thomas, co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, centered on Craig’s novel That’s Not How It Happened. Over an intimate, wide-ranging 54-minute discussion, Craig unpacks the personal origins of the book—drawing from his experience parenting a son with a disability—while exploring language, representation, and the loneliness parents often feel navigating disability without a shared vocabulary or community. The conversation traces how those lived experiences intersected with his time on HIMYM, why he ultimately chose not to mirror his real life directly through Marshall and Lily, and how years of frustration trying to tell disability-centered stories in Hollywood led him to write a novel instead. Craig dives into the book’s multi-perspective, non-linear structure (very much in the HIMYM storytelling DNA), his commitment to avoiding both “inspiration porn” and tragedy narratives, and his goal of making a story about disability that is genuinely funny, human, and messy. Along the way, audience questions spark candid reflections on friendship, guilt, advocacy, inclusion, creative responsibility, and the idea that every character—and every person—is standing on some kind of life “cliff.” The live concludes with gratitude to the disability community, readers who felt seen by the book, and the shared hope that telling these stories helps people stay connected instead of pulling away. CONNECT WITH THE SHOW: Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages) Instagram READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK: Subscribe HERE. CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE! Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED. SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH: Click HERE to learn more and donate today. FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES: Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPod Follow on TikTok AND MORE: Josh’s Official Website Josh on Spotify Craig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing) Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAlec Lev· Host0:00
You ever wish your caffeine hit tasted a little more like a treat? Like less coffee, more candy store chaos? That's exactly what Fruity Rainbow 5-Hour Energy shots are bringing right now.
Craig Thomas· Guest0:12
These little bottles are wild. Fruity Rainbow 5-Hour Energy shots. Treat your taste buds to an explosion of fruity flavor with that signature tasty caffeine kick. If you're a fan of sweet fruity candy but without the sugar crash, because yep, these puppies have zero sugar, you've gotta try this.
Alec Lev· Host0:28
5-Hour Energy is giving caffeine a serious flavor upgrade. 5-Hour Energy shots now come in 17 flavors, so there's something for every mood, but this fruity rainbow one, it's definitely having a moment.
Craig Thomas· Guest0:42
Plus, it's big flavor in a tiny bottle. Just two ounces. Super portable, easy to toss in your bag or your pocket. No sticky wrappers, no bulky drinks, just grab and go.
Alec Lev· Host0:52
Get candy flavored chaos with Fruity Rainbow 5-Hour Energy shots, available online at 5hourenergy.com or Amazon.
Craig Thomas· Guest1:02
Craig.
Alec Lev· Host1:06
Josh. We live in a pretty expensive city. It's called New York City.
Craig Thomas· Guest1:10
That's what it's called.
Alec Lev· Host1:11
And, uh, they say that, uh, it costs about $100 to just step out of your apartment in New York City.
Craig Thomas· Guest1:18
Right.
Alec Lev· Host1:18
Yeah. And you know, you, you, you, you get your, a meal here, a coffee there, a little thing here, a little thing there. Next thing you know, by the end of the month, that's all added up, but Rocket Money