Neil Patrick Harris has reaffirmed why he refuses to learn which of his teenage twins is his biological child.
The “How I Met Your Mother” actor, 52, and his husband David Burtka, 50, welcomed fraternal twins Gideon and Harper via surrogate in October 2010. The couple each contributed sperm to fertilize two separate eggs, meaning either parent could be the biological father of either child. Harris first explained his stance during a 2014 interview with Barbara Walters, and the family recently drew fresh attention when Harris posted a holiday card through Minted featuring himself, Burtka, the twins, and their French Bulldog Chunk.
“I have no interest in [finding out]. We are their parents and I love them implicitly,” Harris told Walters in the 2014 sit-down. He detailed the deliberate arrangement: “We inserted one of my sperm and one of David’s sperm into two eggs with the hope that they would both take, just because we both wanted to be dads biologically. Both took, miraculously.” The egg donor remained anonymous, and the couple has maintained their decision to keep the biological parentage private even as Gideon and Harper, now 15, have grown into teenagers.
Harris did acknowledge to Walters that the parents harbored private suspicions “based on their behaviour,” though neither has sought confirmation. Burtka has described Harper as outgoing like himself, telling “The Wendy Williams Show” in 2015 that “she’s like, ‘Hey everybody, I’m here!'” while characterizing Gideon as “a little more heady and intellectual,” closer to Harris’s demeanor.
The twins’ milestone birthdays have become occasions for public tributes. On Instagram last October, Harris marked their 14th birthday with a post reading: “Harper and Gideon turn 14 today. I have never been more proud of anything in my entire life, and I suspect I never will,” He added: “My husband David and I marvel at their maturity, are wowed by their warmth, chuffed by their charm. We love them both unconditionally, and their hugs fill us with life. We don’t say any of this to them, obvs, or they’d recoil or leverage it to their advantage. But they’re not on Insta, so I’m free to speak honestly. They’ll never find out. Happy Birthday, Harper and Gideon. You’re both amazeballs.”
The family’s holiday card this month prompted fan reactions across social media, with comments praising the retro aesthetic. “Such a pretty card,” one wrote, while another noted: “Retro is where it’s at this season!” A third commented: “You two are so creative! I look forward to seeing what you all come up with next!” The card featured an additional photo of the family’s dogs on its reverse side.
Harris and Burtka, who began dating in 2004 and married in Italy in 2014, have built a public profile around their family life. Their twins have appeared alongside them at events including Family Equality’s Night at the Pier Gala in New York City this past May, and even made cameo appearances in Harris’s Netflix series “A Series of Unfortunate Events” in 2018.
In the viral moment that established Harris’s stance on biological parentage, his 2014 Walters interview crystallized a position he has held consistently. The actor emphasized that the deliberate choice to use both men’s sperm reflected a shared desire for biological fatherhood, and that the resulting uncertainty was not a problem to solve but a family truth to embrace. Fans have periodically speculated about resemblances, with some commenting that Gideon looks like Harris or that Harper favors Burtka, but the couple has never engaged with such guesses.
Harris addressed the twins’ entry into high school in an Instagram post last year, writing: “The kids are entering high school this year (how wait what??), and they are at last allowed to rid themselves of their Chromebook anchors and ascend to the world of the MacBook. Huzzah!” The post drew comments from followers marveling at how quickly the children had grown, with one writing: “Hey, I’m pretty sure they were just toddlers a few weeks ago, so there’s no way!”
The couple’s parenting approach has emphasized values over biology. Harris told Daily Pop in June 2022 that the family bonded through video games, explaining: “We can all play together at our own levels, different mini-games, which is awesome. I love it. It’s a good way to keep us together as a family and play awesome games. And learn, it’s educational.” He has also spoken about instructing the twins to “hold the door open for someone, not because you want something good to happen to you, but because the person has bags in their hands, and you want to be a nice person.”
Harris will next appear on Broadway in “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” which opened in April 2023 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City.