Craig Thomas (screenwriter)

Lore & Background

Craig Thomas graduated from Wesleyan University in 1997 and wrote for the Late Show with David Letterman for five years. He then partnered with Carter Bays to write episodes of American Dad!, Oliver Beene, and Quintuplets before creating How I Met Your Mother in 2005. The show won a People's Choice Award in 2012. Thomas has been nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, including Best Original Song for 'Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit.'

In 1996, Thomas and Bays formed the power pop band The Solids with fellow Wesleyan students Patrick Butler and Nick Coleman. The band wrote theme songs for Oliver Beene and How I Met Your Mother. Thomas also wrote songs for How I Met Your Mother episodes, including 'You Just Got Slapped' and 'Let's Go to the Mall.'

In 2014, Thomas shot a pilot for How I Met Your Dad with Bays, Emily Spivey, and Greta Gerwig, but CBS requested a second pilot, which they refused. On April 15, 2019, he joined other writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and packaging. In November 2025, his debut novel That's Not How It Happened was published by HarperCollins, inspired by raising his young adult son with Jacobsen Syndrome. He has fundraised extensively for Dr. Paul Grossfeld's lab at Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego, which researches congenital heart disease and Jacobsen syndrome.

Reader's Guide

Craig Thomas's significance lies primarily in co-creating How I Met Your Mother, a sitcom that became a cultural touchstone and won a People's Choice Award. His work with The Solids provided the show's iconic theme song, and his songwriting earned an Emmy nomination. Thomas's career spans television writing, music, and novel writing, with his prose appearing in the New Yorker's Shouts & Murmurs column. His advocacy for Jacobsen syndrome research, inspired by his son, adds a personal dimension to his legacy. The failed How I Met Your Dad pilot and his role in the WGA's 2019 stand against packaging highlight his involvement in industry labor issues. His debut novel, published in 2025, marks a transition to literary fiction.

Did You Know?

• Thomas co-wrote the theme songs for Oliver Beene and How I Met Your Mother as a member of The Solids.
• He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Original Song for 'Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit.'
• Thomas has fundraised extensively for Dr. Paul Grossfeld's lab researching Jacobsen syndrome at Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego.