How I Met Your Mother: 10 Best Supporting Characters

James Stinson was played by Wayne Brady in 13 episodes of the series. He is Barney's half-brother, and he's gay. When he's first introduced, the gang tells Robin that James is exactly like Barney, so she was a bit shocked to see that he was an African American, but they explained it to her in a flashback.

When their mother was pregnant with Barney, she ate vanilla ice cream, and when she was pregnant with James, she ate chocolate. Of course, the reality was that their mother was a self-described "whore," and she slept with just about anyone she came across.

It wasn't until the two brothers were adults that she finally told them about their fathers. James' dad was a minister, and when he met him for the first time, Barney insinuated that he was his father, despite the fact that he was also an African American.

James ended up marrying Tom, and they adopted an infant daughter named Sadie, but the two were planning on getting a divorce when James appeared at Barney and Robin's wedding. Fortunately, James was able to reconcile with Tom, and the two managed to make their marriage work, raising Sadie and Eli as a happy family.