'How I Met Your Mother' Season 8 Finale Reveals Titular Mom [Video]
Plus, five things to know about the actress who will become Ted's wife.
SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains spoilers about the Season 8 finale of "How I Met Your Mother."
After a drum roll that has lasted eight seasons and almost 200 episodes (183 to be exact), we finally met the love of Ted's (Josh Radnor) life in Monday night's "How I Met Your Mother" season finale.
The episode was almost over. Lily (Alyson Hannigan) was still trying to wrap her head around Ted's secret decision to move to Chicago. She was also still thinking about moving to Italy with hubby Marshall (Jason Segal). Anyway, everyone was getting ready to go to Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Barney's (Neil Patrick Harris) wedding.
[Related: Neil Patrick Harris to Host Tonys for Fourth Time]
Including: a girl in boots carrying a yellow umbrella and a bass guitar (hello, Mother!) and buying one train ticket to Farhampton. Then the episode was over.
Future Ted once made a reference to "the thing with your mom's yellow umbrella" which he picked up at a party somehow. Additionally, CBS confirms that the girl was indeed the Mother. "Our ninth season will tell the epic story of the longest wedding weekend ever," shares executive producer and co-creator Carter Bays. "We hope you like it. Next stop, Farhampton."
Sorry Chicago, but we don't think you're getting a new bachelor named Ted.
We have to wait until next season -- which will be the show's last -- to really get to know Ted's future wife, but in the meantime, meet the actress behind the titular mother, Cristin Milioti.
1. She's not super-famous.
The producers have been teasing this character for so long that many fans were expecting some crazy famous stunt casting. "It was a pretty big umbrella to fill, casting the title role in a series that's been on the air for eight years,” says Bays. "We're thrilled to welcome [Milioti] to the 'How I Met Your Mother' family, and look forward to getting to know her -- and the character she plays -- much better in the coming final season." The 27-year-old New York actress may not be Kate Hudson on "Glee," but...
2. She is musically inclined.
Milioti has killer musical chops and received a Tony nomination for her performance as Girl in the popular Broadway musical adaptation of the movie "Once."
See Milioti sing in "Once":
3. She is Miss New York TV Gal.
That's not an official title, but it should be. Milioti had a recurring role on "The Sopranos" as Johnny Sack's daughter, made us crack up on "30 Rock" as "sexy baby" Abby Flynn, and played an actual crackhead on "Nurse Jackie." Bays raves, "Cristin Milioti is, against all odds, exactly what we were looking for. She made us laugh on '30 Rock,' she made us swoon in 'Once,' and her ukulele skills are no joke."
See Milioti in "30 Rock":
4. She locked lips with Leonardo DiCaprio.
The two appear in Martin Scorsese's film "The Wolf of Wall Street," based on the best-selling memoir about the hard-partying life of former stockbroker Jordan Belfort. Milioti plays the first wife to DiCaprio's Belfort.
5. She's a daddy's girl.
In a get-to-know-the-Tony-nominees video for Broadway.com, Milioti says the best advice she ever received was from her dad: "Be yourself."
What did you think of the big "HIMYM" reveal? Tell us in the comments.
