Neil Patrick Harris' Kids: Meet 2 Children With David Burtka

Neil Patrick Harris cherishes fatherhood more than any movie or TV role he’s ever received. The How I Met Your Mother star said becoming the dad of his twins, son Gideon and daughter Harper, with his husband, David Burtka, has been the greatest blessing he could ever imagine.

While celebrating his birthday in June 2021, Neil uploaded a lovely photo with his arms wrapped around his children. “These are my two favorite gifts,” he gushed in the caption, adding the hashtag, “grateful.”

The A Series of Unfortunate Events star experienced parenthood with his longtime partner in 2010. Neil and David welcomed their twins via surrogate, announcing the news on Twitter. “Babies!! Gideon Scott and Harper Grace entered the Burtka-Harris fold,” he penned. “All of us are happy, healthy, tired and a little pukey.”

Years after Gideon and Harper came into their lives, Neil opened up about his journey to fatherhood and revealed he was uninterested in finding out if he is his twins’ biological dad. The couple — who began dating in 2004 and wed in 2014 — started a family thanks to surrogacy.

“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,” he explained during an appearance in 2014, per CTV News. “And both took, miraculously.”

However, Neil doesn’t need proof of genetics to prove how much he adores his kids. “I have no interest in [finding out]. We are their parents and I love them both implicitly,” the actor sweetly shared.

Neil said the couple “certainly have suspicions [of who is the biological dad just based on their behavior,” and David echoed his hubby’s sentiment during an interview with Wendy Williams in 2015. The Wig actor said he believes Harper might be biologically his because she emulates his personality.

“She’s like, ‘Hey everybody, I’m here!'” he adorably quipped, adding their son, Gideon, is more like the Tony Award winner. “He’s a little more heady and intellectual [like Neil],” the doting dad gushed.

Gideon and Harper both made their acting debut in 2018 with cameos in A Series of Unfortunate Events. Neil starred on the show for three seasons and wanted to incorporate his little ones into the program for the cutest reason.

“I thought it would be fun for them to not just visit the set for half an hour and see me and say hello, but actually see what I do for a living,” he told People in March 2018.

The siblings portrayed Skip Willums and Little Trixie Willums during the episode and were actually big fans of their father’s work on the series. They had a sweet reaction to seeing their dad transform into the character Count Olaf for the very first time.

“They laughed, they thought it was just strange,” he told E! News in January 2017. “I think it’s important to not just show up as a different person but to let them know that I’m going to be doing this and it’s going to involve a lot of physical changes and then show them pictures of the stages of the changes, so by the time they see and interact with me as someone else, it’s not too bizarre, they’ve seen the process.”

To learn more about Neil and David’s kids, keep scrolling!

Gideon Scott Burtka-Harris

Gideon and his twin sister were born on October 12, 2010. From the moment they were old enough to realize they have famous dads, they’ve embraced the showbiz spotlight. Not only does Gideon make tons of appearances on his father’s social media, but he’s even walked red carpet events with his family.

It seems he may have a chance as a cook when he’s older considering he “eats everything you put in front of him,” David told The New Potato in 2015. “His passion for cooking and eating good food is in his soul.”

Considering Gideon’s favorite foods are “clams, sushi, octopus, grilled pork, steak, parmigiana cheese, ginger, mint, cinnamon and coconut,” he said his child has the most “incredible” palate.”

Harper Grace Burtka-Harris

Along with her sibling, Harper has been raised in a loving household thanks to Neil and David. Similar to Gideon, Harper is also a fan of cooking in the kitchen. However, David told The New Potato she prefers “briny flavors,” such as “oysters, sardines, prosciutto, capers, duck liver, miso and anything chocolate.”

Neil and David are so proud to be the dads of their kids, so it’s not uncommon for the acting duo to share pics of Gideon and Harper on social media. In honor of Pride Month in June 2021, Neil uploaded a snap of his kiddos posing with a series of rainbow decals on the floor.

“Happy Pride Month! I’m so crazy proud of these two — that they live in a world of boundless possibility — it just makes my heart swell and my smile grow,” the Smurfs actor captioned the pic. “Celebrate your truth this month. There’s a lot of good out there.”