Cobie Smulders is well-known for her breakout role on the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” For nine seasons, the actress played Robin Scherbatsky, a Canadian who moved to New York to start her life as a journalist. Her character met a group of great friends along the way, revealed her secret past life as a teen pop star, and landed a dream job.
Smulders also had a significant movie career during her time on CBS, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2012 as Maria Hill, one of the top agents of SHIELD, in “The Avengers.” As she appeared throughout the MCU, she continued to add other films to her resume, like the mockumentary “Killing Gunther,” the romantic comedy “Results,” satirical comedies like “They Came Together” and “Grassroots,” and dramas like “Unexpected” and “Safe Haven.”
Though the actress appeared in other TV series after her time as Robin Scherbatsky came to a close, like the Netflix series “Friends from College” and “Arrested Development,” it may feel like you haven’t seen Smulders on screen in a bit. If you’ve been wondering where she is since hanging up her hockey stick and putting her days with Nick Fury behind her, here’s everything to know about what Cobie Smulders from “How I Met Your Mother” is up to now.
She spoke out more about her battle with cancer
Cobie Smulders opened up about her battle with ovarian cancer in 2018. She shared publicly for the first time in a 2015 interview with Women’s Health that she was diagnosed at age 25 while filming the third season of “How I Met Your Mother.” “I had tumors on both ovaries,” Smulders said. “The cancer had spread into my lymph nodes and surrounding tissues.” Over the span of two years, she underwent several surgeries to remove the tumors.
“I’m a survivor — and grateful for that. I will say it has brought me to this place of more strengths,” the actress told USA Today. In a 2018 text post on her Facebook page, Smulders shared a PSA she directed with TESARO and Not On My Watch to help raise awareness about ovarian cancer, encourage people to receive regular check-ups, and to highlight different treatment options available to those in remission.
“I was feeling general pressure and I was very lethargic. I went to the doctor and everything seemed to be okay,” Smulders said in an interview on the Build series about her diagnosis. “A couple of months later there was a giant tumor I then had to have removed.” During the discussion, she stressed the importance of listening to your body and to get anything checked out, just in case.
She has appeared in one movie post-MCU
After brief cameos in “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Cobie Smulders’ next and most recent movie came in 2020 with the release of the romantic drama “Cicada.” The film follows two men coming to terms with different events in their lives as they grow closer together. It’s based on the personal experiences of writers and stars Matthew Fifer and Sheldon D. Brown. Smulders portrays a secondary character named Sophie.
“Cicada” was originally meant to premiere at the BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival in 2020, but the festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The movie later premiered in August 2020 at the Outfest Film Festival. It wasn’t until a year later, in October 2021, that “Cicada” got a theatrical release. The film grossed more in South Korea than domestically, earning $13,370 in the United States.
Despite its limited release, “Cicada” received rave reviews from critics, sitting at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. “In a normal year, ‘Cicada’ would have completed a comprehensive tour of the LGBTQ festival circuit, picking up a word-of-mouth following along the way,” noted Variety, highlighting how the pandemic impacted the movie’s release, and ultimately why Smulders fans may not remember this part of her recent filmography.
Her next big TV show got dealt a bad hand
“Cicada” wasn’t the only Cobie Smulders project impacted by the pandemic. Though TV fans know her for “How I Met Your Mother,” the actress attempted to create a new chapter in her television career as the lead and co-executive producer of the ABC crime drama “Stumptown.” Smulders starred as Dex Parios, a private investigator trying to get out of debt.
The series received positive reviews and a second season renewal, but the tides turned with the pandemic. Just four months after giving the show the green light, ABC announced it would not move forward with another season due to production delays. Instead of being ready for a fall 2020 premiere, the second season wouldn’t be ready until the spring, leading ABC to shop the series elsewhere. Unfortunately, it was not picked up by another network.
“Stumptown” wasn’t the only well-received series to be canceled by the pandemic after an initial renewal, but this one hit fans particularly hard. It marked the first time Smulders was credited as a producer, and her first acting award nomination since her “How I Met Your Mother” days. She was nominated for best actress in a superhero series for playing Dex in the first-ever Critics Choice Super Awards, but lost to Aya Cash, who won for playing Stormfront, the supe who fought Queen Maeve (and lost), in “The Boys.”
She became a U.S. citizen and more involved in American politics
Cobie Smulders, a Canadian, became a citizen of the United States in time to vote in the 2020 presidential election. Smulders resides in California with her husband, fellow actor Taran Killam, and children, and purchased a home in Los Angeles in 2020. Being married to an American citizen and working and living in the country, it’s not surprising that she wanted to participate in local and national politics.
In an Instagram post, Smulders shared what becoming a United States citizen meant to her. “I have been living in the US for 16 years now working and paying taxes, making little humans, creating a family and making this Country my home,” the actress wrote. “But I have been unable to Vote. I am excited to do so in this coming election in November.”
Smulders regularly posts about the importance of voting on her Instagram. From selfies with her “I Voted” stickers to encouraging her followers to register to vote, the actress continues to vote and post about the importance of participating in the process. She has also made her stance on different American political issues known. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, she posted twice on her social media to show her support for the #BansOffOurBodies movement. The posts gave her followers information on how to take action by contacting representatives and donating to different organizations.
She portrayed a media figure
Though “Stumptown” got the axe prematurely, Cobie Smulders’ career in television continued as she joined the cast of the third season of “American Crime Story.” The season followed the infamous Clinton–Lewinsky scandal. Smulders portrayed recurring character Ann Coulter, a member of the conservative media who was particularly critical of Bill Clinton’s administration and wrote a book about his impeachment.
The show received mixed reviews from critics, sitting at 69% on Rotten Tomatoes. Upon release, there were discussions about everything “Impeachment: American Crime Story” got right, while the show also came under fire for Sarah Paulson’s portrayal of Linda Tripp. Though the actress was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for best actress, reviewers criticized the choice to have Paulson wear a fat suit in the role instead of a plus-sized actor being cast.
“Paulson dominates but there are also other fine performances around the edges, including a disarming Annaleigh Ashford as Clinton accuser Paula Jones and a surprisingly note-perfect Cobie Smulders as a vicious Ann Coulter,” said The Guardian in its review. Despite the compliment, the series was the start of continued recurring and secondary roles for Smulders on television, pushing her from the spotlight into the background.
She’s done voice work for several animated series
Just because you haven’t seen Cobie Smulders on screen doesn’t mean you haven’t heard her voice in something recently. The actress has lent her voice to a variety of television series, including long-running adult comedies and popular children’s shows.
Fans of “The Simpsons” may recognize Smulders’ voice from the Season 31 episode “Bart the Bad Guy.” She voiced Hydrangea, a superhero who shows Bart that superheroes are actually real. The actress was also part of the cast of “Lightning Wolves,” a seven-episode animated series from Comedy Central that aired on its YouTube and Facebook pages, voicing Manitoba. Smulders also appeared in an episode of “The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib,” voicing Stella Chimeric in the Season 1 finale.
Like others in the MCU, Smulders has voiced her live-action character in animated projects. She returned as Maria Hill in an episode each for the first and second seasons of “What If…?,” which explores different timelines and alternate universes, and also voiced the character in two episodes of “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” so far. One of Smulders’ first voice roles was in “The Lego Movie,” although only adults might have noticed her presence. She played Wonder Woman, a character she reprised in the 2019 sequel. The actress also lent her voice to an episode of the 2016 adult animated comedy “Animals.” and four episodes of the PBS series “Nature Cat.”
