How I Met Your Mother: 10 Reasons Why Stella Is The Worst

While there are plenty of intriguing characters that played a huge role in the success of How I Met Your Mother, it’s safe to say that some were more successful – and entertaining – than others. One such example of that is Stella Zinman.

While the majority of fans love Sarah Chalke, probably because it’s incredibly hard not to, there was something really lacking with the Stella character throughout her tenure on the show. Today, we’re going to run through ten of the most obvious reasons as to why we believe she will be remembered as one of the villains of the HIMYM universe.

10 Leaving Ted At The Altar

In any walk of life, one of the worst things you can do to another human being would be to leave them at the altar. If you really want to kick them in the teeth, though, you’ll run off with your ex on the very same day.

That’s what Stella did to Ted, and while some fans didn’t like her to begin with, they probably didn’t think she’d consider stooping to such a frustratingly low level.

9 Moving To The City With Tony

Stella was adamant that she wanted Ted to move over to New Jersey with her and Lucy after getting married, mainly because she had so many attachments to the state. That would’ve been fine if she didn’t run off and move to New York City with Tony after leaving Ted, you guessed it, at the altar.

It’s the kind of hypocrisy that makes the pill even harder to swallow, and it was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Ted.

8 Using A Note

We sound like a broken record at this point by continually pointing out that Stella leaves Ted at the altar, but it’s clearly the worst thing she did in the show.

One of the most excruciating elements of the whole thing was that she used a note to do it. She didn’t summon any kind of Dutch courage by saying it to his face – she chose to take the easy way out and run as far away as she possibly could.

7 New Jersey Obsession

As noted earlier on in the piece, Stella makes it pretty clear that she’s a huge fan of living in New Jersey – and she doesn’t really bend on that stance.

She proceeds to run down all of the reasons why New York City isn’t the greatest city on earth, even though as a destination, it’s largely deemed to be head and shoulders above NJ. Some may say it’s loyalty, but either way, it gets annoying.

6 The Wedding Bride

While The Wedding Bride may have come from the mind of Tony, which is enough of a reason for Ted to sue and potentially even jump Tony down a dark alley, you’d have to imagine that Stella would’ve helped to sign off on it.

The fact that she apparently stood by and did absolutely nothing just helps fans feel a little bit better about hating her in the immediate aftermath of the wedding fiasco.

5 Accepting The Proposal

Aside from Ted’s proposal being more than just a little bit spontaneous, you have to wonder whether or not Stella actually gave some thought to the idea of marrying a man she didn’t even know all that well. She could’ve easily said that it was too soon, because judging by her behavior later down the line, she’s still clearly in love with Tony even when Ted proposes. 

It’s painful to watch, and it was doomed to fail from the second we saw that cliffhanger.

4 Questioning Ted In Season 9

In her last appearance on the show, many years after the fall-out of her engagement with Ted, she appeared once again when Mr. Mosby rang her to try and retrieve a locket for Robin.

For some reason, Stella decides to assume that Ted is going to try and ruin her wedding – and regardless of whether or not that’s the case, she’s a bit too overconfident for our liking.

3 Making Ted Graft So Hard

It takes 10 sessions for Stella to man up and tell Ted that she has a daughter. She leads him on to the point where Ted thinks that he’s still in with a chance of going out with her, and then she puts a pin in the idea at the very last second.

Sure, they do end up dating for a while and even getting engaged, but putting him through that kind of turmoil tells you what kind of person she is.

2 The Makeshift Bar

As if it wasn’t bad enough that Stella didn’t get a sitter when the gang came round to her house, she also thought that she could replicate the experience of going to a bar by having the guys hang out in – wait for it – her basement.

It wasn’t exactly the kind of all-star experience you’d expect, because you know, they were in a basement. It was cute, but it showcased just how bland her character really was.

1 Asking Ted For A Favor

After everything she did to him, Stella somehow has the nerve to try and ask Ted to help her win Tony back. The fact that Ted didn’t shut the door in her face right then and there says a lot about his character because most other guys would just leave Stella to fend for herself.

Stella always knew that Ted was a really nice guy, and when you get into the thick of it, she abused that.

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