Neil Patrick Harris' 2 Kids: All About Harper Grace and Gideon Scott

Neil Patrick Harris shares twins Harper and Gideon with husband David Burtka

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka are no strangers to parenting.

The couple welcomed their twins, Harper Grace and Gideon Scott, 13, in 2010 and the world has enjoyed the family of four’s sweet social media photos since.

Harris and Burtka first started dating in 2004 after meeting on the street. However, Harris didn’t come out publicly until 2006 in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. In April 2007, Harris confirmed he was in a relationship and went public with Burtka five months later when they walked the Emmy red carpet together.

The pair announced that they were expecting twins via a surrogate in August 2010, and Harper and Gideon were born two months later. At 3 years old, the twins attended their parents' 2014 wedding in Italy and even held a special role in the ceremony. While Gideon was meant to be the ring bearer, he decided to adopt the role of “orange boy” instead, meaning he handed out oranges to the guest as he walked down the aisle while donning a top hat and tux.

Harris said a major reason the couple tied the knot after a decade together was to show their children a committed relationship with married parents. (Burtka first proposed to the actor in 2008, though they didn't announce their engagement until 2011 when gay marriage was legalized in New York.)

“I think when our kids got to the age when they were having reasonable conversations where they’re asking lots of ‘why’ questions, then it seemed [important] to be able to have a real clear-cut [identity] of who their daddy is — that he’s my husband, it was easier than partner or boyfriend,” he said on The View in 2014.

Harper and Gideon have become famous in their own right since, even making an on-screen appearance in A Series of Unfortunate Events where Harris played the sinister lead Count Olaf. The twins and Burtka made a cameo as carnival attendees and had a line each.

“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,” Harris told PEOPLE at the season 2 premiere in 2018. “And they seemed to have a good time.”

When they’re not at work with Harris, the twins enjoy celebrating holidays together or going on fun vacations. The family of four has even become well known for their elaborate Halloween costumes. Some of their most memorable outfits include Alice in Wonderland characters, Batman heroes and villains and Star Wars Jedis.

From their movie preferences to their hobbies, here’s everything to know about Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka's two kids, Harper Grace and Gideon Scott.

Harper Grace Burtka-Harris, 13

Harper Grace was born via surrogate on Oct. 12, 2010.

“Everyone says that it’s such a blur after it happens,” Harris told PEOPLE exclusively after her birth. “I find myself constantly just trying to wrap my mind around it.”

A few months after the twins' arrival, Burtka told PEOPLE, “Harper has been fussy but Gideon is the easiest baby in the world. They’re just now starting to recognize us and smile.” Harris also joked that his newborns were a good excuse to skip certain obligations, saying, “That’s cleared the calendar in a good way.”

Harper seemingly takes after Burtka, particularly because of her outgoing personality. “She's like, 'Hey everybody, I'm here!' " Burtka said on The Wendy Williams Show in 2015. Meanwhile, he suspected Gideon was more like Harris since “he’s a litle more heady and intellectual.”

Harper also seems to be a fan of horror films. Harris discussed his daughter's love for the genre during a 2022 interview on The Tonight Show, saying, “What do you say to a girl who wants to watch horror movies? Like, do you say, ‘Absolutely not?’ Because then she wants to watch them more.”

He continued to explain that Harper has seen It and Stranger Things. “She keeps asking me, ‘Papa, what is the scariest movie that you’ve ever seen?’ ” Harris told host Jimmy Fallon. “And I know where this is going ‘cause I said, ‘I’m not going to tell you the scariest movie,’ ‘cause she’s going to want to watch that.”

Harris ended up caving, and the two watched The Shining together — though Harper didn’t seem too impressed. “I'm mildly disappointed," she said, followed by, "That's the scariest movie you've ever seen?" However, Harris didn’t buy her aloofness, noting that she slept in bed with him for four nights straight after watching the film.

Aside from watching scary movies, Harper and her family bond through video games. "We can all play together at our own levels, different mini-games, which is awesome," Harris told Daily Pop in June 2022. "I love it. It's a good way to keep us together as a family and play awesome games. And learn, it's educational."

As for what the actor hopes to instill in Harper and her brother? "I tell my kids a lot, 'You have opportunities to make good or not-so-good choices. Hold the door open for someone, not because you want something good to happen to you, but because the person has bags in their hands, and you want to be a nice person.' "

Now 13 years old, Harper and her brother Gideon still have much love for their parents. "We keep being told that at a certain point, they're going to hate us," Harris joked to Entertainment Tonight about his twins entering their teen years. "That hasn't happened yet. So you know, so far, so good!"

"They're good kids. We've done a good job. You know, you put the work in and you get it back, you know?" Burtka added.

Gideon Scott Burtka-Harris, 13

Like his fraternal twin sister, Gideon Scott was born on Oct. 12, 2010, via surrogate.

When Gideon was in preschool, Burtka opened up to The New Potato about his versatile appetite, saying, “Gideon eats everything you put in front of him. His passion for cooking and eating good food is in his soul." Burtka added that his son loved "clams, sushi, octopus, grilled pork, steak, parmigiana cheese, ginger, mint, cinnamon and coconut."

As he's grown, he has shown off his talent as a chef like Burtka. Gideon’s recipe for slow-cooked eggs was featured on Harris’ lifestyle website, Wondercade. In addition to the recipe, Harris provided a transcript of Gideon narrating the cooking process and his exasperation with his “cheesy” parents.

While describing his whisking process, Gideon made a joke at his dads’ expense. “Yeah, I like using a fork because I have a much better grip on things. Unlike you two,” he said, while Harris quickly agreed.

Despite poking fun at his parents, Gideon and Harris still occassionally "twin." Harris shared a snap of one of the unplanned moments on Instagram in 2021, writing, “Intentional bonding. Unintentional matching."

Earlier that year, Harris spoke to PEOPLE about how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted his then-pre-teen kids — and how it made the family closer. “I think it's made the kids closer to each other and made us become closer to them in a much more nuanced way," he explained. "So as challenging as it's been, I really appreciate the good things that have come from it."

He also talked about some of the challenges he and Burtka have faced as parents during that time. “As a parent, we don't want them to be constantly attached to an iPad, and yet with few options, that's kind of all they want to do. That's challenging because I really like video games," he explained.

He added, "I'm torn between being the stern taskmaster that says, 'Nay those screens, you must paint!,' and being the father that says, 'Wait, what's this cool new game, show me.' "

Gideon and Harper turned 13 in October 2023, and Harris took the opportunity to celebrity his newly-minted teenagers on Instagram.

“And, just like that, they’re teenagers,” he wrote alongside a series of photos, including one snap of the twins wearing birthday hats. “Happy birthday, Harper and Gideon. You are the lights of my life. I can’t wait to watch you want nothing to do with me, and I promise I’ll be with you through all of it.

"Just, wow,” he concluded.

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