An alleged "How I Met Your Mother" alternate ending had been leaked online but was later taken down from YouTube and Vimeo due to copyright issues.

Five months after the bittersweet finale and thousands of comments of dismay from fans, a "How I Met Your Mother" alternate ending was released.

Before airing the final episode, "HIMYM" co-creator Carter Bays took to his Twitter account to speak about having had to choose between two endings for the show. "16 days ago today we were in the 'HIMYM' edit room, trying to decide between two very different endings," Bays wrote. "We only shot one script, but through edit room magic we had two possible outcomes for the series. We chose the ending we chose and we stand by it. But we loved the other version too."

According to Vulture, the writers of the show previously hinted that the alternate ending will be included in "How I Met Your Mother: The Whole Story, Seasons 1-9 DVD set" to be launched on September 23 but a copy appears to have made its way online.

The show's co-creator Craig Thomas previously tweeted about the fans' dismay over the ending and a promise of a surprise, saying "We love all #HIMYM fans and respect all opinions...so we want to share that Plan B with you on the Series Box set."

While there had been no confirmations made by producers regarding the authenticity of the leaked "How I Met Your Mother" alternate ending, TVLine also suggests that the video is real. Its disappearance from the web also hints at its legitimacy.

According to Us Weekly, the main difference between the aired ending of the well-loved sitcom and the "How I Met Your Mother" alternate ending was that the long-awaited mother, Tracy McConnell, played by Cristin Milloti, did not succumb to a terminal illness. Making Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor, still married to the titular "Mother" and not a widower rekindling romance with a divorced Robin Scherbatsky, played by Cobie Smulders.

"How I Met Your Mother" ran for nine seasons and was nominated for 72 Emmy Awards.