Does The Cast of ‘Gilmore Girls’ Get Along?

On-screen, the residents of Stars Hollow seem to be one big (usually happy) family, but is that how the cast was behind-the-scenes? Now it’s time for Gilmore Girls fans to find out whether Lorelai and Luke were really friends in real life and which of the Gilmores are still close to this day!

Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop

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Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) wasn’t one for getting along with her parents, who were very controlling over most aspects of her life. Lorelai often thought the worst of her mother, Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), even though it was clear Emily only wanted what was best for her daughter.

But in real life, Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop are as thick as thieves. The mother-daughter duo are close friends in real life and often go out and lunch together. Graham shared a photo of the two of them, writing, “Here’s to the ladies who lunch. #Kelly.”

Graham explained that “Kelly Bishop is another example of what I'm talking about in that passage, of the gift of having friends who are not your peers. I have a friend, she's 80 years old. We go to lunch; we talk about the same thing. There's no difference.”

Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson 

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Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson (2000)
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The on-screen love interests, Luke and Lorelai, made their chemistry look effortless. But when rumors began swirling of a feud between Graham and Patterson (who portrayed Luke Danes), fans spiraled. After Graham responded “no” to the question of whether she and Patterson were best friends, fans worried they didn’t like each other. The rumors lasted for a long time until Graham confirmed they had a working relationship.

Patterson commented on their relationship off-screen, explaining that he might’ve had a crush on the actress, but they decided to keep their relationship professional. He added, “I was seeing somebody, anyway. I think she was, too. And she probably wasn't interested in me.”

Lauren Graham and Melissa McCarthy

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Lauren Graham and Melissa McCarthy (2000)
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Not only are Lorelai and Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) best friends on-screen, but the two actresses became close in real life, too! For the 22nd anniversary of Gilmore Girls, McCarthy shared a post dedicated to her on-screen best friend. 

The actress has also shared multiple pictures of moments from the series and the sweet nickname she has for Graham, writing, “I have no idea how LG did all that dialog- she was amazing!! ??”  Their co-star, Yanic Truesdale, who played Michel, shared a post for the same anniversary confirming Graham’s and McCarthy’s relationship.

Milo Ventimiglia and Jared Padalecki 

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Jared Padalecki, Alexis Bledel and Milo Ventimiglia (2002)
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Although Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) and Dean (Jared Padalecki) are enemies on Gilmore Girls, off-screen they are very good friends. The two actors have confirmed their bromance multiple times, especially when Ventimiglia showed off his “I heart Dean 4 Ever” sign while in an interview with Jimmy Fallon. Ventimiglia then said, “Jared and I are really good friends.” Hilariously, Padalecki made his own sign after seeing Ventimiglia’s, which said, “I heart Jess 4 Ever.

Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham

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Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel (2000)
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Lorelai and Rory are best friends on-screen, doing anything and everything together. But are the actresses as close in real life? It turns out, their bond did not turn into a best friendship off-screen, but the two are still friends and supportive of each other. Graham once shared that she and Bledel will always have a “special bond,” as the two played mother-daughter for seven years.

Alexis Bledel and Keiko Agena

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Keiko Agena and Alexis Bledel (2002)
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Rory and Lane (Keiko Agena) were the best of friends on Gilmore Girls, but that’s not exactly how it was behind-the-scenes. Bledel and Agena, who were eight years apart while filming, weren’t as close off-screen. Agena shared on Scott Patterson’s podcast, “I Am All In,” that they never became close friends.

I wish we had more of a friendship. That was probably a lot to do with me not making as much of an effort as I should have.” Agena explained that she didn’t want to take away from the very little time that Bledel had while not filming, so she never made much of an effort to be friends. She added, “Alexis is such a wonderful person, and I do think that as soon as I met her as a person, you just recognize that she's an intelligent, special individual.”

Edward Herrmann and Kelly Bishop

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Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann (2005)
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The actors who portrayed the power couple, Richard and Emily Gilmore, were actually close friends in real life. Plus, they met long before they ever starred on the series together. Herrmann and Bishop were both brought up on the Broadway stage and even won Tony Awards the same year, back in 1976. 

Edward and I, not only did we enjoy working together, we were friends,” Bishop shared. “We became friends very quickly when we started the show back in 2000 and we maintained our friendship after the show was over.” Sadly, Herrmann passed away in 2014, so he was missed when the 2016 revival Gilmore Girls A Year in the Life. “I was lonely without him…It was so sad, because I know he would have loved doing this and there was just sort of an empty feeling. There was a space where he was supposed to be.”

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