'Gilmore Girls' Cast Then and Now: “It’s A Show. It’s A Lifestyle. It’s A Religion.”

For anyone with a coffee addiction who can’t get through the day without a few cups, you probably have Lorelai Gilmore to thank for that. With caffeine being the fuel for her hilarious quips and fast-paced talking, Lorelai is a name quickly recognized, and if the Gilmore Girls cast has a hold on your 2000s heart, you’ll want to keep reading.

Aside from the stellar Gilmore Girls cast, the show has hundreds of memorable lines like “Oy with the poodles already," which stems from nothing other than Lorelai’s adoration for the words “oy” and “poodles." Lorelai also coined the phrase, “I smell snow," referring to her love of the wintery season.

What is Gilmore Girls about?

She and her daughter, Rory, have an enviable mother-daughter relationship, sharing secrets and snacking on sugary foods together. When Lorelai got pregnant at 16, she left her family to raise her daughter on her own. Aside from the fact that her then-boyfriend, Christopher, agreed to marry her, Lorelai wasn’t ready for the commitment as a teenager.

Now in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, Lorelai and Rory order takeout or go to Luke’s Diner every night and focus on getting Rory into Harvard University. Before then, Rory starts at Chilton Prep school and Lorelai has to ask her wealthy parents for money. They agree, with one caveat — Lorelai and Rory come for dinner every Friday at the Gilmore house. Much to Lorelai’s own dismay, she agrees and thus starts the infamous Friday night dinners.

The Gilmore Girls cast, who reunited in 2016 for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, are a highly regarded bunch. Some are famously acting in major movies, while others have started their own podcasts.

See what the Gilmore Girls cast has been up to since the show’s ending in 2007.

Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore: Gilmore Girls Cast

Lauren Graham was an essential member of the Gilmore Girls cast and she is certainly the most memorable. The young, single Lorelei was also a hotel manager turned entrepreneur, all while juggling night classes and Friday night dinners. Though she resents her parents for controlling her life, we see their relationship repair itself slowly throughout the series.

Lorelai and Luke, the diner owner, played the will-they won’t-they storyline, finally getting together in the 4th season finale after years of fights and subtle flirting. Lorelai also spends years going back and forth with Rory’s father, Christopher. The couple does end up marrying in the later seasons, but we ultimately see her end up with Luke.

Insofar as Graham is concerned, after the series ended she continued down the acting path. In 2010, she went on to star in Parenthood for five seasons, even meeting her longtime partner, Peter Krause, on the series, but the couple recently split after 11 years.

Graham was also in a few movies, including Because I Said So (2007), alongside Mandy Moore; Bad Santa (2003) and The Pacifier (2005) with Vin Diesel.

In 2016, as noted, she reprised her role of Lorelai in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life miniseries along with much of the Gilmore Girls cast. She is also the New York Times best selling author of multiple books, including her 2016 release, Talking As Fast As I Can.

Most recently, Graham starred on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (2020) and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (2021). She was also the voice of Oxana in the Disney series Vampirina from 2017 to 2021.

Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore

Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) is the opposite of her mother. She focuses all of her energy on her studies, reads every book that she can get her hands on and doesn’t focus on boys. She does, however, focus on Harvard.

Though she ultimately chooses to attend Yale University, closer to home, the first three seasons revolve around getting into Harvard. Later on, Rory’s focus switches to her boyfriends, whether it be Dean, Jess or Logan.

While Gilmore Girls was Bledel’s first credited role, she did score a few other major parts while on the show. In 2002, she starred in Tuck Everlasting, a story of young love. Her most popular movie role is Lena on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), starring alongside Blake Lively, America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn. The group has remained pretty tight knit, as they went to support Ferrera in her new film Barbie. The cast also returned for a sequel in 2008.

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In 2009, Bledel starred in The Good Guy and Post Grad back-to-back, both of which are romantic comedies. Bledel got a role in Jenny’s Wedding in 2015 alongside Katherine Heigl. In 2014, she married Vincent Kartheiser and the two had one child together. Though they kept their relationship very private, the two recently split in 2022.

Bledel, too, reprised her Gilmore Girls role in the reboot. Her most recent projects are the film Crypto (2019) and the Netflix series The Handmaid’s Tale (2017).

Scott Patterson as Luke Danes: Gilmore Girls Cast

Scott Patterson famously played Lorelai’s sparring partner and owner of Luke’s Diner, one of the main sets for the show. He later became Lorelai’s romantic partner after many seasons of wondering, but he did well in the role of the lovable, grumpy, backward hat-wearing, Luke.

After his time as part of the Gilmore Girls cast, Patterson starred in Her Best Move (2007) and a few entries in the Saw series. In 2010, he had a short arc in the 90210 reboot, as well as a part in the series The Event.

In 2014, Patterson married Kristine Saryan, a minor member of the Gilmore Girls cast, whom he has one child with. His most recent project is Sullivan’s Crossing (2023) alongside Chad Michael Murray. He also started a podcast recently titled, I Am All In, which follows Patterson’s rewatch of Gilmore Girls.

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Milo Ventimiglia as Jess Mariano

Known as the bad boy of Stars Hollow, Milo Ventimiglia arrived in season 2 as Luke’s nephew, Jess. Though he eventually grew up and became a good man, Jess was there to stir the pot and he fell for Rory in the meantime.

Every fan of the Gilmore Girls cast as been asked the ultimate question: Dean, Jess or Logan? The answer is often Jess, probably because of his good looks and mischievous personality. While Jess was only a series regular through the end of season 3, he does make a few reappearances, including the time he said the iconic line, “WHY did you drop out of Yale?”

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After he left the Gilmore Girls cast, he starred in the film Rocky Balboa alongside Sylvester Stallone. He was also in the Fergie music video for “Big Girls Don’t Cry." Soon after, he scored the role of Peter Petrelli in Heroes (2006).

In 2016, Ventimiglia scored the part of Jack Pearson in the drama This is Us, alongside Mandy Moore. The highly rated series ran for six seasons and told the beautiful love story of Jack and Rebecca.

Ventimiglia has starred in many movies, including That’s My Boy (2012), Madtown (2016), Second Act (2018) and The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019). Most recently, he was featured in the series The Company You Keep (2023) and, in his private life, tied the knot with Jarah Mariano in 2023.

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Jared Padalecki as Dean Forester: Gilmore Girls Cast

As the first boyfriend of Rory, Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki) played a pretty controversial role. Though he was the perfect first boyfriend for Rory, Dean’s return in seasons 4 and 5 didn’t please fans.

After he left the show, however, he starred in House of Wax (2005) and Friday the 13th (2009). In 2005, Padalecki became Sam Winchester on the series Supernatural, which came to an end in 2020.

In 2010, he married Genevieve Padalecki, whom he has three children with.

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Matt Czuchry as Logan Huntzberger

The role of Logan was a turning point for Rory as he made her experience another side of life. But Matt Czuchry had a different life outside of the Gilmore Girls cast.

After the series, Czuchry got a small part on Friday Night Lights (2008). In 2009, he booked a major role on The Good Wife, which ran until 2016.

Czuchry joined the cast of The Resident in 2018 as Dr. Conrad Hawkins, which lasted for six seasons.

Kelly Bishop as Emily Gilmore: Gilmore Girls Cast

After she was Emily Gilmore, Kelly Bishop had a few small roles on the series Law & Order: SVU (2009), Army Wives (2009) and Mercy (2010). In 2012, she starred in Bunheads, which only lasted for a season.

Bishop starred in The Salzburg Story in 2018 and Art of Falling in Love in 2019. Most recently, she was in The Watchful Eye (2023) and had a small part on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2023).

Liza Weil as Paris Geller

Paris Geller was an iconic member of the Gilmore Girls cast, Liza Weil played the perfect frenemy to Rory and always had a hilarious one-liner.

After the series, Weil starred in Little Fish, Strange Pond (2009), After Life (2013) and Women is Losers (2021). In 2014, she booked How to Get Away with Murder, which lasted for six seasons. Weil was married to Paul Adelstein from 2006 to 2017 and they have one child together.

Melissa McCarthy as Sookie St. James: Gilmore Girls Cast

Melissa McCarthy portrayed Sookie St. James, the crazy best friend of Lorelai, but after the series she was a major hit on the big screen. McCarthy has starred in Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Tammy (2014) and Spy (2015), among others.

In 2010, McCarthy booked Mike & Molly, which lasted six seasons. Most recently, she was in God’s Favorite Idiot (2022) and the live action remake of The Little Mermaid (2023).

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Keiko Agena as Lane Kim

Keiko Agena played Rory’s best friend in the series and their friendship lived on in the reboot. After the series, Agena had many small roles, some of her most notable work including 13 Reasons Why (2017), The Never List (2020), Prodigal Son (2019) and Better Call Saul (2018). Agena has been married to Shin Kawasaki since 2005.

Edward Herrmann as Richard Gilmore: Gilmore Girls Cast

Following his role in the Gilmore Girls cast, Herrmann got a small part on Grey’s Anatomy (2007) as surgery intern Norman. He later starred in Hatching Pete (2009), A Christmas Wish (2011) and Christmas Oranges (2012).

Unfortunately, Edward Herrmann passed in 2014 from cancer. The Gilmore Girls cast honored him during the reboot in 2016, as his absence was notable.