On October 5, 2000, we were introduced to Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel): A fast-talking mother-and-daughter duo living in the cosy town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
Now, as the show celebrates its 25th anniversary this week, Lorelai and Rory feel like old friends, and the Gilmore Girls is a television institution with hordes of dedicated fans still tuning eagerly in to watch reruns — presumably with comically large coffee cups in hand.
Two days shy of the series’ 25th anniversary, Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham was honoured with a star on Hollywood Boulevard, surrounded by some of her former co-stars.
Series creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino hosted this event, while a handful of beloved Gilmore Girl cast members were in attendance, including Kelly Bishop, who played her mother Emily Gilmore, Scott Paterson who played Lorelai’s love interest Luke, and Matt Czuchry, one of Rory’s ex-boyfriends Logan.
Following the ceremony, Scott Patterson took to Instagram to thank the fans for their undying dedication to the show, all these years later.
“I just wanted to send a video thanking everyone for 25 years,” he said. “The only reason we’re here and are able to do this and to have these friendships and to have this fantastic fanbase that is always showing up and supporting us in every way they can.”
Scott went on to praise the fans for making the show into a “global phenomenon”.
“You’re a part of it. You’re a character in this experience. You’re the most important part of this experience, so I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart on the 25th anniversary.”
With all this hype, we thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane to look at what the stars of the Gilmore Girls have been up to, 25 years after the show’s premiere.
Where are the Gilmore Girls cast now?
Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore)
As you might have guessed from the Hollywood star, Lauren Graham has made a huge impact on the television world.
While she’s best known for her portrayal of Lorelai, she also became a fan favourite in the 2010 series Parenthood, where she played Sarah Braverman. The 58-year-old has also appeared in films such as Bad Santa, Evan Almighty and The Pacifier.
Outside of acting, Lauren has become an established author. She released a fictionalised version of her journey becoming an actress in New York entitled Someday, Someday, Maybe in 2013. She followed it up with a memoir called Talking as Fast as I Can: from Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) in 2016.
In her personal life, Lauren got married to her Parenthood co-star Peter Krause in 2010 but the pair called it quits in 2021.
Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore)
Alexis Bledel was only 19 years old when she made her television debut as the booksmart Rory Gilmore in 2000.
While she was still on the show, she also appeared in films such as The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants films, Sin City, and the comedy Post Grad. The now 44-year-old has also appeared in ER and Mad Men, but most notably featured as Emily Malek in The Handmaid’s Tale.
After meeting on the set of Mad Men, Alexis started dating and eventually marrying Vincent Kartheiser. The pair had a child together before divorcing in 2022.
Most recently, Alexis and Lauren appeared together at the 2025 Primetime Emmys, where they paid tribute to 25 years of the Gilmore Girls, much to fans’ delight.
Scott Paterson (Luke Danes)
Fans fell in love with Scott Patterson’s kind-hearted diner owner Luke Danes. While he seemed like a hardened blokey-bloke on the surface, he was a softie who would do anything for Lorelei and Rory.
While Scott Patterson has starred in 90210, Sullivan’s Crossing and the Saw film franchise, he’s never entirely left Stars Hollow behind.
In 2021, Scott launched a podcast called I Am All In (real fans get the reference!), which featured interviews with his former co-stars and a rewatch of the entire series.
Melissa McCarthy (Sookie St. James)
Who could forget Lorelai’s iconic chef best friend Sookie, played by the hilarious Melissa McCarthy?
Since Gilmore Girls, Melissa has become a comedy powerhouse. Along with featuring in a heap of television series, including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Nine Perfect Strangers, and Only Murders In The Building, the 55-year-old has become known for her work in film. Some of her biggest films include Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy.
Melissa has been married to fellow actor and comedian Ben Falcone in 2005.
Keiko Agena (Lane Kim)
Although her character Lane Kim was supposed to be 16, Keiko Agena was 27 years old when the Gilmore Girls premiered.
She has since gone on to have small roles in Scandal, Private Practice, Grimm, 13 Reasons Why, and Better Call Saul.
Milo Ventimiglia (Jess Mariano)
Milo Ventimiglia played Jess Mariano, the bad boy who stole Rory’s heart. He was the final point to the love triangle between Rory and Dean.
Since finishing up on Gilmore Girls, Milo has gone on to star in the hit drama series Heroes and This Is Us, for which he received three Emmy nominations.
Milo married model Jarah Mariano in 2023 and the pair have recently welcomed their first child together.
Jared Padalecki (Dean Forester)
Despite being launched to stardom after playing Rory’s first love Dean Forester, Jared Padalecki’s biggest role was yet to come. In 2005, he took on the role of Sam Winchester in the beloved spooky drama series Supernatural.
Most recently in 2023, the 43-year-old has starred in Walker, a remake of the iconic western drama series Walker, Texas Ranger.
In his personal life, Jared married his Supernatural co-star Genevieve Cortese in 2010. The pair have three children together.
Matt Czuchry (Logan Huntzberger)
In the early 2000s, Matt Czuchery cemented his place as a teen heartthrob bad boy in a bunch of sitcoms. While he played rich playboy Logan in Gilmore Girls, he also appeared in early 2000s dramas Veronica Mars and Seventh Heaven.
Czuchery followed up his Gilmore Girls story arc by appearing in Friday Night Lights, The Good Wife and The Resident.
Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore)
Kelly Bishop already had a thriving career when she signed on to play Lorelai’s mother, Emily Gilmore, on the Gilmore Girls.
After the series wrapped, Kelly went on to appear in The Good Wife and Law & Order: SVU. Most recently, she appeared in season four of The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, another Amy Sherman-Palladino series.
Kelly has also released a best-selling memoir entitled The Third Gilmore Girl, which details Kelly’s illustrious career from Broadway to Stars Hollow.
Edward Herrmann (Richard Gilmore)
Like Kelly, Edward Herrmann was a well-established actor when he took on the role of Richard Gilmore. After the show wrapped, he also appeared in The Good Wife, Grey’s Anatomy, and Law & Order.
Tragically, Edward passed away in December 2014 from brain cancer.
His death was part of the storyline of Netflix’s reunion series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Sean Gunn (Kirk Gleason)
From the moment Sean Gunn stepped on our screens as the bizarre Kirk, audiences fell in love. After all, who couldn’t love his quirky, one-of-a-kind antics?
Following his time in Stars Hollow, Sean went on to appear in other TV series, including Glee and October Road. He also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe by playing Kraglin in Guardians of the Galaxy series, Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love & Thunder.
Most recently, Sean took on the role of Maxwell Lord in Superman.
And there you have it!
Personally, we can’t get enough of the Gilmore Girls. Here’s to hoping there will be yet another spin-off in our future! You can watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix.
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