What the Cast of Gilmore Girls Is Doing Now

Alexis Bledel, who famously played Rory on the hit series, has been busy since the show’s last episode. In 2008, she starred in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants alongside Blake Lively, America Ferrera, and Amber Tamblyn. A few years later, in 2012, she appeared in a few episodes of Mad Men, and in 2016, she reunited with the Gilmore Girls cast for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, a four-episode revival of the show. Bledel may now be most known for her role as Emily Malek in A Handmaid’s Tale.

Lauren Graham, who played Rory's witty mother, Lorelai, has had many projects since her role on Gilmore Girls. Shortly after the show ended, she appeared alongside Steve Carell in the comedy film, Evan Almighty. She then took on a recurring part in Parenthood, which starred Peter Krause and Sarah Ramos. That's not all though. In 2017, Graham acted in a handful of Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes, played the role of Joan in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, and voiced the character of Oxana in the Disney animated series Vampirina. Graham teamed up with Disney again for The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers series shortly after, where she played the leading role. Throughout all this, she also found time to write a couple of best-selling books.

Melissa McCarthy, who played Sookie St. James, has been incredibly busy since her breakout role on the show. Shortly after the show’s end, she acted on Samantha Who?, played the hilarious Megan in Bridesmaids, took on the role of Abby Yates in Ghostbusters, and even appeared in The Hangover: Part III. She’s had recurring roles on Mike & Molly, Nine Perfect Strangers, and God’s Favorite Idiot, and also guest starred on Saturday Night Live a handful of times. One of her most recent projects is the recently-premiered The Little Mermaid live-action film, where she appears as Ursula.

Jared Padalecki, who was in dozens of Gilmore Girls episodes as Rory’s first boyfriend, went on to star in House of Wax, a slasher film that starred Chad Michael Murray, Paris Hilton, and Elisha Cuthbert in 2005. Soon after, he starred in Supernatural, the incredibly popular dark fantasy series that went on for a whopping 15 seasons and ended in 2020. Padalecki now stars in the television series Walker, a remake of the popular ’90s action drama Walker Texas Ranger.

You may remember Milo Ventimiglia as Jess Mariano, one of Rory’s love interests. The star since then has had a busy last decade or so. For starters, he hopped right into the popular sci-fi show, Heroes in 2006, voiced a few characters in the Wolverine and Blade animations, and starred in another television series called Chosen in 2013. He may be most recognizable today for his recurring role as Jack Pearson in the emotional television drama This Is Us, for which he received an Emmy nomination, and for his brief stint in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Keiko Agena, who was Rory’s best friend Lane on the show, has guest starred in popular television shows, including Castle, House, Scandal, and Shameless since Gilmore Girls. She also had recurring roles in 13 Reasons Why and Prodigal Son and most recently acted in six episodes of the hit Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul.

Perhaps best known as the plaid shirt-wearing Luke Danes, Scott Patterson appeared in several horror movies, including Saw IV, Saw V, and Saw VI, after saying goodbye to Stars Hollow. He also had a recurring role in The Event, a television series about a man who starts an investigation after his fiancée disappears. He is currently a main character in Sullivan’s Crossing, which also stars Chad Michael Murray. Gilmore Girls fans may also be happy to hear that Patterson started a podcast dedicated to the show called I Am All In With Scott Patterson, where he provides commentary on each Gilmore Girls episode.

Like Milo Ventimiglia, Kelly Bishop, who played Lorelai’s mother on the hit show, also appeared in a few episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in recent years. Besides that, Bishop has also appeared in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Bunheads, The Good Wife, and The Watchful Eye. She also acted in one episode of Halston, the fashion-forward television mini-series about the renowned designer.

Edward Herrmann, who played Lorelai’s father on the show, most recently played the role of a councilman on American Dad!, appeared in six episodes of The Good Wife, guest starred on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and popped up in an episode of How I Met Your Mother. He sadly passed away in 2014 from brain cancer.