The Gilmore Girls universe keeps expanding long after the last cup of Luke’s coffee. It’s 2025, the show is inching toward true “classic” status, and the cast of Stars Hollow are busier than ever.
Let’s take a look at what they’re all doing now.
Alexis Bledel – Rory Gilmore
Who she played & why we loved her
Rory Gilmore started out as a bookish, shy girl who would rather spend Friday night reading a book instead of going to a party and believed that reading all the books and academic excellence is a life goal. She was smart, ambitious and and perhaps a little too earnest.
We watch her go from Chilton overachiever to Yale student, and the show really leans into that transition: the pressure, the burnout, the “oh God, what if I’m not actually special?” panic. She makes messy choices—especially with boyfriends (Dean/Jess/Logan drama club, anyone?) and her career—and that’s a big part of why she feels real. She’s not some perfect “good girl,” she screws up, overthinks, freezes, and sometimes behaves badly, just like an actual person in their late teens/early twenties.
What she’s doing now
After Gilmore Girls, Alexis Bledel’s next big role was on Mad Men, and after that she got a role in The Handmaid’s Tale, for which she famously won an Emmy for her devastating performance as Emily/Ofglen. On a lighter note, she was also in movies like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (parts 1 and 2).
These days she has the privilege of being more selective about the projects she chooses to take part in. Bledel likes keeping a low public profile. Her last movie was Crypto with Luke Hemsworth and Kurt Russell.
Lauren Graham – Lorelai Gilmore
Who she played & why we loved her
Caffeine, 2000s pop culture, and a refusal to grow up “properly” according to anyone’s rules but her own are the ingredients that create Lorelai Gilmore.
On Gilmore Girls, she’s Rory’s mom—but emotionally, she’s also kind of Rory’s chaotic best friend. She got pregnant at 16, and instead of following down the path that her wealthy parents chose for her, she ran away to Stars Hollow and built her life from the ground up. She got a job working as a maid at the inn and worked her way all the way up to manager and then eventually owned the place. She’s fast-talking, hilarious, stubborn, deeply caring, and just a little bit of a disaster when it comes to her own love life.
What she’s doing now
Post-Stars Hollow, Graham led the tear-jerking family drama Parenthood, then moved into musical dramedy with Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and into the sports nostalgia lane with The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers on Disney+.
Lauren is also an author, with several bestselling books under her belt, including a memoir that shares just enough behind-the-scenes Gilmore nostalgia to keep fans happy. In 2025, she’s still working steadily in TV and film, her latest show is called The Z-Suite.
Scott Patterson – Luke Danes
Who he played & why we loved him
Luke Danes is the proud owner of Luke’s Diner, which is one of the main places everyone frequents in Stars Hallow. He’s the guy who makes the best coffee in town, according to Lorelai, he also fixes things around town, constantly mutters and complains how insane everyone in Stars Hallow is. We love him for taking care of everyone, fixing everything, and being pretty much the only voice of reason in this kooky town.
What he’s doing now
Since Gilmore Girls Patterson has appeared in many films and TV projects. His latest role is being a regular on the show Sullivan’s Crossing. He also always seems happy to show up at conventions and Gilmore Girls events.
Melissa McCarthy – Sookie St. James
Who she played & why we loved her
Sookie St. James is pure chaotic sunshine in chef’s whites.
On Gilmore Girls, she’s the head chef at the inn and Lorelai’s best friend, and she basically lives in a permanent state of mild kitchen-related crisis. Think: burned eyebrows, exploded soufflés, and wielding giant knives while ranting about shallots—but all powered by overwhelming joy and enthusiasm.
What she’s doing now
McCarthy’s career took off with Bridesmaids, Spy, and The Heat, leading to Oscar-nominated work in Can You Ever Forgive Me? and big studio projects like Ghostbusters, The Little Mermaid, and more.
Melissa also dipped her toes into fashion design and has her own clothing line that offers size-inclusive clothing for all body types. She has also tried her hand at producing duties behind the camera. What’s most endearing is that despite her A-list schedule, she still speaks fondly about her role as Sookie and even came back for the Netflix revival, which in our humble opinion is proof that you can move on from Stars Hollow without ever really leaving it.
Keiko Agena – Lane Kim
Who she played & why we loved her
Lane was many things on the show. She was Rory’s best friend, a perfect Korean daughter who spent her Sundays at church but also hid rock CDs under the floorboards and secretly played the drums in a band and had a real shot at becoming a rockstar. She was funny, loyal, and quietly rebellious in a way that made us all root for her.
What she’s doing now
Since Gilmore Girls, she has racked up a very impressive TV resume. You have probably seen her on such hit shows as 13 Reasons Why, Better Call Saul and the crime drama Prodigal Son, where she played the brilliant but odd Dr. Edrisa Tanaka. She keeps steadily working on TV and isn’t a stranger to Gilmore Girls events. She always speaks fondly of her role as Lane and says it was a very meaningful role for many kids who grew up between cultures.
Liza Weil – Paris Geller
Who she played & why we loved her
Paris Geller is the overachiever to end all overachievers: terrifyingly intense, brutally honest, and somehow, eventually, Rory’s fiercest friend. Liza Weil turned what could have been a flat “mean girl” into one of the most layered characters in the series.
What she’s doing now
Post-Gilmore, Weil became a staple of Shondaland, with memorable roles on Scandal and a major part in How to Get Away with Murder, cementing her niche as the queen of brilliant, slightly unhinged women under pressure.
She’s continued to move between TV and film, including guest spots in prestige series and dark comedies, and she remains a fan favorite whenever Gilmore Girls comes up—especially among those who proudly identify as “a bit of a Paris.”
Jared Padalecki – Dean Forester
Who he played & why we loved him
Dean Forester was Rory’s first love: tall, sweet, slightly jealous, and forever associated with that once-beloved truck. Jared Padalecki played him with enough sincerity that, for many fans, he’ll always be the starter boyfriend you never quite forget.
What he’s doing now
After Gilmore Girls, Jared spent 15 years hunting monsters as Sam Winchester on Supernatural, becoming one of genre TV’s most recognizable faces. After that, he starred in Walker, a modern reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger.
Milo Ventimiglia – Jess Mariano
Who he played & why we loved him
Jess Mariano was the bad idea with great taste in books: brooding, clever, occasionally infuriating, and endlessly rewatchable. Milo Ventimiglia gave Jess enough depth that the “Team Jess” vs “Team Dean/Logan” wars never actually ended.
What he’s doing now
After Gilmore Girls, Milo has had a very successful career. He’s appeared in many movies like Madtown, Dirty Deeds, The Art of Dancing in the Rain, he played Rocky’s son in Rocky Balboa and Creed II. You’ve definitely seen him in many TV shows like Heroes, Gotham, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and most famously This Is Us, earning critical praise and a new wave of fans who like their heartache in family-drama form. Watching his career, it’s easy to imagine Jess finally got his life together… just on a different network.
Matt Czuchry – Logan Huntzberger
Who he played & why we loved him
Logan Huntzberger was Rory’s charming, reckless Yale boyfriend—the guy who mixed trust funds with terrible decisions and surprisingly heartfelt speeches. Matt Czuchry made him both infuriating and irresistible, which is exactly what the role needed.
What he’s doing now
Czuchry went from trust-fund heir to legal shark as Cary Agos on The Good Wife, then to sharp, morally conflicted doctor Conrad Hawkins on The Resident.
He’s now firmly established as a leading man in character-driven TV dramas and continues to be peppered with questions about Logan and Rory in almost every interview. Once a Huntzberger, always a little bit a Huntzberger.
Sean Gunn – Kirk Gleason
Who he played & why we loved him
Kirk Gleason did everything in Stars Hollow: mailman, security guard, filmmaker, cat-sitter, you name it. Sean Gunn turned what could’ve been a running gag into a bizarrely lovable, strangely poignant character.
What he’s doing now
Gunn followed his brother James Gunn into superhero universes, becoming a regular in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and other big comic-book projects. He’s now known to a brand-new generation as both a space pirate and a motion-capture master.
Despite the blockbuster work, he still gets recognized as Kirk—a testament to how weirdly iconic that role really was.
Vanessa Marano – April Nardini
Who she played & why we loved her
April Nardini, Luke’s surprise science-whiz daughter, may have caused chaos in the story, but Vanessa Marano played her with so much intelligence and vulnerability that she quickly became more than just “the girl who showed up with a DNA test.”
What she’s doing now
Marano went on to star in Switched at Birth and various indie films and TV movies, building a solid career beyond her Gilmore years.
She’s continued acting and producing, often choosing projects with emotionally heavy or socially relevant themes, and she frequently speaks fondly about how Gilmore Girls helped launch her career.
Adam Brody – Dave Rygalski
Who he played & why we loved him
Dave Rygalski was Lane’s endlessly patient bandmate boyfriend, the guy who learned Korean Bible passages just to win over Mrs. Kim. Adam Brody made him charming, low-key funny, and criminally underrated—to this day, many fans believe Dave deserved so much more screen time.
What he’s doing now
Brody left Stars Hollow for Orange County, becoming Seth Cohen on The O.C. and defining an entire era of awkward TV boys. Since then, he’s appeared in everything from indie movies to superhero fare and offbeat comedies. His most recent role in Nobody Wants This made all of us fall in love with his all over again.
David Sutcliffe – Christopher Hayden
Who he played & why we loved him
Christopher Hayden, Rory’s charming, inconsistent father, was a walking emotional rollercoaster. David Sutcliffe played him with just enough boyish charm that you understood why Lorelai kept giving him another chance—even when you really, really didn’t want her to.
What he’s doing now
Sutcliffe has largely stepped away from acting and moved into other pursuits, including coaching and personal-development work. While Christopher is no longer dropping in to derail Gilmore relationships, the man behind him is still very much around—just in a very different role than “guy with a motorcycle and timing issues.”
In 2025, Gilmore Girls isn’t just a comfort rewatch it’s a shared universe that launched Emmy winners, action stars, superhero sidekicks, medical antiheroes, and a whole lot of ongoing internet debates about which boyfriend was “actually” the right one.
Stars Hollow may be fictional, but the people who lived there went on to do very real, very impressive things.