Ten years have passed since Netflix released Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, the four-part revival that reunited fans with Stars Hollow. The original series ran from 2000 to 2007, and Netflix brought it back in 2016. American subscribers saw the show leave Netflix in June after a 12-year stretch on the platform, though it remains available to UK viewers.
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the comedy-drama helped launch several major careers. Here’s a look at what the main cast members have been doing since the revival.
Melissa McCarthy and Milo Ventimiglia: From Stars Hollow to Hollywood
Melissa McCarthy, who played the hotel chef Sookie St. James, Lorelai's closest friend, became one of the show's biggest breakout names. She went on to star in films including Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters, Can You Ever Forgive Me? and the live-action The Little Mermaid, and had a long run in the sitcom Mike and Molly. McCarthy has two Oscar nominations and two Golden Globe nominations, along with two Emmy wins. More recently, she played Sean Spicer on Saturday Night Live and Doreen in Only Murders in the Building. She has been married to actor Ben Falcone since 2005, and they have two children.
Milo Ventimiglia, who played Jess Mariano, Rory's second boyfriend and Luke's nephew, found fame on Heroes as Peter Petrelli between 2006 and 2010. He earned three Emmy nominations for his role as Jack Pearson in NBC's This Is Us, and more recently led the Netflix thriller I Will Find You, based on Harlan Coben's novel. Ventimiglia dated his Gilmore Girls co-star Alexis Bledel from 2002 to 2006 and later dated Heroes star Hayden Panettiere from 2007 to 2009. He married model Jarah Mariano in 2023; the couple have two children, with their second born last month.
Lauren Graham and Jared Padalecki: Lorelai and Dean today
Lauren Graham, whose portrayal of Lorelai Gilmore won her a devoted following, made her Broadway debut in Guys and Dolls in 2007. She starred as Sarah Braverman in Parenthood from 2010 to 2015, appeared in Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2017, and voiced a character in Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist in 2020. Her film credits include Evan Almighty, Because I Said So and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Recent work includes the 2025 series The Z-Suite and the 2026 film Reminders of Him. Graham split from longtime partner Peter Krause, her Parenthood co-star, in 2022 after 12 years together.
Jared Padalecki, who played Dean Forester, Rory's first boyfriend, had a brief cameo in the reunion. He is best known for playing Sam Winchester in Supernatural for 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020. Since then, he has led the Western series Walker as Cordell Walker. Padalecki is married to Supernatural co-star Genevieve Padalecki, and the couple share three children.
Alexis Bledel and Kelly Bishop: Life after Rory and Emily
Alexis Bledel, who played the ambitious Rory Gilmore, landed her first significant film role in 2005's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, alongside Blake Lively, America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn. She won an Emmy in 2017 for The Handmaid's Tale and had a recurring part in Mad Men, where she met Vince Kartheiser; the two married and later divorced in 2022.
Kelly Bishop, who played Emily Gilmore, had a distinguished career before the show, including roles in Dirty Dancing and the musical A Chorus Line, which earned her a Tony Award. After Gilmore Girls, she appeared in Law & Order: SVU, Mercy, Army Wives, Bunheads, The Good Wife, Shrinking and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Bishop was married to talk show host Lee Leonard until his death in 2018; earlier, she was married to stagehand Peter Miller from 1970 to 1975.
Edward Herrmann and Matt Czuchry: Remembering Richard and Logan's path
Edward Herrmann, who portrayed patriarch Richard Gilmore, began acting in 1971 with credits in Beacon Hill, M*A*S*H, St. Elsewhere, The Practice and Oz. His later television work included Grey's Anatomy, Law & Order and The Good Wife. Herrmann died in 2014 after a battle with brain cancer, and the Netflix revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life incorporated his death into the story.
Matt Czuchry joined Gilmore Girls in season five as Logan Huntzberger, Rory's college boyfriend. Before that, he appeared in Veronica Mars, Seventh Heaven, The Practice and Young Americans. He later had roles in Friday Night Lights, The Good Wife from 2009 to 2016, and The Resident on Fox. Most recently, he played Dexter Harding Jr. in nine episodes of American Horror Story.
Scott Patterson and Liza Weil: Luke and Paris in recent years
Scott Patterson, known as diner owner Luke Danes, also appeared in 90210 and The Event, and took on roles in Saw IV, V and VI. In 2021 he launched the podcast I Am All In, revisiting the series episode by episode. He has starred as Harry "Sully" Sullivan in Sullivan's Crossing since 2023. Patterson has been married to Kristine Saryan since 2014, and they have a son.
Liza Weil, who played Paris Geller, Rory's fiercely ambitious friend, had earlier appeared in The West Wing, ER and Law & Order: SVU. After Gilmore Girls, she became a fixture in Shondaland shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. She also landed roles in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Westworld and The Cleaning Lady. Weil was married to actor Paul Adelstein from 2006 to 2017, and they have one daughter.
Sean Gunn and Keiko Agena: From Kirk and Lane to new projects
Sean Gunn started as Kirk Gleason, the eccentric neighbour who became a fan favourite. He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe through the Guardians of the Galaxy films, directed by his brother James Gunn. His other credits include Glee, Bunheads, Bones and October Road. Recent projects include Nimrods, Anywhere and Superman. Gunn has been married to actress and filmmaker Natasha Halevi since 2019.
Keiko Agena, still best known as Lane Kim, Rory's childhood friend, had minor roles in Sister, Sister, Felicity and Beverly Hills, 90210 before the show. Afterwards, she appeared in Scandal, Private Practice, Shameless, Grimm, 13 Reasons Why and Better Call Saul. She voices Chief Klyce in the 2026 animated series Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord. Agena has been married to musician and composer Shin Kawasaki since 2005.
Both Gilmore Girls and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life are currently available to stream on Netflix.
