Gilmore Girls' Milo Ventimiglia Gives Rare Nod to Ex Alexis Bledel
Milo Ventimiglia's Wife Jarah Mariano Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2
Milo Ventimiglia has been out on the road for a long time.
But when he thinks back to his time on Gilmore Girls and his relationship with costar Alexis Bledel, he feels anything but lonely and so cold.
“What were those days like on set?” he reflected to Us Weekly in an interview published Nov. 2. “Hanging out with Jared Padalecki, being with Alexis—the experience is something that I always lean into, that really fills me up.”
The This Is Us star and Bledel’s onscreen chemistry as Jess and Rory found legs off camera, with the pair quietly dating for almost four years in the aughts before their 2006 breakup. But while their romance wasn’t destined to last, the pair’s relationship was and has always remained amicable.
In fact, some of the memories that stand out clearest for Ventimiglia—who shares two kids with wife Jarah Mariano—involve his former girlfriend.
“I remember shooting on the back lot of Warner Bros. with Alexis and getting on the bus and carrying a bag that the prop guy wanted to make really light,” he said. “But I [said], ‘Yeah, but it looks full and it’s huge, so it should be heavy. Put a sandbag in it.’ Those are the things that I think about.”
But while the Gilmore Girls fandom loves to examine the minutiae of every line, scene and episode—including the famously emphatic way Jesse asked Rory, “Why did you drop out of Yale?”—it’s the more general memories that fill him up like a cup of coffee.
Jason Merritt/FilmMagic
“The episodes are for an audience to pick apart, dissect,” he added. “For us to make it, [it’s] the experience of making it.”
And loving it the way he do, Ventimiglia is ready to go to the ends of the earth to recall every beautiful moment for the upcoming HBO Max documentary about the Amy Sherman-Palladino show.
“I think the world of Amy, and Lauren [Graham],” he said, adding of the doc, “I have no idea what we’re going to talk about. It was 26 years ago that I made the show.”
He added, “It’s funny: I’ll have people run up to me and be like, ‘Hey, do you remember that time on Gilmore when you said this?’ I’m like, ‘That was 26 years ago.’ I’m like, ‘Tell me something about your life from 26 years ago.’ They’re like, ‘I wasn’t born.’”
But even more than a quarter century later, Jess and Rory remain a beloved onscreen pairing and a strong contender in the Gilmore Girls ship wars. For a look back at the show’s other onscreen couples in E!'s official ranking, read on.
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19. Lorelai and Jason Stiles
He sued her father. He almost destroyed Luke and Lorelai's burgeoning relationship. He went by the nickname Digger. What more do we need to say?
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18. Dean and Lindsay
They got married impulsively as teenagers (what a fun trope, said no one ever!) and then he promptly cheated on her. The only thing she got out of this marriage was disappointment and a mean meatloaf recipe.
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17. Lorelai and Max Medina
We still can't believe a proposal with a thousand yellow daisies was wasted on a dud like Max Medin-ugh.
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16. Luke and Nicole
Remember that time Luke randomly married Nicole on a cruise ship? And then she cheated on him? Yeah, we try to forget about it, too.
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15. Paris and Asher Fleming
Ick.
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14. Rory and Tristan
Sorry, but the fact that he called her Mary (you know, Virgin Mary?) still creeps us out.
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13. Luke and Rachel
Rachel was Luke's first love, whose dreams were just too big for Stars Hollow. She was super-sweet and pushed Luke to realize his feelings for Lorelai. Thanks, girl!
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12. Lane and Zack
OK, hear us out: Lane deserved more than Zack, who was a convenient filler for the void left by Adam Brody's exit. Sorry, not sorry. He's the rebound, NOT THE ONE.
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11. Kirk and Lulu
Two weirdos, one weird relationship. Not the most epic of romances, but she did deal with his night terrors. So, true love.
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10. Lane and Dave Rygalski
Dave was definitely the one that got away (or, you know, ran off to become Seth Cohen on The O.C.). Come on, he inscribed his bible, with "This bible belongs to God but is being borrowed by Dave Rygalski." Swoon City, population: us.
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9. Lorelai and Christopher
You never forget your first love...but that doesn't mean you should continue an on-and-off relationship for over a decade. While we liked Christopher, we didn't love these two together, especially when they thought it was OK to run off and get married without Rory (their daughter!) being there. Unforgivable.
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8. Paris and Doyle
Fact: These two could take over and run their own country. They were made for each other.
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7. Babette and Moury
Sigh, the unsung heroes of Stars Hollow also made up its most solid couple that flew so under the radar you often forgot about them...until you needed a cup of sugar from next door.
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6. Rory and Dean
Yes, he made her a car and was her first love. But he also cheated on his wife with Rory. Talk about a great way to lose your virginity. Basically, Dean was ruined for us. Still, their quick reunion during A Year in the Life was random, nostalgic and bittersweet in only the way a catch-up session with your childhood sweetheart can be.
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5. Rory and Logan
She made him a better person, and he helped her learn what she really wanted to do with her life. Often over-shadowed by Rory's two other major love interests, Logan is the dark horse among Gilmore's guys...and possibly Rory's (spoiler alert!) baby daddy?! We're going to need another revival STAT.
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4. Rory and Jess
Of all Rory's love interests, he was the one that challenged (and frustrated) her the most. The classic bad boy. If only they had met later in life...and watching their brief interaction during the Netflix revival just proved how potent their chemistry still is.
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3. Sookie and Jackson
While Lorelai and Rory's love lives were unpredictable and (deliciously) wrought, there was something so sweet and simple about Sookie and Jackson's love story. You always argue over produce with the one you love!
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2. Luke and Lorelai
"Will you just stand still?" Fact: These two had the best and most-earned first kiss in the history of first kisses. And everything else was pretty epic, too. (Let's just all pretend April Nardini, Luke's daughter, never showed up and ruined everything, mmmkay?)
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1. Richard and Emily
Emily: "No! I did not sign on to your dying. And it is not going to happen. Not tonight, not for a very long time. In fact, I demand to go first. Do I make myself clear?"
Richard: "Yes, Emily. You may go first."
Oh, how much more significance this exchange from the series' original took on in the revival after the 2014 death of star Edward Herrmann. BRB, SOBBING FOREVER.
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