Gilmore Family | Stars Hollow | Yale | Chilton | Other Characters
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Main Characters
Lucas "Luke" Danes
Played by: Scott Patterson
The owner of the local diner in Stars Hollow that Lorelai and Rory frequent often. Despite his gruff exterior, he is very dependable. He harbors a crush on Lorelai for most of the series, but they begin a relationship in season 4.
- Accidental Marriage: With Nicole between seasons 3 and 4. Their relationship and marriage falls apart over the course of the season.
- The Bartender: Though he only runs a diner, Lorelai sometimes treats him as this, ordering coffee refills and telling him about her problems.
- Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Christopher's Veronica for Lorelai's Archie (also Betty to Max, Alex, Jason... the list goes on. Safe to say he's seen a lot of Lorelai's boyfriends pass by).
- Big Brother Instinct: Luke will never pass up an opportunity to help the people he cares about. Jess occasionally will poke fun at him for it.
- Book Dumb: Not particularly well-educated, but makes up for it with practical, real-world experience and his own sort of wisdom.
- Bumbling Dad: He starts out as this to April, especially in the episode where he wants to give her a birthday party, but eventually evolves into a good father figure.
- Carpet of Virility: Has a very manly hairy chest.
- Casting Gag: Luke really sucks at baseball. Scott Patterson played baseball professionally before he became an actor.
- Celebrity Resemblance: Is told by Miss Celine that he looks like Eli Wallach in a certain light.
- Companion Cube: Subverted. He has a tool box named Bert, but it was Lorelai and Rory who named it when he left it at the Gilmore house overnight. Bert makes a few appearances throughout the show.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Towards Christopher and vice versa. Luke says less about it, but is more likely to engage in fisticuffs.
- Luke becomes this when he discovers he's being cheated on by Nicole.
- Deadpan Snarker: One of the only things he has in common with Lorelai. He's always sarcastic towards quirky people around him, especially because of his Only Sane Man status.
- Embarrassing First Name: A sure-fire way to annoy Luke would be referring to him as Lucas. Only Mia is allowed to call him Lucas.
- Embarrassing Nickname: His nickname was Butch in high school.
- First Guy Wins: The show's very first scene is Lorelai at his diner, many boyfriends before they got together. The final episode includes Luke and Lorelai kissing and most likely getting back together, and near the end of the revival Luke and Lorelai get married.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It comes from his cynicism and anti-social attitude rather than any actual jerkishness. However, he has a close relationship with Lorelai and Rory, and is always willing to help his friends and family.
- Knight in Sour Armor: He's cantankerous and horribly cynical about family, relationships and Stars Hollow but he also spends most of his time looking out for the people he cares about - namely Lorelai, Jess and Rory, bailing his sister out of trouble and is one of the most reliable people in town whenever anyone needs help.
- Knight Templar Big Brother: Later in the series his Big Brother Instinct gets deconstructed and comes in a somewhat darker tone. Jess is the one to call Luke out of it again in his usual style. Luke does not take it well.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: More like "I Am Luke And I Am Your Father". April shows up out of nowhere and takes his hair to compare their DNA. She is his daughter he had with his ex-girlfriend who never told him because she thought he disliked kids.
- Odd Friendship: With Kirk. Luke is by far the most normal person in Stars Hollow, with Kirk being the quirkiest, yet Luke looks out for him and helps him when he needs it.
- Only Sane Man: The most normal person in Stars Hollow, which admittedly isn't saying much.
- Papa Wolf:
- Tends to be quite protective of the young people he loves: Jess, April, and Rory. To the point where he even calls out Rory's actual father on being there for her less than he has been. In the last few seasons, he also becomes protective of Lane and Zack, despite his initial reluctance with Zack.
- Sometimes, he also becomes protective of other people. In "Go, Bulldogs!", when Kirk tells Luke he wants to dump Lulu, Luke threatens him to break every bone in his body if he hurts her. Even if Luke is not very close to Lulu, he knows she is a Nice Girl and tells Kirk he should "kissing the ground that she walks on".
- Parental Substitute: He is a parental figure for Rory and Jess, even stating in "Winter" that he considers them like his own.
- Perma-Stubble: He is never seen clean shaved. When he shaves to go on a date, Lorelai barely recognizes him.
- Real Men Cook: Though it's clear Lorelai and Rory would accept just about anything that was edible, Luke's abilities shine in a season-five episode when Sookie takes ill and he has to take over for Sookie at the Dragonfly Inn. Despite his lack of training compared to hers, some of the patrons prefer his food to Sookie's.
- The Reliable One: To the whole of Stars Hollow.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Savvy Guy to Lorelai's Energetic Girl, even before they were an actual couple.
- Supreme Chef: Revealed to be this in later seasons. His cooking is good enough to rival Sookie and in one episode he replaces her at the Dragonfly Inn.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Tall, dark-haired. He was a Chick Magnet in high school.
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky: See Tall, Dark, and Handsome above, and most of his dialogue is snarky.
- Took a Level in Dumbass: Downplayed. He never becomes dumb, but after he starts dating Lorelai, the story starts to evidence him as the "uneducated Book Dumb Stars Hollow guy", so that Emily can look down on him. Even more so after April's arrival that turns him into a clueless Bumbling Dad and the other citizens are surprised to find out he actually has a smart daughter.
- Will They or Won't They?:
- With Lorelai for a while, and the town considers their relationship a constant source of entertainment. Much like Ross and Rachel, this was introduced in the first episode and was not resolved until the very last scenes of the series finale.
- Luke and Lorelai finally decide to get married after nearly a decade together in the Fall episode of A Year in the Life.
Sookie St. James
Played by: Melissa McCarthy
Lorelai's best friend and a perfectionist chef extraordinaire. She gets married and starts a family at the end of season 2.
- Alliterative Name: Sookie St. James.
- Beta Couple: She gets together with Jackson early in the series and they get married only a bit later, and their relationship is stable, in contrast to Lorelai's and Rory's love life.
- Big Beautiful Woman: She is plump and very pretty. Jackson falls for her in the first few episodes, and her old friend Joe had a crush on her for ten years.
- Big Fun: A perfect female example of the trope. She's plus-size, cute, funny, and amusing.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: She's kind of strange and has many quirks, but she's a supreme chef and everybody loves her cooking.
- But I Can't Be Pregnant!: She was extremely surprised with her third pregnancy. Particularly because Jackson had told her he'd gotten a vasectomy. He lied.
- Characterization Marches On: She was much clumsier in her first appearance, but then that part was dropped later.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Another major example, to the point that Lorelai actually takes on the role of the Cloudcuckoolander's Minder when hanging out with her.
- Control Freak: Rules her kitchen with an iron fist, even when she's supposed to be on bed rest at the end of her pregnancy, and this is not just regulated to her work kitchen, when Jackson once tried to make a romantic meal for her, he had to lock Sookie out of their kitchen to keep her from taking over.
- Cute Clumsy Girl: Part of some early awkward characterization. The perfectionist side of her gets more developed in the later seasons. Apparently, on the day she first met Lorelai, she had cut her fingertip off in a kitchen accident. Lorelai had picked up the part and took her to the hospital, only for the accident to repeat itself several days later.
- Demoted to Extra: Sookie's role gets reduced to a short cameo in A Year in the Life, as Melissa McCarthy could only film for a short time.
- Fat and Skinny: The short, chubby Sookie is best friends with the tall, thin Lorelai.
- Fat Best Friend: To Lorelai. They are very close and start a business together.
- Genki Girl: Energetic, bubbly and outgoing like Lorelai, or even more so.
- Girlish Pigtails: Although she's an adult woman, she almost always wears adorable pigtails. It's always a good idea to tie your hair if you work with food.
- Happily Married: Marries Jackson at the end of Season 2, and they remain the most stable couple from that point forward.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Lorelai. They both work at the Independence Inn and dream of having their own business.
- Sarcasm-Blind: Though she has been Lorelai's friend for years, she often responds to sarcasms with a sincere "Exactly!".
- Shipper on Deck: She would love to see Lorelai happy. At different points, for Lorelai with either Max or Luke. Particularly for Luke.
- Skewed Priorities: Especially if cooking is involved. Cooking is always on top.
- Supreme Chef: She's so obsessed with cooking and baking that she has minor meltdowns when someone other than her does the cooking or baking. Case in point? She drinks herself into a tizzy when Jackson revealed that his Thanksgiving plans for their turkey was to deep-fry it... along with a lot of other things.
Lane Kim
Played by: Keiko Agena
Rory's best friend in Stars Hollow. The two have been inseparable since they met in kindergarten. Lane attempts to be an ordinary American teenager under the watch of her conservative Christian, Korean-centric parents.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: When she starts to fall for Zach, she admits to Rory that him being a womanizer with "grunt caveman" behavior is part of his appeal.
- Asian and Nerdy: She's pretty, but can be incredibly dorky and awkward in situations with the opposite sex.
- Author Avatar: Producer Avatar. Lane was inspired by Helen Pai, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's best friend and show producer.
- Bespectacled Cutie: A cute girl with glasses.
- Beta Couple: With Zach, after they start dating. They eventually get married.
- But I Can't Be Pregnant!: Only had sex once on their honeymoon, but it was enough.
- Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Her attempts to hide her lifestyle from her mother never go well.
- Cultural Rebel: Hides unapproved music, makeup and clothes under the floor, as well as giving Rory things to take home so her mother wouldn't find them. She then leaves her mother's house to live with her bandmates (and boyfriend).
- Deadpan Snarker: Just as snarky as everyone else. A lot of her snark is Self-Deprecation.
- Demoted to Extra: In A Year of the Life, we get to spend more quality time with Kirk's pet pig Petal than with Lane.
- Dude Magnet: At least four guys fall for her throughout the show. Even Young Chiu, her Korean fake-boyfriend, who helps her date Dave in the early days of her clandestine relationship, eventually turns into a clingy Abhorrent Admirer.
- Foil:
- Despite being best friends with Rory, the Kims have the exact opposite relationship than the Gilmores.
- Her relationship with her mother is a mirror to Lorelai's relationship with Emily.
- The Friends Who Never Hang: Despite being her best friend, she rarely interacts with Rory in later seasons (they still have their moments though). Justified since Rory is at Yale while Lane has her band in Stars Hollow.
- Their First Time: A subverted example. She and Zach decide to wait until the wedding night to have sex for the first time... and they decide to recreate a sex scene from a movie. That took place on a beach. So not only do you have the inevitable awkwardness, you also have sand, water, and various other inconveniences the movie wouldn't mention. Unsurprisingly, Lane does not enjoy herself in the least, and it seriously turns her off (no pun intended) to the idea of having sex again for quite awhile.
- Genki Girl: She's quite fun-loving and energetic despite her strict, conservative parents.
- The Heart: She's the glue that helps keep Hep Alien together.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Been best friends with Rory since kindergarten. She feels and fears they might drift apart when Rory changes school and later is in college, but they both make effort to stay as close as possible.
- Nerd Glasses: A serious turn-on for Zach, as it turns out once she gets rid of them. He and Mrs. Kim both agree that they make her look smart.
- Nice Girl: She's a better friend to Rory than Paris is, mainly because Lane is much nicer. Despite being rebellious due to her controlling mother, she's generally a very friendly girl who has no problem getting along with people (both boys and girls).
- One of the Boys: Single girl in an all boy band. One of the reasons Zach had a hard time thinking of her as a possible love interest.
- Only Friend: In early episodes to Rory. While Rory is liked by everyone in Stars Hollow, most of the residents are just adults and acquaintances. Also Rory has no real friends in high school since she is shy and uncomfortable around other students and Paris is more of a frenemy.
- Only Sane Woman: After Dave leaves, she's the most level-headed member of her band.
- The Power of Rock: Eventually, it sets her free, and is her path to find love(s).
- Significant Anagram: Lane's band Hep Alien is an anagram of Helen Pai.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: Both her mom and Zach agree that glasses suit her because she's a smart girl.Zach: You're the first smart girl I’ve ever gone out with, and the glasses are a big part of that.
- Token Minority: Lane and her mother are among the only non-white residents of Stars Hollow.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tomboy to Rory's Girly Girl. Lane is a funky, rebellious Genki Girl who eventually becomes a drummer in an all boy rock band. Rory is a sweet, soft-spoken goody two-shoes who is often well-dressed to attend fancy dinners with her rich grandparents.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: A funky, rebellious Genki Girl who eventually becomes a drummer in a rock band where all the other members are boys. She also has some typical girly interests like boys and make-up, and at one point, she was a cheerleader.
- Virgin in a White Dress: She planned on having sex but when she had the opportunity she surprised herself by saying, "Oh, well, I have to wait until I get married", because the morals her Seventh Day Adventist mother taught her had stuck. She was afraid that she might never get married and have sex but she did.
Michel Gerard
Played by: Yanic Truesdale
A Frenchman with a biting attitude and tongue who works as the concierge at the Independence Inn and later the Dragonfly. Although he is condescending to everyone he comes across, he can't help but admit that Lorelai and Sookie are his friends.
- Ambiguously Gay: Viewers perceive Michel as such, though he is not intended to be gay. Though he has an obsession with Celine Dion, maintains an overly-close 'gal pal' relationship with his mother and worries about his carb intake, Amy Sherman often says in the scripts he does this for the ladies. He is intended to be a dandy. When venting his frustrations toward Tobin, the night desk clerk, he insults him for his homosexuality. It's subtle, but it's there, and that's what makes it even funnier. We occasionally see members of his family, they're all like that. The simplest explanation for newcomers is that he's not gay, he's just French.
- Camp Straight: Combines camp mannerisms (a love for Celine Dion, impeccable dress, vanity) with occasional assertions of his heterosexuality. Subverted in the revival; he's married to a man and they're considering kids
- Character Development: Michel matures considerably between the original series and the revival, becoming less troublesome and less hostile towards the world (though he doesn't lose the snark that makes him entertaining), reaching the level where sometimes he is the civil and professional one in contrast to Lorelai's behavior.
- Butt-Monkey: Frequently to Lorelai, Rory, and Sookie who constantly mock him and make fun of him.
- Child Hater: He insists he does not hate babies, but he is clearly not a fan.
- The Dandy: Michel is obsessed with how he's dressed and how many calories he consumes per day.
- Deadpan Snarker: His passive-aggressive rants are usually declaimed with a deadpan tone, heavy accent and spiked with jaded snark.
- French Jerk: He is a French concierge, and can be condescending and rude when conducting business.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Downplayed. Lorelai and Sookie find him annoying and abrasive, but they still care about him and always ask him to accompany them in all of their business ventures.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He appears to share some level of friendship with Lorelai, Sookie and Rory, and deep down cares about them. In the revival, he does call Lorelai and Sookie his friends, feeling lonely that Sookie went on her sabbatical. He apologizes to Lorelai for wanting to leave, but she respects his decision and he's one of the witnesses at Lorelai and Luke's elopement.
- Happily Married: He gets married in the period between the main series and A Year in the Life.
- Momma's Boy: Adores his mother, much to Lorelai's amusement.
- National Stereotypes: Embodies plenty of Frenchmen stereotypes (effeminate, rude/snarky, condescending, vain).
- Older Than They Look: Apparently he turns fifty in A year of the life. Yanic Truesdale looks exactly the same as he looked in the first season of the original series and Lorelai only knows his age because she's known him since she was a teenager.
- Passive Aggressive Combat: Michel never tires of giving lengthy, jaded, sarcastic, passive-aggressive monologues in situations where simple 'yes' or 'no' would often suffice.
- Pet the Dog: He dotes on his Chow Chow dogs.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Always impeccably dressed.
- Small Name, Big Ego: He thinks he is refined and so above everyone else. He isn't.
- Spear Counterpart: In A Year In The Life Lorelai flat out states that he is to her what Paris is to Rory.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Michel is noticeably more mellowed out and kind in the revival, having become Lorelai's closest friend since Sookie moved away. He is genuinely heartbroken when he tells her that he wants to work somewhere else, having outgrown the Dragonfly Inn.
- Twofer Token Minority:
- He is Black and French. Several characters, Drella in particular in season 1 and Jackson's cousin Rune, bring up the whole Cheese Eating Surrender Monkey thing.
- A Year in the Life confirms Michel as being either gay or bisexual, as he now has a husband.
- Ultimate Job Security: In real life, no one that rude and dismissive would get to be a concierge for long. However, the revival shows that he's actually very competent at his job and goes out of his way to make the guests happy, only complaining to Lorelai afterwards. He decides to leave the Dragonfly for the W Hotel, citing the fact that the inn is too small for his skill set and feels stifled, especially since his husband is looking to start a family.[Michel is ignoring the phone]
Lorelai: Michel, the phone.
Michel: Mmm-hmm. It rings.
Lorelai: Can you answer it?
Michel: No, people are particularly stupid today. I can't talk to anymore of them.
Lorelai: You know who's really nice to talk to? The people at the unemployment agency.
Michel: [picks up the phone] Independence Inn, Michel speaking.- Also, the inn's owner finds his accent incomprehensible.
- The ending of A Year in the Life implies that Michel might stay at the Dragonfly Inn, as Lorelai decides to open an annex in Stars Hollow.
- Urban Legend Love Life: Michel quite often talks about dates and how he is dieting because ladies love him fit, but we never see him in action.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Lorelai. Well, not exactly best friends, but about thrice as vitriolic and still friends.
- With Friends Like These...: Lorelai doesn't usually need any outside conflict in the Inn, Michel complaining and behaving passive-aggressively will suffice.
Kirk Gleason
Played by: Sean Gunn
The oddball among oddballs in Stars Hollow. He is never seen in the same occupation.
- Ambiguously Bi: While his only romantic relationship is his girlfriend Lulu, he has expressed that he is not averse to sleeping with men.
- Ascended Extra: Started out as a random guy named "Mick" in the pilot, then developed into an actual character with his own subplots as the series went on.
- Butt-Monkey: Cannot seem to catch a break, ever.
- The Chew Toy: He usually has it coming because of his stupidity, but still.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Even in an entire town of these he stands out. He has weird theories about how world works and constantly breaks social norms when discussing his private life.
- Didn't Think This Through: He moved out of his mother's house, per Luke's suggestion, but didn't find a place to live before leaving. As a result, he spent a few episodes staying the night at other peoples' places after he was found sleeping in Lorelai's garage. He spent a few of them sleeping in Rory's room when she was away at Yale and on Lorelai's couch when she wasn't.
- Fan Disservice: Many probably considered seeing Kirk's naked skinny body a disservice but after they did it the first time loads of people were requesting them to do it again and again.
- Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: When he talked about having a date, he mentioned it was with a young lady (Lulu).
- Innocently Insensitive: He's very blunt because he has No Social Skills, but he means well and can be likable in his own way.
- Manchild: Among his quirks are an affection for childish cereal, toys, and a over-reliance on his mother.
- Momma's Boy: Until Lulu comes along, he has some serious trouble cutting those apron strings.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: He seems to have a different job in every episode. It is eventually lampshaded when out of the blue, he overbids Luke in a real estate deal:Luke: Where the hell did you get that much money?
Kirk: I've been working for eleven years. Luke, I've had fifteen thousand jobs. - Perpetual Frowner: Always has the same facial expression and it's not a smile.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: In season 3.
- Running Gag: Kirk's many jobs. 43, according to Lorelai, as of the end of season four.
- The Stoic: Rarely shows emotions, though he has some Not So Stoic moments.
- Talking in Your Sleep: He sleepwalks, too.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: He gets a pretty and nice girlfriend in later seasons.
- Yes-Man: Often acts like this to town selectman Taylor, running errands for him and trying to please him.
Dean Forester
Played by: Jared Padalecki
A Stars Hollow high school student from Chicago who eventually becomes Rory's first boyfriend.
- Betty and Veronica:
- Betty to Jess's Veronica. Rory later expressed regret about the relationship with Jess to her best friend Lane Kim; saying that, while she was initially attracted to Jess' intellectualism and his "bad boy nature", she had become used to Dean's reliability and affectionate nature.
- He was the Archie to Lindsay's Betty and Rory's Veronica.
- The Bus Came Back: Dean has a short cameo in A Year in the Life where he runs into Rory at Doose's Market where they catch up.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Dean seemingly disappears in season 5 after realizing that Rory's in love with Logan. He has a single scene with Luke and is never seen in the rest of the series.
- Cool Big Bro: He's very nice to his younger sister.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: He gets angry towards Rory when she declines to spend time with him in favor of school or town activities and therefore in the vicinity of Tristan, Jess or Logan. He insisted on being there when Rory and Tristan rehearsed the death scene of Romeo and Juliet, as it involved a kiss. He also dumped her after she blanked on saying "I Love You" back after gifting her with a car and telling her he loved her. Rory eventually did say it several episodes later. His jealousy of Jess at least turns out to be pretty well justified.
- Fatal Flaw: Dean's flaw is a double-edged sword - he cares more about the experience of being happy than he does about education. This means he's satisfied with simple goals like a partner and family. But it also means he doesn't understand Rory's foibles and gets frustrated when things go outside his purview.
- Foil: For Jess. For all of his dependability, Dean doesn't stimulate Rory intellectually like Jess does, clashing with him for obvious reasons. Dean is also a good fit for Stars Hollow, whereas Jess tends to annoy the townspeople with his pranks and general attitude. In Dean's final appearance, he's still in Stars Hollow after a failed marriage and a job in the local construction company while Jess is last seen having written a book and part of the local arts scene where he lives.
- Happily Married: As of A Year in the Life. He is married with kids and has moved away from Stars Hollow and appears to have a happy life.
- Informed Attractiveness: He's described as 'beautiful' or 'gorgeous' probably even more frequently than the protagonists (compared to their respective amounts of the screen-time)
- Insecure Love Interest: It becomes his Fatal Flaw from season 2 onwards. He thinks Rory is the absolute perfect girl and that he's not smart enough for her, developing all his Crazy Jealous Guy tendencies as a result. In season 5, he ends up dumping Rory because he feels he doesn't belong to Rory's glamorous world. In his last appearance, he tries to make Luke insecure as well, telling him that both Gilmore girls want more than a simple Stars Hollow guy.
- New Transfer Student: In season one. He is introduced as the new guy in town in the "Pilot".
- Nice Guy: In the first seasons, Dean is the typical friendly wholesome Boy Next Door, especially in contrast to Rory's other boyfriends. His character devolves over later seasons though, see Took a Level in Jerkass.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: In season 2.
- Properly Paranoid: He may be a Crazy Jealous Guy but he was right: Rory was attracted to Jess and actually kissed Jess while still in a relationship with Dean.
- Romantic Runner-Up: He may have been Rory's first ever boyfriend, but he eventually loses her to Jess and then to Logan as the series progressed.
- Satellite Love Interest: Despite being an important character, he's this to Rory. His story-lines revolve exclusively around a) how he and Rory are in love b) how he is being jealous for Rory's current other love interests c) how is his new relationship inferior to what he had with Rory. Also, him not having much of plans or ambitions outside relationship with Rory and revolving around her while she has other things to do is a recurring aspect since early in the series.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: About 90% of the characters who encounter him comment how tall he is, about 90% of the female characters who encounter him comment how good-looking he is, and he has dark hair.
- Took a Level in Dumbass: Downplayed. As the plot was progressing, the writers tried to emphasize his position as Rory's - and her new love interests - intellectual inferior. He never becomes dumb but gradually turns into a simpleton without an original thought, able only to admire Rory.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: By the time seasons 4 and 5 roll around, he's cheating on his wife and gets possessive of Rory.
Jess Mariano
Played by: Milo Ventimiglia
Luke's nephew who gets sent to live with him after getting into trouble one too many times back home.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: In season 4's "Last Week Tights, This Week Fights", Jess begs Rory to run away with him and be with him ("And I'm ready. I'm ready for this. You can count on me now. I know you couldn't count on me before, but you can now. You can.") — this is possibly a reaction to seeing Rory and Dean together outside her dorm room as he comes to talk with her. It doesn't make Rory's rejection any less heartwrenching. This comes in the same season as his Love Confession, which was unexpected, but less anguished.
- Amicable Exes: With Rory in the revival. They chat over drinks, he provides a sounding board for her current life struggles, and gives her the idea to write her book.
- Betty and Veronica:
- The Veronica to Dean's Betty. Rory later expressed regret about the relationship with Jess to her best friend Lane Kim; saying that, while she was initially attracted to Jess' intellectualism and his "bad boy nature", she had become used to Dean's reliability and affectionate nature.
- The Betty to Logan's Veronica in Season 6.
- Book Worm: Rory's massive book collection prompts him to steal and annotate her copy of Ginsberg's "Howl" so that he can attempt to actually talk to her. Their mutual love of reading forms the basis of their relationship.
- Broken Ace: Inverted. Jess' outward image highlights his troubled nature, his insecurity, and loner tendencies, when he's actually quite sophisticated and intelligent.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Starts out this way, then puts on this as a façade the fact he's got a job at Walmart where he works overtime shifts. He also secretly fixed Luke's toaster and refuses to admit he did it. He's shed the façade completely by Season 6 as he's written a book and is running a small publishing house.
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Brooding Boy to Rory's Gentle Girl.
- Brutal Honesty: He's absolutely not afraid to say what's on his mind, especially how he sees Luke acting towards Lorelai. His first encounter with Lorelai even led him to bluntly ask her if they were a couple. In Season 6 this trait comes in handy making Rory see how much she's screwed up her life and go back to Yale.
- The Cassandra: Despite his own issues, Jess is unerringly good at identifying truths about other people. Examples include clocking that Lorelai likes Luke in their first conversation, calling Luke out for his own inaction, being the first person to question Rory's foreign correspondent dream, and knowing Liz doesn't want Jess to come home. Thanks to his abrasive delivery, he's usually ignored. This is finally averted in season 6 when his pleas to Rory about losing herself lead her to return to Yale.
- Characterization Marches On: He's introduced with a fondness for Stage Magic that is quickly faded out of the storyline.
- Character Development: By Season 6, he's matured greatly, learned to communicate with people, and thanks both Luke and Rory for supporting him when his life was a mess.
- Commonality Connection: Despite his bad boy, cynical New Yorker attitude being at complete odds with small-town sweetheart Rory, they quickly bond over a shared passion for music, popular culture, and literature.
- Commuting on a Bus: Returns twice for several episodes in Season 4, and two in Season 6. He's mentioned in "Winter" and appears in "Summer" and "Fall".
- Deadpan Snarker: Must be inherited from his uncle, as their conversations tend to fall into Snark-to-Snark Combat, as well as towards Lorelai. He's much nicer to Rory for obvious reasons.
- Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of the "bad boy" trope. He's introduced as one, with leather jacket and too-cool-for-school attitude to match. It comes out that he is world-weary and mistrustful, the result of living with his addict mother. He's also a massive introvert with poor social skills who would rather be reading than interacting with the world, which doesn't help the image. Once he resolves these issues between seasons 4 and 6, he doesn't resemble anyone's idea of a "bad boy," and instead becomes The Reliable One.
- Deliberate Under-Performance: Jess doesn't see the point in school and doesn't bother to try. He reads during tests in school (when he actually goes), and doesn't do his work. He fails out of high school despite being intellectually on-par with Rory and Paris.
- Disappeared Dad: His father left the family right after Jess was born.
- Foil:
- For Dean. While Jess has his own problems and is generally not well liked by the residents of Stars Hollow he connects with Rory on an intellectual level unlike anyone else in the town. However, while Dean was respectful towards Rory and was consistently there for her when she needed him, Jess was inconsistent, often abandoned Rory, and showed little to no concern for how his negative actions affected her.
- For Logan: Both of them are intelligent but unmotivated, rebellious and had neglectful childhoods. But while Logan is ridiculously wealthy and can rely on his family to bail him out of trouble, Jess comes from a poor single parent family and has to deal with the consequences of his bad decisions. They're also foils regarding Rory: Both of them fell for her despite being fairly guarded, uncaring guys most of the time but while Logan drags her down into partying and theft, Jess inspires her to stick with her dreams and go back to Yale. This carries into the revival where she's Logan's mistress while Jess tells her to write a book.
- For Rory herself. Both of them were raised by young mothers without their fathers present. But while Lorelai raised Rory with a fierce devotion in the stable environment of Stars Hollow, Liz was a wildly unstable alcoholic and drug user who rarely paid attention to her son while barely raising him in the more chaotic New York City, forcing him to raise himself. When they first met, she was on a bright path to Yale while he was insecure and self-destructive about his path in life. In the revival, he has a stable life in Philadelphia working in publishing while Rory is floundering in her career and unsure about her life. As one review put it, it's telling that while he continues to carry a book with him and is reading in his final scenes, Rory hasn't been seen with a book the entire time, aside from glancing at the Stars Hollow Gazette and writing the first three chapters of her manuscript. Borders heavily on Mirror Character.
- From New York to Nowhere: Jess is from New York City and is sent to live with Luke due to some issues with his mother.
- Genius Book Club: A trait shared with Rory. He has read and can be found reading many famous authors, including Tom Wolfe, Kurt Vonnegut, and Jack Kerouac. He debates the merits of Bukowski with Paris and teases Rory for her disdain of Hemingway. He grabs her attention in an Establishing Character Moment by writing notes in the margins of her copy of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl", which he tells her he's read "about 40 times."
- Hates Small Talk: Self-admittedly. His monosyllabic tendencies are commented by several characters and never in a positive light.
- Hero of Another Story: For being an Iconic Sequel Character related to one of the main characters and major Love Interest to another, what Jess's life is like when he's not onscreen is insanely unexplored. His past before Stars Hollow is only ever alluded to, it's never explained exactly why he was shipped there in the first place. Afterwards, whenever he pops up in the story, he's in a different place—literally and figuratively—with little to no explanation of how he got there. This is especially jarring in season 6, when not only does he return full of Character Development, but he's written a novel and is co-running a publishing company with two new friends, and there is no backstory given for that at all.
- Hilariously Abusive Childhood: When Liz shows up her ditzy nature and bad taste in men is almost entirely played for laughs... never mind that Jess had to grow up with an unstable mother and her string of horrible boyfriends. And yeah, he gets blamed for being bitter about it? In his first meeting with Lorelai, she clumsily attempts to relate to him with her own past - despite some clear differences, namely that her parents smothered her while his neglected him - and it only makes him even angrier.
- Iconic Sequel Character: He doesn't appear until season 2, but quickly becomes Rory's Second Love, and is probably the most iconic of Rory's love interests on the show, thanks to his popularity with fans.
- Insecure Love Interest: Openly admits that he has no idea why Rory is with him, and his insecurity is a major reason their relationship falls apart.Luke: She picked you.
Jess: God knows why.
Luke: She knows, that's all that matters. - Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's certainly rude, surly, uncommunicative and difficult, but does care about Luke and Rory, and tries to support them though he's too dysfunctional to succeed at first. By his return in S6, he's shed most of the jerkish aspects and is much nicer, though his bluntness and snarking remain.
- Like a Son to Me: To Luke by the end of the series. In A Year In A Life, Lorelai even asks Luke if he wanted a son to throw a football around with and Luke says he has Jess.
- Love at First Sight: Upon his second return in season 4, he tells Rory that he knew they were "meant to be together" from the first time he saw her. Sadly, Rory has lost her trust in him by this point and rejects him.
- Menace Decay: Most of Jess's reputation as a bad boy comes from speculation by Stars Hollow townsfolk, including Lorelai. He does very little live up to their hype, beyond smoking and a general disdain for authority. He's surly and rude, but the worst he does is pull some childish pranks and get into a car accident swerving to avoid a furry animal.
- Nephewism: Is introduced into the story by being sent to live with his uncle, Luke.
- Nice Guy: Upgrades to this by Season 6 and in A Year In The Life as he's much more communicative, reliable and friendly.
- No Romantic Resolution: In "A Year in the Life", Jess is the only one of Rory's major ex-love interests she does not get closure with. This did not go unnoticed by Literati shippers.
- Odd Friendship:
- Although very short-lived, as they really interacted only on one evening, Jess notably goes down in the show's history books as the only one of Rory's love interests who got along with Paris. A deleted scene
showed that even Paris could sense their Belligerent Sexual Tension and gave him her seal of approval.Paris: If you ever do decide that you like him, I wouldn't blame you. He's unbelievably cute, and though his literary tastes leaves a little to be desired, at least he has literary taste. - Rory's friendship with Jess is seen as this by pretty much everyone, including Lorelai. This is mostly due to Jess coming off as a troublemaker and punk to the rest of the town, but he connects with Rory over their shared interests.
- Although very short-lived, as they really interacted only on one evening, Jess notably goes down in the show's history books as the only one of Rory's love interests who got along with Paris. A deleted scene
- Operation: Jealousy: The first half of season three. Jess gets himself a blond bimbo solely to infuriate Rory and show her that little does he care about her still being Dean's girlfriend. As soon as Rory and Dean are broken up, the bimbo is out of the picture.
- Parental Abandonment: Jess ends up in Stars Hollow because his mother couldn't handle him. She ships him off to Luke without asking his (or Luke's) input.
- Pet the Dog: In one episode, he pulls a prank which turns the whole town against Luke because he tried to defend him yet again. When he gets a What the Hell, Hero? from Rory for not caring about it and being ungrateful to Luke, he fixes the toaster Luke was working on in the beginning of the episode and doesn't even take credit for it.
- Poor Communication Kills: Jess's major character flaw at the start of the series is his inability to communicate effectively, which causes the bulk of his relationship issues with Rory. It also causes issues with Luke, until Luke undergoes some character growth of his own and refuses to let Jess push him away. This is lampshaded in the revival with some self-deprecating humor on Jess's part.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: In season 2.
- The Reliable One: Amazingly - considering how he started out - he's become this in the revival, getting Luke to talk about his situation with Lorelai, solving his wi-fi problem and comforting Rory through her mid-life crisis.
- Second Love: To Rory. Dean was the first.
- Self-Made Man: Season 6 reveals that he's published a short book, co-runs a small publishing business, and is very involved with the local independent arts scene.
- Smoking Is Edgy: One of the biggest visual cues that Jess is Troubled, but Cute when he arrives in Stars Hollow is that he's an underage smoker. This fades from the story line over time, and is dropped completely by the time he gets his Character Development.
- Star-Crossed Lovers:
- As the show went on, this became the case for him and Rory. Their initial attraction and relationship is plagued by the presence of Dean, the town's disapproval and Jess's own issues. Jess then runs away, leaving Rory heartbroken but later returns to find Rory back with Dean, leaving him heartbroken. He then returns again (after fixing himself) as a young adult to find Rory now with Logan and as much of a mess as he was before. After he convinces her to 'fix' her life, they kiss for a final time, only for her to decide to remain with Logan instead, causing Lit fans to lose their final shred of patience with the writers.
- The ending of A Year In A Life hints that Jess might still have feelings for Rory, but only a few scenes later we discover she's pregnant with (probably) Logan's child.
- Sticky Fingers: Jess steals things for his own amusement. Luke finds this bizarre, because the items he steals have no monetary value. This includes Babette's prized garden gnome (which he hid in Luke's closet) and all 500 of Stars Hollow High's baseballs. No word on where he stored those or what he did with them.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: In the early seasons, Jess is a jerk to pretty much everyone but Rory. She notices, of course, and confronts him about it. He evades until she drops it.
- Terse Talker: He can be eloquent (mostly when talking to Rory or taunting Dean), but usually gets by 'yep', 'nope' and 'huh'. Frequently lampshaded.Jess: The verbal thing comes and goes.
- Took a Level in Kindness:
- Far friendlier and more sociable when he returns in S6, and certainly much better at articulating his feelings. The Jess we first met would never have given genuine heart-felt speeches about appreciating everything Luke and Rory did for him.
- In "A Year in The Life" he gets along quite well with Rory again and gives her the idea for her novel, and comforts Luke when Lorelai leaves to find herself before yanking out the diner's WiFi to give his uncle some peace. It's strongly implied in his last scene he's still in love with Rory, and might have another shot with her.
- Troubled, but Cute: Sullen, broody, a neglectful and borderline abusive mother... but damn is he cute. Post Character Development, he settles on being just cute.
- Tsundere: He is Tsun Tsun towards everyone but Dere Dere mainly to Rory and at times Luke.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Jess has pretty low self-esteem at the start of the series, despite being intelligent and well-read. While the townsfolk of Stars Hollow buy into his bad boy persona, Rory and Luke don't and insist he can do more with his life. They are right. By season 6, Jess has mellowed; he has published a short novel and works for a publishing company. Both Rory and Luke are proud of him.
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: Particularly in comparison with Liz, his mother.
- What Have We Ear?: Is introduced with a talent for sleight-of-hand magic tricks. He attempts to use them to flirt with Rory. She is not impressed.
- Will They or Won't They?: With Rory during Season 2 and 3. They do but later break up. Then again during Season 4, when he's Commuting on a Bus, again during brief appearances in Season 6 and then the revival reignites this trope literally minutes from the end.
Secondary Characters
Acquaintances of Luke Danes
Liz Danes
Played by: Kathleen Wilhoite
Luke's eccentric younger sister and Jess's mother.
- Abusive Parents: Of the deeply neglectful and self-absorbed kind. She essentially leaves Jess to raise himself and apparently spent more time drinking and going through a string of terrible men rather than taking care of her son, with a strong implication that she did marijuana and other drugs around him as well. Even on Christmas, she doesn't ask to see him.
- The Alcoholic: She apparently binge drank without realizing she was pregnant with Jess.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: To Luke, although he loves her.
- The Atoner: Knows she's messed up in the past, knows the reputation she has and is trying to be better.
- Beta Couple: She's Luke's younger sister and had a string of bad short-term relationship. However, her relationship with TJ is stable, while Luke has ups and downs with Lorelai.
- Big Brother Worship: Adores her big brother Luke.
- Calling Parents by Their Name: Her son Jess almost exclusively calls her Liz, highlighting their strained relationship.
- Cloudcuckoolander: She and T.J. even joined a vegetable-growing cult by accident, needing Luke and Jess to bail them out. Luckily for them, they were apparently too odd for the cult and got kicked out before Luke and Jess save them. Jess flat out calls her a whackjob as he angrily rants about the state of his life to his biological father.
- Foil: Is a Sookier version of Lorelai. She has a lot of Sookie's personality — is optimistic, impulsive, funny, creative, not always that reliable — and a lot of Lorelai's life situation — teen mother, gone through a lot of relationships, but instead of her mother being cold and strict she died when Liz was young, while her father is implied to have been distant with her.
- Freudian Excuse: It's implied Liz's behavior deteriorated after the death of her and Luke's mother when they were children. Luke thinks Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse, though he still tries to help her out.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: She references that she was a binge drinker and marijuana user in the past, and went through a string of crappy boyfriends and husbands before she met T.J. All this while apparently forgetting that she had a son. By the time she shows up in Stars Hollow with T.J., she has apparently cleaned up her act although Jess doesn't fully believe her.
- Junkie Parent: Heavily implied to be this throughout Jess's childhood.
- Maternally Challenged: And she knows it. In addition the other tropes mentioned here, when Liz becomes pregnant in season 7, she freaks out that she will makes the same mistakes with the new baby as she did with Jess.
- Parental Neglect: She packs off Jess, her troubled teenage son, and sends him off to his uncle Luke while none of them had any word in the matter prior to Jess' arrival to Stars Hollow. Jess practically states that she rarely paid attention to him and mostly ignored him, being wrapped up in her own matters in getting drunk, high or finding a man.Jess: She does not care what we think. She really doesn't care what I think. I've got nineteen years of proof to back me up.
- Same Character, But Different: It's hard to reconcile how the writers portrayed her when she was The Ghost in seasons 2 and 3 with how they portrayed her once she became an actual character on the show in season 4.
- The Stoner: She used to be a heavy pot smoker, but since quit.
- Teen Pregnancy: It's implied she had Jess as a teenager, much like Lorelai had Rory.
TJ
Played by: Michael Deluise
- The Ditz: In his later appearances. He wasn't initially presented as a particularly bright guy, but later devolved to someone whom a construction crew can trick into thinking he's the boss, while sending him off to buy them sandwiches to get him out of the way.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's an obnoxious moron.. but he genuinely loves Liz and sees Luke as family.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: He's one for Luke. In a variation, T.J. is more obliviously obnoxious, he does like Luke and treats him like family. Luke just sort of tolerates him for Liz's sake (Jess flat out can't stand him).
- Real Men Wear Pink: TJ spends a lot of time expounding upon the virtues of tights at his wedding day, insisting that they're actually really comfortable to wear.
- The Thing That Would Not Leave: During one episode, he imposes himself on Luke and Lorelai's romantic dinner after having a spat with Liz, to Luke's annoyance, though as usual he's oblivious to it.
April Nardini
Played by: Vanessa Marano
Luke's long-lost daughter; he doesn't find out about her existence until season six.
- Academic Athlete: Mostly academic, but she's also an enthusiastic swimmer.
- Book Smart: She's introduced doing a science fair experiment, which wins her Second Prize. She attends M.I.T. in the revival.
- Brainy Brunette: A very smart, dark-haired girl who loves science. A Year in the Life reveals that she's an MIT student.
- Brutal Honesty: Self-admitted in the original series, she's a Nice Girl but can be too blunt with her opinions.
- Calling Parents by Their Name: April originally does this with Luke. She starts calling him 'Dad' once they begin to develop a bond.
- Cousin Oliver: A young, precocious character added in during a rather unpopular stretch of the show.
- Luke, You Are My Father: To, well, Luke.
- No Sense of Humor: Self-admitted in the revival; she's working on it.
- Replacement Flat Character: As Rory has become a confident college girl in later seasons, April is introduced to fill the role of the cute, geeky, and naïve teenager like early Rory.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: In college, to the point where Luke needed a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a book about natural philosophy just to decode a letter she sent him.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Sasha's daughter Lily, who would have been Jess's stepsister if the spin-off had happened. April and Lily's mothers are even played by the same actress.
Anna Nardini
Played by: Sherilyn Fenn
Luke's ex-girlfriend and the mother of April. She and Luke don't see each other after their breakup until after April tests Luke's DNA for her science fair project.
- Because I Said So: Her preferred method of parenting and of dealing with Luke.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Presumably she and Luke got along well enough to date at one point, and she's very pleasant to the customers at her store, but she's also consistently condescending and belittling to Luke about his career, his love life, and his parenting skills. She also acts like he has no claim whatsoever to April when it interferes with her plans, much to Luke (and April's) dismay.
- Control Freak: To the point that she flips out after discovering that April met Lorelai, Luke's fiancée and her future step-mother, without her permission. Her reasoning is that an engagement isn't stable and she doesn't want April to get attached and then upset if things don't work out. note
- Foil: To Lorelai. Both are single mothers (by choice) to brilliant daughters. However, Anna actively tries to keep Luke out of April's life, while Lorelai always let Christopher be as involved as he wanted to be.
- Remember the New Guy?: Anna and April were never mentioned before season 6, but other characters like Babette and Patty make it seem as though Anna was a serious part of Luke's life. Previously, it was stated that Luke's only major romantic relationship was with Rachel.
- Smug Snake: When Luke challenges her for custody of April, she gives him an extremely condescending "The Reason You Suck" Speech in an attempt to bully him into dropping the lawsuit. It doesn't work, and when the judge rules in favor of Luke she gets very upset.
- Solomon Divorce: Anna doesn't want Luke to have any say in April's care, doesn't tell him that April exists, and actively tries to obstruct him from having full parental responsibilities once he does get involved.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Her insistence that April must be sheltered from any kind of shock and so Lorelai can't be around her results in Lorelai and Luke's breakup and Lorelai's eventual marriage to Christopher.
Acquaintances of Sookie St. James
Jackson Belleville
Played by: Jackson Douglas
Stars Hollows's prominent produce man who takes great pride in his work. He begins a relationship with Sookie and the two get married and start a family together.
- Beleaguered Bureaucrat: In season 5, Jackson decides to run for town selectman against Taylor, being tired of his obsessiveness, and wins by an overwhelming landslide. However, Jackson finds that the job is very unfulfilling, so he hands the reins back to Taylor.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Most of Jackson and Sookie's scenes early in the series consist of the two arguing due to Sookie's high standards for produce and Jackson's insistence that his is the best. They even continue to have this type of dynamic after getting married.
- Beta Couple: Starts dating Sookie pretty early on and they remain a stable, happy couple. They provide contrast to Lorelai's relationships.
- Good Ol' Boy: A manly man with old-fashioned values and a country-boy upbringing.
- Embarrassing Old Photo: Jackson owns a pair of pajamas with an old wrestling photo of him on it. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide them from Lorelai and Rory.
- Happily Married: He marries Sookie and they remain very satisfied with their life together, and have several children throughout the series. They are not without a fair share of problems, but they remain loving and devoted to each other.
- Hypocrite: In season 7, it’s revealed that he lied to Sookie about getting a vasectomy, and she’s now pregnant because she went off the pill without telling him. He’s outraged by this until Lorelai points out that Sookie had no reason to tell him she went off the pill because she thought he’d had a vasectomy.
- Nice Guy: Genuinely one of the nicest and most-caring men in the series, especially apparent when he and Sookie were first dating.
- Satellite Love Interest: Despite being married to the best friend of one of the leads, Jackson doesn't really get much to do outside of his relationship with Sookie. However, he gets A Day in the Limelight in a season 5 episode when he runs against Taylor for town selectman (and wins).
Acquaintances of Lane Kim
Mrs. Kim
Played by: Emily Kuroda
The antique shop owner in Stars Hollow and Lane's mother. She is a very conservative Christian and disapproves of most American customs.
- Almighty Mom: She scared the crap out of Zach when found out that he'd been 'laying hands' on her little girl. Also most of Lane's peers (Jess is polite to her), and some of the adults, like Lorelai and even Taylor, fear her to varying degrees.
- Apron Matron: She's the unquestionable head of the household (if Mr. Kim is ever shown, he's never singled out of the crowd of the Koreans occasionally gathered in the house) and rules it with an iron fist.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Beneath her icy exterior lies a good-hearted woman who genuinely does love and want the best for her daughter. she even looses up her standards for suitable men for her daughter.
- Determinator: And she enforces it on members of her family too. She may think Lane's taste in music is sinful, but she'll be damned if she's going to let her daughter give up on her dream:Mrs. Kim: Kims do not give up!
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: The first association Zach and Brian have upon seeing her is: 'remember that guy from Full Metal Jacket?' and after watching her commanding a group of people inside her salon it's easy to see why.
- Generation Xerox: A heart-warming example; Mrs. Kim hides her Christian lifestyle from her traditional Buddhist mother mirrors Lane hiding her lifestyle from her mother when she was growing up.
- The Ghost: Her husband, Mr. Kim. Lane always talks about her parents but Mr. Kim is never seen or heard.
- Hidden Depths: She knows a surprising amount about music, and in a way, becomes Hep Alien's pseudo-manager, booking them a tour and helping Zach write songs.
- Mrs. Kim has a masterful understanding of Shakespeare (which she reads to 'goof off'), to the point where she quotes a obscure but highly appropriate line of Henry VI ("Let never day nor night unhallowed pass, but still remember what the Lord hath done.”) in response to Dave acknowledging his crush on Lane (The quote is the King speaking to a blind man who has regained his power of sight, and it's in essence Mrs. Kim saying something between Well duh and Finally, you're seeing her as you should. It's also a touch of Brilliance as Mrs. Kim allowed Lane to attend a Romeo and Juliet play with Lorelai and Rory all the way back in the first season because she thought it was a cautionary tale of young people in love who don't listen to their parents... which is one of the most highly held scholarly viewpoints on the play.
- Iron Lady: Mrs. Kim runs her antique store and raises Lane in a very strict, no-nonsense manner and often intimidates others with her demeanor.
- My Beloved Smother: She is extremely strict, and pushes Lane into a life she doesn't want. However, Mrs. Kim loves Lane and cares deeply about her. But thinking that Rory might corrupt Lane... well, Rule of Funny was in play.
- Odd Friendship: With Lorelai. The two see eye-to-eye on almost nothing, but Lorelai respects the solidarity of motherhood and will go behind Rory's back when Rory conspires with Lane to do something Mrs. Kim disapproves of. This has the strange effect of making Mrs. Kim the sole person alive who Lorelai will ever cross Rory for.
- Perpetual Frowner: She's rarely seen smiling.
- Team Mom: Evolves into this for Lane's band. Although she has reservations about her daughter being in a rock band, it is clear she cares about them and wants them to succeed, especially when she helps Hep Alien go on tour.
- Terse Talker: Mama Kim lives, runs the business, and raises her daughter by simple rules ('You break, you buy!', 'No boys!') and doesn't have to waste words to get people into obeying her.
- Took a Level in Kindness: She remains strict, but she eventually mellows slightly, going from not allowing Lane to even speak to boys and forcing Lane to hide music and makeup under the floorboards, to helping Zach write a song (to prove he's worthy of Lane's hand), lovingly giving Lane her grandmother's wedding ring, and sincerely encouraging Lane to follow her dreams and become a professional drummer. Perhaps Lane moving out was the wake-up call she needed?
Zach van Gerbig
Played by: Todd Lowe
The lead singer and guitarist of the band Hep Alien, who becomes Lane's boyfriend and eventual husband.
- Character Development: He goes from being a happy-go-lucky slacker to a reliable husband and father by the end of the series and the revival. At one point, he even laments that he has to balance out his 9-to-5 career with his rocker lifestyle.
- Chick Magnet: He is several times seen to be quite popular among the ladies and eventually even Lane falls for him.
- Children Raise You: Once Lane gets pregnant, a lot of Zach's slacker tendencies fall by the wayside as he prepares for the kids.
- Commander Contrarian: If there is a conflict in the band, Zach will be the one causing it.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Goes over-the-top when he thinks other guys (even Brian) might be interested in Lane.
- Guilty Pleasures:
- In episode 11 of the 4th season, "In the Clamor and the Clangor", it is highly implied that he actually likes *NSYNC and that they are his guilty pleasure. But, he didn't want to admit it and got a little bit defensive when the band teased him about it (they, too, revealed their guilty pleasures — which did not include boy bands or bubblegum pop acts though).
- He secretly plays banjo in a bluegrass band.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Immature, lazy, selfish, but he genuinely loves Lane.
- Ladykiller in Love: Before falling in love with Lane, he was a womanizer.
- Likes Older Women: The first time he meets the Gilmore girls. He isn't much interested in Rory, but makes passes on Lorelai whom he considers Stacy's Mom archetype.
- Manchild: Not the most mature member of the group, to say the least.
- Mistaken for Cheating: In season 5 when he hides his bluegrass playing from Lane.
- Second Love: For Lane. Dave was her first serious love, but after Dave moves to California, Zack replaces Dave as Lane's romantic interest.
- The Slacker: When he is not playing, arguing or womanizing, he is usually seen playing video games or lazying around the (dirty) house and trying to delegate chores to Lane or Brian.
- Surfer Dude: He speaks in Totally Radical and has a cool-wannabe attitude, for example forbidding Gil to talk about parental matters because it's not 'rock and roll'.
- Those Two Guys: He and Brian started out as Dave's weird teammates without much of character depth.
Brian Fuller
Played by: John Cabrera
The bassist of Hep Alien and eventually one of Lane's roommates when she moves out of her mother's house. He is a proud geek with a lot of quirky interests.
- Nerd Glasses: Wears a pair and his look is a honest indication about his personality.
- Proud to Be a Geek: He has a tattoo of Snoopy, according to Lane.
- Ship Tease: With Kyon. Her and Brian are visibly interested in each other from the day when Brian impressed her with his knowledge of Korean culture.
- Sickly Neurotic Geek: He suffers from asthma, hypoglycemia, and has a deviated septum, among other things.
- The Smart Guy: Between him, Zach and Gil, Brian is the only one who has the ambition to read or learn about anything.
- Those Two Guys: He and Zach started out as Dave's weird teammates without much of character depth.
Dave Rygalski
Played by: Adam Brody
A guitar player and music afficionado who has an instant connection with Lane after they meet.- Birds of a Feather: With Lane.
- Determinator: In regards to dating Lane. After the Bible quest, even Mrs. Kim was impressed.
- First Love: Lane had several crushes during the show - notably Henry - but admitted Dave was the first one she felt so strongly about.
- Nice Guy: A friendly person and a caring boyfriend. Even Mrs. Kim likes him.
- Offscreen Breakup: His last appearance is in season 3, but he and Lane try a long-distance relationship when he goes off to college. His last mention is in season 4 during a fight over the so-called "marriage jug". It's never elaborated when exactly the two broke up.
- Only Sane Man: The most level-headed one in the band.
- Put on a Bus: Leaves "for California" after Season 3.
- Secret Relationship: With Lane. They hide their relationship for a while because Lane's mom only wants her to date Korean guys.
Kyon
Played by: Susane Lee
A studious and shy exchange student from Korea.
- Cultural Rebel: She hides her American tastes like Lane did. Lane is even bemused when she finds out that Kyon likes Avril Lavigne.
- Replacement Goldfish: Moves in with Mrs. Kim after Lane moves out. Lane even calls her on it.
- Ship Tease: She shows interest in Brian after finding out his love of Korean culture.
- Super Gullible: Kyon never watches TV due to believing that Mrs. Kim can know when she watches it even when she isn't around and calls French fries "the devil's starchy fingers."
Other Friends and Neighbors
Taylor Doose
Played by: Michael Winters
The selectmen of Stars Hollow and owner of the local grocery store.
- 0% Approval Rating: Because of how annoying and obsessed about ridiculous town matters he is, nobody has much patience for him. However, when it hits the critical point and Jackson runs against Taylor for a selectman and wins by a landslide, turns out that Taylor is the best candidate for that job... exactly because he's the only one willing to take care of the ridiculous town matters.
- Ambiguously Gay: Is apparently considered this in-universe, going by the revival.
- Authority in Name Only: He's the town selectman and for the most part, he's seldom taken seriously.
- Butt-Monkey: Taylor is basically the town butt monkey of Stars Hollow and is even the butt monkey amongst his family. Shockingly enough, Lorelai seems to be the only person to have any sympathy for him.
- Control Freak: Hooboy, is he a stickler for the rules.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He's definitely not "evil" but when his obsessive and overbearing actions lead to Jackson beating him by a landslide for Town Selectman he seems genuinely dumbfounded that there were negative consequences to how he did the job.
- Hidden Depths: Always wanted to be a magician, as he reveals to Miss Patty every dance marathon.
- Jerkass: He's unbelievably obnoxious, but usually just tries to do what is right in his mind (or is simply self-serving at worst). Townspeople mostly acknowledge that Taylor is a good guy, but don't have much patience for him anyhow.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Seems to take a perverse delight in insisting every rule be followed to a tee, particularly when it irritates others.
- Sitcom Archnemesis: To Luke, who seems to be the only person in Stars Hollow to disapprove and speak out against Taylor's obsessive need to control every aspect of the town. The rest of the townspeople tends to treat Taylor as a joke and Luke's feuds with him as another one.
Babette Dell
Played by: Sally Struthers
Lorelai and Rory's loud, eccentric, but loving next-door neighbor. She treats the two girls like her own daughters. Just among the many of Stars Hollow's zany bunch.
- Chubby Mama, Skinny Papa: She's short and chubby while her husband Morey is tall and thin.
- Cloudcuckoolander: A serious example even among eccentric neighbors (though not nearly as much as Kirk). She's quirky, has a strange voice, and often makes inappropriate comments.
- Gossipy Hens: Along with Miss Patty, knows every bit of gossip in the town and happily broadcasts it.
- Happily Married: With Morey. She frequently mentions her husband but she appears more often than him.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Nearly bordering on Crazy Cat Lady at times. Babette can't resist taking in cats and treats them like her own children.
- No Indoor Voice: She talks in very loud voice all the time.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Morey is usually very quiet and hardly ever speaks but she's very chatty and talkative.
- Urban Legend Love Life: At least the way Babette describes it. Apparently she's pushed out of a moving car by a guy and was even part of a cult once.
Morey Dell
Played by: Ted Rooney
The Gilmore girls' next-door neighbor and Babette's husband. He carries himself with a very cool demeanor and is a talented musician.
- Cool Shades: He wears sunglasses.
- Happily Married: With Babette. He's frequently mentioned by his wife.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Much like Babette, he cares deeply about cats and is one of the nicest guys in Stars Hollow. He does become distressed when Kirk adopts a cat that won't stop attacking him, though.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Morey is usually very quiet and hardly ever speaks but his wife is very chatty and talkative.
Patricia "Miss Patty" Lacosta
Played by: Liz Torres
An older woman who runs Miss Patty's School of Ballet in Stars Hollow. She was once quite the starlet and dancer in her youth and never fails to bring it up. Miss Patty is also very involved in the town's politics.
- Big Beautiful Woman: She's large, but still very beautiful, especially when you consider her age. The revival features her having lost a lot of weight and with a completely different hairdo.
- Deadpan Snarker: Like almost everyone in Stars Hollow, she deals with Taylor with crippling sarcasm. Or just telling him to shut up.
- Dirty Old Woman: Flirts with every man who crosses her path, regardless of age.
- Gossipy Hens: She usually stands in front of her ballet school and surveys the town for new interesting bits to see or hear, and she happily passes the knowledge, to the point that one of the fastest ways to have any piece of news quickly delivered to the entire town is to merely tell it to Miss Patty. She's never malicious, though.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Used to have quite a career on the stage as a beautiful dancer/actress, apparently.
- The Lancer: Serves as this to Taylor Doose. Whenever Taylor's not running the town meeting, Patty is. Appears to serve a high ranking position in town but it is unclear what that positition is, elected or not.
- Mrs. Robinson: Granted Miss Patty flirts with men of all ages, she seems particular fond of handsome young men.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: No one ever calls her "Patricia."
- Only Sane Man: Particularly when Taylor is involved. Despite her over-the-top personality, she seems much more grounded and level-headed than him.
- Serial Spouse: With at least four different husbands, according to a conversation between her and Lorelai.
- Spicy Latina: Miss Patty is what happens when this character type grows up and never loses her fiery personality.
- Urban Legend Love Life: Many of her scandalous stories seem to involve famous actors from her heyday as a dancer. Nobody really seems sure if she's telling the truth or not.
Gypsy
Played by: Rose Abdoo
- Ambiguously Brown: In the very white Stars Hollow.note
- Deadpan Snarker: Taylor makes her favorite target, but not the only one.Jess: [about his car, being repaired by Gypsy] Are you waiting for it to tell you where it hurts?
Gypsy: I've seen dumber things talking. - Girlish Pigtails: Despite her tomboy appearance otherwise.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Assuming "Gypsy" is just a nickname. Her full name is never mentioned.
- Wrench Wench: Car trouble in Stars Hollow? Gypsy's your go-to woman.
Other Love Interests
Rachel
Played by: Lisa Ann Hadley
Luke's old girlfriend who travels around the world working as a photographer. She is said to have once been the great love of Luke's life, but could never stay settled in one place.
- Allergic to Routine: Part of the reason why her and Luke's relationship didn't work out. She wanted to travel around the world, but he never wanted to leave Stars Hollow.
- Everyone Can See It: Rachel recognizes that Luke is in love with Lorelai before he can even admit it to himself.
- I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She eventually decides to leave Stars Hollow when she realizes that Luke is in love with Lorelai, not her. For what it's worth, she doesn't seem too bothered by it and tells Luke not to wait to long to tell her.
- Informed Attractiveness: Sookie and Miss Patty describe Rachel as being drop-dead gorgeous, comparing her to Elle MacPherson. The actress is beautiful, but not quite a supermodel.
- Old Flame Fizzle: Rachel came back to Stars Hollow to give her relationship with Luke another try, but it's clear his heart's not in it.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Although she disappears from the series after season 1, her photography helps lead Lorelai to rediscovering the old Dragonfly Inn, which is in disrepair. Lorelai and Sookie eventually purchase and renovate it. Rachel also helps push Luke along to realizing his feelings for Lorelai, which takes him a few seasons to act on.
- Small Town Boredom: One of the reasons Rachel decided to become a photographer since she didn't want to stay in one place for too long.
Lindsay Lister
Played by: Arielle Kebbel
- Alliterative Name: Until she married Dean, anyway.
- Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Rory's Veronica.
- Disposable Fiancé: She was so disposable that Louise was able to predict her marriage with Dean breaking because of Rory despite never even meeting her.
- Everyone Loves Blondes: Michel found her attractive.
- Hypocrite: She is offended when she overhears Rory complaining that Dean is dropping out of college and working all the time to make money to afford the things Lindsay wants, and why doesn't Lindsay get a job... then a few episodes later she has a fight with Dean because she's sitting at home bored while he works all the time. Neither of them consider the possibility of Lindsay getting a job to help out with their finances and also keep her occupied.
- Lazy Bum: Rory brings up that, given their financial issues, Lindsay could help by getting a job instead of having Dean drop out of school. Even after being annoyed with how much Dean works, leaving her home alone, doesn't inspire her to look for work outside the home.
- Lethal Chef: Apparently. Though she tried her best to improve for Dean's sake and seemed to make some progress.
- Properly Paranoid: After overhearing her husband's ex-girlfriend verbally trashing her in the town market, Lindsay tells Dean she doesn't want him talking to Rory anymore. Four episodes later, their affair starts.
- Spoiled Brat: She's immature and would rather have fun than acknowledge that her husband has to work, but she cares about Dean and consequently tries to improve in cooking to please him.
- Virgin in a White Dress: In the fifth season, when she doesn't have any Jerkass moments and her innocence is played up as the extramarital affair's wronged party.
Lulu
Played by: Rini Bell
Kirk's girlfriend.- Berserk Button: While not as quirky as many Stars Hollowers, she gets very upset if you threaten her love of pink.
- Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Kirk's, as probably the only one that gets him.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: For Kirk. He describes her as a woman who made him enjoy his life to its fullest. She's a teacher and, when seen in person, she's not actually very quirky or crazy.
- Nice Girl: An utter sweetheart.
- What Does She See in Him?: The entire town wonders what she sees in Kirk, including Kirk himself.
Nicole Leahy
Played by: Tricia O'Kelley
An attorney who works with Taylor Doose. She becomes Luke's girlfriend in season 3.
- Accidental Marriage: Luke and Nicole get married offscreen in between seasons 3 and 4. Most of the rest of the season deals with their crumbling relationship and divorce.
- Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Luke's Archie.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: Nicole and Luke had only been together a few months at most when they decided to get married on their romantic cruise together.
- Offscreen Breakup: Luke and Nicole's divorce gets finalized when he discovers she's been cheating on him in their home.
- Temporary Love Interest: The last of Luke's love interests before he starts dating Lorelai.
Minor Characters
Mia
Played by: Elizabeth Franz (Season 2), Kathy Baker (Season 7)
The owner of the Independence Inn in Stars Hollow. She took in a 17-year old Lorelai and an infant Rory when she ran away from her parents' home and arrived at Stars Hollow, giving her a place to stay and a job.- Family of Choice: Lorelai's relationship with Mia is much more warm and loving than her relationship with Emily.
- First-Name Basis: Mia is the only one allowed to refer to Luke by his actual name "Lucas".
- Parental Substitute: Mother figure to Lorelai and a grandmother figure to Rory.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She only appears in a total of 2 episodes throughout the entire series, but her act of kindness in the show's backstory has a major impact.
Cesar
Played by: Aris Alvarado
- Big Fun: He's both obese and always cheerful, sunny and polite to customers, in contrast to Luke.
- Bumbling Sidekick: Sometimes to Luke.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Aris Alvarado can be spotted as an extra in season 1 at Rory's Chilton dance.
- Spear Counterpart: To Sookie who is a chef as he works in the kitchen of Luke's diner. Though Cesar is much less important than Sookie.
Andrew
Played by: Mike Gandolfi
The owner of the local bookstore.
- Flat Character: Never really makes an impression but is featured just as regularly as the rest of the Stars Hollow peanut gallery.
- Only Sane Man: Averted. He may not be as "weird" as everyone else but he also doesn't seem to call out the others on their eccentricities either.
- Ridiculously Average Guy: Unlike most of the Star's Hollow residents Andrew is very "normal". Never really stands out and doesn't really possess the quirky traits of his fellow townsmen.
Fran Weston
Played by: Linda Porter
The local baker
- Character Death: Her death in season three is what leads to Lorelai and Sookie starting the Dragonfly Inn.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Fran acts oblivious to her own mortality.
- Sweet Baker: Fran is a very sweet old woman who owns and runs a bakery.
Tom
Played by: Biff Yeager
The construction guy Lorelai always hires.
- Deadpan Snarker: Always speaks in an apathetic tone and hardly says a line that isn't a snark.
Rev. Archie Skinner
Played by: Jim Jansen
The local man of the church. His church doubles as a Synagogue.
- Only Sane Man: One of the few townspeople who is able to challenge Taylor's ludicrous actions as town selectman.
- Those Two Guys: With Rabbi David Barans.
Sophie Bloom
Played by: Carole King
The music store owner. Moves to Stars Hollow from New York in season two.- Casting Gag: The character was a successful musician in the seventies, rather like her actress.
