What Really Happened To Emily Gilmore From Gilmore Girls?

The "iron-willed matriarch of television" title undoubtedly goes to the classy Hartford, Connecticut socialite Emily Gilmore. Her countless crowded soirees and gossip-filled Daughters of the American Revolution meetings were the balance that opposed the quirky Stars Hollow residents, including her daughter and granddaughter, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore (played by Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel). The three of them made up the Gilmore Girls, a label the actors will never be able to shake.

For Kelly Bishop, who portrayed Emily for its seven-season run, it's a name she has never imagined leaving behind. It's even part of her memoir's title: "The Third Gilmore Girl." Since the beloved comedy-drama ended in 2007, Bishop has not slowed down. Originally a dancer, she started her career in theater before moving onto the silver screen, ultimately breaking into the film industry with her role as Baby's mother, Marjorie Houseman, in 1987's "Dirty Dancing." And yes, she was there for the iconic line: "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Let's take a look back at the actor's rise to stardom before "Gilmore Girls," as well as at what the actor has been up to since her TV debut.

Before her iconic roles as Marjorie Houseman in "Dirty Dancing" and, of course, Emily Gilmore in "Gilmore Girls," Kelly Bishop graced the Broadway stage. Her rigorous background in ballet is how Bishop landed the principal role of Sheila in the original 1975 Broadway production of "A Chorus Line." Her character, a hard-edged, albeit alluring dancer, famously sang "At the Ballet," which Bishop says was predominantly based on her own story as a ballerina. "I was delighted," she told Entertainment Weekly of when creator Michael Bennett's idea for the show. "But I thought, 'I had no idea I was that interesting.'"

Bishop went on to win the 1976 Tony Award for "Best Supporting or Featured Actress in a Musical" for her role as Sheila, as well as the 1976 Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Musical." It was her first real break into the acting business, for which Bishop was gladly willing to leave her dancing career behind. "I thought, 'I want to be an actor, I've got to make this transition before I become an old dancer.'" And with that, Bishop flew to Hollywood to star in small roles in shows like "Hawaii Five-O" and "The Thorns." Since then, she has dug her heels into an absolute spot in the celebrity actor world.

While TV is her primary career, Kelly Bishop has dabbled in some theater since her "Gilmore Girls" days. The Hollywood star made her first appearance back on Broadway since "A Chorus Line" as the haughty character Evangeline Harcourt in the 2011 revival of "Anything Goes." Bishop was so set on making it big on screen as a young star that going back to New York was a refreshing walk down memory lane for the Broadway veteran decades later. The actor told Broadway.com that "Anything Goes" was her homecoming, especially for those who held on to the memory of her stage debut 36 years before.

Her character is one in which she seems to be type-casted often. Evangeline Harcourt is a domineering woman who constantly puts her two cents into her daughter Hope's life. Sound familiar? Emily Gilmore was no different! "'Anything Goes' isn't twisted in the same way, but I am playing another overbearing mother!" Bishop told Broadway.com. "It seems I'm stuck with that. I am a bit bossy in real life. I'm a little maternal, but mostly, I have a tendency to think that I'm right about everything—which is usually a mistake." The actor explained how she loves playing a part in a complicated family on TV, so her time back on stage, portraying another off-beat mother-daughter duo, made her feel right at home.

When the world had already mourned the ending of their favorite cozy comedy, "Gilmore Girls," it once again graced our screens, this time with a focus on the girls' older stages in life. Kelly Bishop came back without her on-screen hubby, Richard Gilmore, played by the accomplished actor Edward Herrmann, who passed away in 2014. The 2016 revival miniseries "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" deals with themes of loss, uncertainty, and complicated relationships.

The straight-laced Emily Gilmore came back with one subtle change, her sailor's tongue. Bishop told Entertainment Weekly that, because of the looser rules around swearing in series that stream on Netflix – as opposed to live on cable – the show's creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, permitted the high-class Gilmore grandmother to use expletive language, but only her. So Emily's use of words, like "bulls**t" at a D.A.R. meeting, just adds to her multifaceted personality. When asked if she would come back for another season, Bishop said she would be happy to if Sherman-Palladino decides to give "Gilmore Girls" another comeback. Besides "Gilmore Girls," Bishop is constantly in touch with Sherman-Palladino about new projects. The actor has starred in the TV writer's other shows, such as "Bunheads" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

She's a dancer, a stage player, a film actor, and a TV star; why not throw "author" in there too? It seems like Kelly Bishop thought the same when she released her memoir, "The Third Gilmore," in September 2024. The book discusses her road to stardom, including her time in the original Broadway cast of "A Chorus Line," as well as her break-out film role in "Dirty Dancing." She writes of her professional peak in "Gilmore Girls" – to which she nods in the memoir's title – and her personal life, like losing her husband, Lee Leonard, who died of cancer in 2018.

Bishop told Forbes that "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino pushed her to share her story, which fell around the time of the COVID-19 shutdown, so the actor thought she would try her hand at writing. When asked what she wants people to take from her story, she highlights companionship, especially through the love story between her and Leonard, a former ESPN host whom Bishop married in 1981. "Yes, we're lovers — we're this, we're that — but when you can become a partner and a buddy and a pal — and laughing. That was one of the best things about him," Bishop said. The actor opened up about her personal life more than she ever has, especially when revealing that she once had an abortion. Bishop explained to Forbes that she had no intention of getting so personal, but the overturning of Roe v. Wade motivated her to write about it. "I thought that was kind of important for people to hear, especially people who don't have that right anymore," she said. "I'm hoping we get it back."

While life is still very busy for Kelly Bishop, the accomplished actor has settled into a life of normalcy beyond Hollywood. So beyond, actually, that she landed all the way on the East Coast in New Jersey. Bishop has been going back and forth from the Garden State to California since 1995 when she moved to South Orange with her husband, Lee Leonard, according to New Jersey Monthly, who spoke with the star.

Bishop told the outlet about her "rather quiet life" in her small corner of New Jersey. She doesn't travel outside her area much, driving to Millburn for pilates and going eight minutes down the road to the Paper Mill Playhouse, where she holds a position on the advisory board. "I am now a Jersey girl," she quipped. Bishop compares her small town to Stars Hollow in "Gilmore Girls." "Sometimes it amuses me... when I go to the town hall meetings, it has that same small-town feel to it," Bishop told local New Jersey magazine, The Alternative Press. Though Bishop is content with the quiet life, there's no sign of her slowing down. With her proximity to New York City, maybe the actor will adorn the Broadway stage with her ceaseless charm once again. Or even travel back to Stars Hollow to revive the wonderful Emily Gilmore. Here's to hoping.