Alexis Bledel Dated Two Of Her Onscreen Gilmore Girls Boyfriends In Real Life

While fans may love to argue about being Team Dean or Team Jess — or, god forbid, Team Logan — it seems like actor Alexis Bledel was Team Both. Bledel didn't have to fake chemistry with either of her character's high school boyfriends because, just like her on-screen counterpart, Rory Gilmore, Bledel dated both Jared Padalecki, who played the tall, earnest Dean Forester, and Milo Ventimiglia, who played bad boy bookworm Jess Mariano.

While Bledel's relationship with Ventimiglia has long been public knowledge, her brief involvement with Padalecki remained a well-kept secret. In the lead up to the Netflix revival of the beloved early 2000s drama, "Gilmore Girls" casting director Mara Casey revealed that Bledel and Padalecki dated during filming of the show's initial season, according to Life & Style. In 2021, Padalecki commented on his relationship with Bledel, confirming that the pair dated between 2000 and 2001. "We were two 17-year-old kids who were like, 'Hey, you want to go bowling?' It wasn't anything super juicy," Padalecki told Glamour. 

Meanwhile, Bledel's relationship with Ventimiglia was far more public. Alexis Bledel and Milo Ventimiglia began dating in 2003, when Ventimiglia's character Jess was introduced and the actors met on-set. This tempestuous relationship with Jess marked an important chapter in Rory's development, as she connected intellectually with the whip smart, but troubled, Jess. Though their onscreen counterparts broke up at the end of the third season, the real-life couple was together far longer. In fact, they were still dating when, during Season 6, Rory and Jess briefly reunited for dinner and Ventimiglia delivered his most iconic line: "Why did you drop out of Yale?" The pair's off-screen chemistry makes their onscreen matchup something fans still love watching to this day.

Despite the series' increasing age, "Gilmore Girls" continues to draw fans old and new into binge-watching marathons — and genuine chemistry is surely part of the show's enduring charm. Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai, the other half of the central mother-daughter duo, reports a warm friendship with her onscreen daughter, Alexis Bledel, even years after the show wrapped. As Graham told fans during a Reddit AMA, she and Bledel will always have a "special bond." The sparkling rapport between the two actors is the heart of the show's seven seasons.

And like Bledel, Graham dated some of her onscreen "Gilmore Girls" boyfriends. "Who else was I gonna meet? I was there for 16 hours a day," Graham said during a 2022 promotional event for her book, "Have I Told You This Already?" (via TikTok).

But Graham hasn't revealed exactly who she dated. Fans have taken to social media with some guesses, including David Sutcliffe, who played Christopher, or Billy Burke, who made a few guest appearances in Season 3. She has made it clear, however, that her off-screen romantic life never included Scott Patterson, who played Luke Danes, the flannel-wearing, diner-owning series regular who turns out to be Lorelai's endgame. Despite the fictional couple's undeniable chemistry, both Graham and Patterson have made it clear that their relationship never extended beyond a professional friendship.