‘Gilmore Girls’: 4 Times a Castmember’s Family Member Appeared on the Show
Gilmore Girls was all about family. The entire show revolved around the relationship between Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory Gilmore. The relationship between Lorelai and her parents, Richard and Emily Gilmore, was also highlighted. It might surprise you to find out that the family-centric nature of the show extended to the cast. Amy Sherman-Palladino cast several major castmember’s family members in roles during the show’s seven-season run. We’ve collected four examples.
T.J.’s brother was Michael DeLuise’s real-life brother
T.J., Liz Danes’ boyfriend turned husband, seemed like a small side character. Still, the Gilmore Girls cast addition was fairly divisive. Some fans loved the character, while others hated his dim persona. While T.J. was a minor character, Amy Sherman-Palladino opted to introduce his family during the show’s seven-season run. Namely, fans met T.J.’s brother twice in season 4.
Michael DeLuise is the actor who took on the role of T.J., and he isn’t the only actor in his family. Michael DeLuise’s brothers, Peter DeLuise and David DeLuise are both actors. David DeLuise appeared in Gilmore Girls as T.J.’s brother. He appeared in two episodes, first during T.J.’s bachelor party and again at T.J. and Liz’s wedding. While fans never learned his name, they did learn that he sold furniture in Nutley, NJ.
T.J. appeared in 13 episodes before the series ended in 2007. While he didn’t appear in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, the character was mentioned. His brother, who remains unnamed, did not appear and was not mentioned in the Netflix revival.
Lauren Graham’s sister appeared in ‘Gilmore Girls’
Michael DeLuise’s sibling isn’t the only one who appeared in the famed series. Lauren Graham’s younger sister also appeared in Gilmore Girls. In her book, Talking as Fast as I Can, Graham noted that, over the years, more than one of her family members appeared as background actors on Gilmore Girls.
Graham’s cousin played a flower delivery man in a single episode. Her sister, Maggie Graham, had a more significant role, although she did not have any lines. Maggie Graham joined the Gilmore Girls cast for a single episode as a Chilton student. She sat directly behind Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller in “Those Are Strings, Pinocchio.” Graham also has a younger brother and an additional younger sister. Neither appeared on Gilmore Girls.
Scott Patterson and Melissa McCarthy’s partners both appeared in the series
Gilmore Girls fans have a hard time picturing Luke Danes with anyone but Lorelai Gilmore, but the actor behind the surly diner owner has a romantic life of his own. In fact, his real-life partner appeared as part of the Gilmore Girls cast once upon a time. Scott Patterson and his now wife, Kristine Saryan, met in the early 2000s and married in 2014. They have one child together.
Saryan appeared as Chrissy, Miss Patty’s assistant, in the season 4 episode “Last Week Fights, This Week Tights.” Interestingly, “Last Week Fights, This Week Tights” is largely seen as the jumping-off point for Luke and Lorelai’s romantic relationship. Saryan appeared again in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, but she did not reprise her role as Chrissy.
Melissa McCarthy, the actor who famously played Sookie St. James, also provided a family member to fill a role on Gilmore Girls. McCarthy married Ben Falcone in 2005, but fans of the series might remember him from a season 3 episode. Falcone appeared in the 20th episode of season 3. He portrayed the lawyer for Fran Weston’s estate.
