‘Gilmore Girls’: The 5 Most Cringe-Worthy Scenes, According to Reddit
Secondhand embarrassment is very real, and Gilmore Girls fans have experienced it many, many times. Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino’s comedy-drama has maintained popularity for more than 20 years; its unique humor, pop culture references, and mother-daughter relationship themes continue to bring in new fans today. However, as beloved as the show may be, many fans can admit that Gilmore Girls has its fair share of cringe-worthy scenes. Some scenes are even cringe-worthy enough to make fans skip right over them on a rewatch.
On Reddit, fans have started sharing the most cringe-worthy scenes — and there are hundreds. Here are the worst ones.
Lorelai Gilmore’s turndown service during Luke Danes and Nicole Leahy’s stay at the Independence Inn
One Gilmore Girls fan mentioned this cringe-worthy moment between Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), and Nicole Leahy (Tricia O’Kelley). In Gilmore Girls Season 3 Episode 19, “Keg! Max!,” Lorelai covered turndown service at the Independence Inn during staffing shortages. However, she forgot that she invited Luke and Nicole to spend that night at the inn for free, making for a very awkward interaction.
When Lorelai entered the room to see Luke and Nicole settling in, she became visibly uncomfortable and started babbling (in typical Lorelai fashion). The couple could definitely feel the tension as Lorelai handed off their towels and attempted to light the fireplace. To make things even more awkward, she couldn’t get the log bags to light. Finally, Lorelai had Luke and Nicole stand up so she could make the bed, which felt very weird.
“I end up hiding my face in a pillow every time,” one Reddit user said about the scene.
Lorelai Gilmore following Max Medina around his classroom
Apparently, that episode of Gilmore Girls had plenty of cringe-worthy scenes. Another popular comment in the Reddit thread mentioned Lorelai’s scene with Max Medina (Scott Cohen) in his classroom. Her ex-fiance attempted to keep his distance from Lorelai, but she wasn’t having it. Every time he moved around his desk, she followed.
Lorelai and Max engaged in an awkward conversation about their kiss and their near-marriage as Lorelai tried to figure out why Max wanted to avoid her. Finally, she agreed to be apart from Max forever … until they literally ran into each other two seconds later in the hallway. Ouch.
Many fans found Lorelai too pushy in this scene and disrespectful of Max’s wishes.
“That scene is the maddest I’ve ever gotten at Lorelai,” one person wrote on Reddit.
Christopher Hayden’s card getting declined at the bookstore
It’s an awkward situation for anyone to get their card declined at a store. However, Gilmore Girls fans found it particularly unsettling to see it happen to Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe). In season 1 episode 15, “Cristopher Returns,” Christopher visited Lorelai and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) in Stars Hollow. He wanted to make up for not seeing his daughter often, so he offered to buy her a book.
At Stars Hollow Books, Rory picked out a copy of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary but said it was too expensive. Christopher insisted he buy it anyway and confidently handed his credit card to the clerk. Unfortunately, the machine rejected Christopher’s card. Viewers could feel the awkwardness as Christopher shamefully walked away with Rory and told her not to tell Lorelai about the incident.
Lorelai Gilmore’s drunken speech at Lane Kim and Zack Van Gerbig’s wedding
Lorelai did always seem to know how to make things awkward. In season 6 episode 19, “I Get a Sidekick Out of You,” Lorelai attended Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) and Zack Van Gerbig’s (Todd Lowe) wedding. She had a few too many shots during speech time, which led her to share a few words on stage.
The mother went off on a tangent about her engagement to Luke and what it felt like to see Rory’s friend marry someone before Lorelai did. She reminded the wedding guests that she would not marry Luke on June 3 as Christopher and Rory watched in horror. The next day, Lorelai felt incredibly embarrassed — and fans did, too. Fortunately, Lane and Zack never seemed to mind the drama.
“I cannot watch that scene. Once she gets on stage, I have to fast forward through it,” one fan wrote.
Rory Gilmore and Dean Forrester sleeping together
Many Gilmore Girls fans dislike Rory and Dean Forrester’s (Jared Padalecki) affair in general, and it all started with a cringe-worthy scene. In season 4 episode 22, “Raincoats and Recipes,” Dean and Rory slept together for the first time while he was married. Some viewers thought everything about the scene felt awkward, from the moment they got in bed to their pillow talk afterward.
“They’re both such bad kissers, and they bring out the worst of it in each other,” one user wrote.
All episodes of Gilmore Girls are now available on Netflix.
