The Real Gilmore Girls Story: Are Alexis Bledel and Milo Ventimiglia Friends Off-Screen?
Throughout Gilmore Girls' seven-year run, fans have seen the beloved protagonist Rory Gilmore go through a number of love interests.
And while none of these pairings turned out to be the endgame and Rory left the show without a boyfriend, viewers clearly had their preferences in terms of who Rory should have ended up with.
When Milo Ventimiglia's Jess Mariano first appeared in season two, people immediately picked up on the undeniable chemistry between him and Rory, and naturally, this led to the characters' kiss in the season two finale and the two dating in season three.
Although their love storyline didn't last long, Jess and Rory have become the most popular couple with the audience — as evidenced by numerous polls and surveys, Gilmore Girls fans never fail to choose Jess as the perfect partner for Rory.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the palpable chemistry between the two didn't just end on the screen: Alexis Bledel, the actress who played Rory, and Milo Ventimiglia actually started dating around season four and had a three-year relationship.
Now, almost 16 years after Gilmore Girls' finale, fans may be wondering if the actors remained friends after their breakup.
It's safe to say that Bledel and Ventimiglia have maintained a warm relationship.
The biggest proof of that is, of course, Milo's agreement to reprise his role as Jess Mariano in the 2016 Gilmore Girls revival, A Year in the Life.
Once again, the actors showed impressive chemistry on screen, which reminded viewers that Rory and Jess were true soulmates, understanding each other like no one else on the show. However, the creators didn't make the couple the endgame this time — instead, to the disapproval of many fans, Rory ended up having a baby, which apparently wasn't Jess'.
Still, the fact that both actors participated in the revival proves that their real-life relationship remained friendly.
This is also evidenced by the way they supported each other during the 2017 Primetime Emmys, where Ventimiglia was nominated for his work on This is Us and Bledel won the award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role in The Handmaid's Tale.
While Ventimiglia did not win in his category, he gave an interview in which he sincerely praised his former co-star and girlfriend. He said that Bledel had always been a great actress and that it was time for her to get the recognition she deserved — and these words definitely sound like something a true friend would say.