For seven seasons (and one Netflix reboot), fans loved watching Lauren Graham and Melissa McCarthy play best buds Lorelai Gilmore and Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls. The chemistry between the two actresses was off the charts, leaving many to wonder if they ended up becoming close in real life. Are Lauren Graham and Melissa McCarthy friends? Here’s a look into their relationship.
Melissa McCarthy And Lauren Graham Were Co-Stars On ‘Gilmore Girls’
Debuting on The WB in the fall of 2000, Gilmore Girls was one of the most popular TV series of the aughts. The show, which was centered around the relationship between Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory, also featured a number of beloved supporting characters, including Lorelai’s best friend, Sookie St. James.
Sookie was Melissa McCarthy’s first high-profile acting role. At the time she was cast in the series, the actress and comedian had appeared in a handful of movies and TV shows but was still unknown. Gilmore Girls changed all that, and McCarthy remained on the show for the series’ entire seven-year run. She also appeared in the 2016 reboot, though her return almost didn’t happen.
When the four-episode reboot was first announced, McCarthy revealed that she wasn’t asked to return for the reunion. In response to a fan’s query about an article that said the Bridesmaids star was too busy to return, McCarthy tweeted, “Sadly no one asked me or Sookie to come back to Stars Hollow. Wish them all the best!!”
This led to reports that there was bad blood between McCarthy and Gilmore Girls producers, but luckily, this was not the case. It turned out it was just a misunderstanding. “I think they thought I was busy, and then by the time it did come up, then I actually was,” McCarthy explained in a 2016 interview with E! News.
Fortunately, McCarthy was able to clear her schedule so she could return for one episode—and the Ghostbusters actress said she was really glad she did. “I got so sentimental going back to those sets and seeing everybody,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was really amazing how quickly we all fell back into it.”
Lauren Graham also said that it was like no time had passed when McCarthy returned to shoot her scenes. “You know, the way these things come together is so circuitous and she’s [McCarthy] so busy,” Graham told Entertainment Tonight. “Then we all were together on set and it was just great. [We] got to hang out after and it’s like [Alexis was] saying, you have a foundation with these people, so anything else is just icing on the cake.”
Are They Still Friends Today?
Perhaps one of the reasons Graham and McCarthy had such a seamless reunion was because they remained friendly after the show went off the air—and they still see each other today.
In 2020, for example, McCarthy posted a pic to her Instagram feed of her and Graham hanging out, with the playful caption, “It’s only taken 20 years for my growth spurt but I’m finally taller than LG!!”