‘Gilmore Girls’ Star Says Her Mom Told Jared Padalecki Something That Absolutely Mortified Her
‘Gilmore Girls’ Star Says Her Mom Told Jared Padalecki Something That Absolutely Mortified Her
Nicole MooreMon, February 23, 2026 at 1:43 AM UTC
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(Photo by Wendy Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images)
Actress Arielle Kebbel opened up about her time filming for the hit WB series, Gilmore Girls, which had a seven-season run until 2007.
During a joint Us Weekly interview in February 2026, Kebbel and her I Can Only Imagine 2 castmate, Milo Ventimiglia, spoke about co-starring on Gilmore Girls. As fans are aware, Ventimiglia played Rory Gilmore's (Alexis Bledel) boyfriend, Jess Mariano, and Kebbel played Dean Forester's (Jared Padalecki) wife, Lindsay.
During the Us Weekly interview, Kebbel noted that Lindsay, who began appearing on the show during season 3, was just out of high school when she married Dean. Kebbel, who was 18 when the show's third season aired, also shared that her mother was on set with her while filming Gilmore Girls.
"[Dean and Lindsay] were a very new relationship. I also think we were 18 in the show. I remember my mom was with me on set because I’d just moved out [to L.A.], and I put on the wedding dress and she cried. And I was like, 'Mom, you gotta stop!'" said Kebbel in the interview.
Ventimiglia then jokingly asked, "'Did your mom also go up to Jared and tell him, 'Hey, this is her first wedding, treat her right?'" Kebbel replied that her mother did divulged to Padalecki that he was her first on-screen kiss, which embarrassed her.
"No, she only did that with [our first] kiss. She told Jared it was my first onscreen kiss, and I was mortified. He loved it, but then it was really sweet. It was so quick, and I remember I was nervous, but Jared just made it easy and fun. Like just another day of filming," said Kebbel in the February 2026 interview.
Arielle Kebbel Opened up About Filming With Milo Ventimiglia Again
During the Us Weekly interview, Kebbel and Ventimiglia noted that their Gilmore Girls characters didn't interact all that much. Ventimiglia, who was a main cast member during seasons 2 and 3, reminded Kebbel that Jess made an unkind comment to Lindsay about her music taste in Season 3, Episode 19.
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"I remember Jess saying something snipey about you. He was kind of a jerk," said Ventimiglia, who came back to play Jess in the 2016 Netflix revival miniseries, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Kebbel suggested that she didn't recall the moment and revealed that she didn't view Jess as "a jerk."
"I didn’t think that. I just thought he was the guy in the leather jacket vibes," said Kebbel, who left Gilmore Girls during season 6.
In a February 2026 interview with Extra TV, Kebbel shared that she enjoyed working with Ventimiglia on I Can Only Imagine 2 while portraying fictionalized versions of husband-and-wife, Hilary and Tim Timmons. She said that she was excited about reuniting with Ventimiglia, as they were so young when they were filming Gilmore Girls.
In addition, she complimented Ventimiglia's abilities as an actor and called him a "very ground calming kind of presence to have on set." She also noted that he established a close bond with Timmons, a Christian musician.
"He's such a pro and he really dove into the work with Tim so deeply," said Kebbel to the publication.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
