What Happened To Gilmore Girls Star Alexis Bledel?

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Fans fell in love with Alexis Bledel on the 2000s hit dramedy "Gilmore Girls," where she played the ambitious and book-loving teen, Rory Gilmore, who dreamed of going to Harvard. In reality, Bledel enrolled as a film major student at New York University (NYU) when she dropped out of college at age 18 after being cast as Rory. Following the show's successful run, Bledel continued to showcase her acting chops in shows like "ER" and "Mad Men," and has earned widespread acclaim for her work on Hulu's "The Handsmaid's Tale." She's also appeared on the big screen in movies like "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and "Violet & Daisy" alongside co-star Saoirse Ronan.

In 2016, fans of "Gilmore Girls" rejoiced when it was announced that Bledel and Lauren Graham would be reuniting on Netflix's "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" reboot. Speaking to Marie Claire about the project, Bledel admitted, "When we first filmed Gilmore Girls, I didn't know it would build such a cult following. It's hard to have a real perspective on something you're in the middle of." She added, "But years later, when people were still talking about it, I realised how much they loved it. I'm glad we've been able to bring it back."

The remake featured several members of the show's original cast, including Bledel's love interests and real-life exes, Jared Padalecki and Milo Ventimiglia. (She dated Padalecki while filming Season 1 and Ventimiglia from Season 2 to Season 6). Meanwhile, both Kelly Bishop and Melissa McCarthy returned to reprise their roles. Since then, Bledel has been relatively absent from the spotlight, with "The Handmaid's Tale" in 2021 marking her most recent on-screen appearance.

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Alexis Bledel played Dr. Emily Malek for four seasons of Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" before she announced her departure from the show in May 2022. "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from 'The Handmaid's Tale' at this time," Bledel said in a statement published by Variety. "I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support." Though she didn't elaborate on her reasons for leaving, Bledel had previously hinted at the challenges of portraying Emily in a 2018 interview with Deadline. "I'm able to shake it off, only because it's so far removed from my reality," she stressed. Noting the emotional weight of her character, the actor expounded, "It's also limited, the time that I spend actually in character ... It's not an extended amount of time. If I had to do that, I think I would be more challenged by the darkness of it."

The news came ahead of the Season 5 premiere of the show and as Bledel navigated her separation from her husband, Vincent Kartheiser. The pair wed not long after meeting on the set of "Mad Men" in 2012, where Bledel appeared as his onscreen mistress, Beth Dawes. A source cited "social isolation" as one of the factors that led to their split, with Kartheiser reportedly initiating the divorce proceedings. They share one child, whom the couple secretly welcomed in 2015, just over a year after their hush-hush wedding in June 2014.