Gilmore Girls fans know everything there is to know about its main characters, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Everything from their upbringing, love lives, and professions have been talked about to death by those who call Gilmore Girls their favorite show. However, fans can’t forget the smaller characters that added hilarious or important moments to the show.
Although these characters only appeared in one episode of Gilmore Girls, they made an impression. They were interesting enough that they could have been in multiple episodes, especially since Stars Hollow is a small town with many quirky, reoccurring characters.
Stefan (“I’m A Kayak, Hear Me Roar”)
In the seventh season, Richard was recovering from a heart episode and Emily wanted to make sure they did everything to ensure a healthy recovery. One of the suggestions from Richard’s doctor was to eat healthier foods. To ensure that, Emily hired a new chef named Stefan. Emily raved about Stefan, but Richard missed the way he used to eat. One of Richard’s worst moments in Gilmore Girls was how he treated Stefan and the staff.
After battling against Richard, Stefan quit on the spot. He was the one worker who put both Richard and Emily Gilmore in their place for the mistreatment of staff.
Rich Bloomenfeld (“Love And War And Snow”)
In the first season, Lane felt left out when Rory was too consumed in her new relationship with Dean. She tried telling Rory how much she liked a boy in the band named Rich Bloomenfeld, but Rory wasn’t present enough to listen. Things got worse when Lane’s fondness for Rich overtook her and she lightly touched his hair without his consent.
This was one of the worst moments of Rory and Lane’s friendship because Lane needed her but Rory was MIA. And while Rich didn’t have a speaking role, his mere presence was enough to have viewers feeling the same embarrassment that Lane felt. A follow-up conversation between Lane and Rich would have been wise but it never came.
Sasha (“Here Comes The Son”)
At the end of the third season, Jess realized he couldn’t live in Stars Hollow anymore. Being with someone as good as Rory was more intimidating than he realized and he left to find his dad in California without telling anyone. Instead of finding his dad immediately, he met a woman named Sasha.
Sasha ended up being Jess’ dad’s long-term girlfriend. She talked fast like Lorelai, was a free-spirit, the mother of one, and a lover of dogs. Sasha was so colorful that she had to have an interesting backstory, but she was only shown once.
Brennon Lewis (“Ted Koppel’s Big Night Out”)
In season 4, Lorelai and Rory went to Luke’s Diner for their morning cup of coffee as usual, but they had a hard time finding a seat because of the slow service. They soon realized that Luke hired a student to help him — Rory’s former classmate, Brennon Lewis.
Instead of being helpful, Brennon was slow-moving and too relaxed. He got orders wrong, was unsanitary, and forced guests out of the diner. Luke wanted to give Brennon more chances but it was implied that Luke fired him after Luke’s regulars complained too much about him. Brennon’s slow service made for a memorable scene at Luke’s Diner, but he was never seen again after this episode.
Pete (“Happy Birthday, Baby”)
Lorelai and Rory had some bad arguments throughout Gilmore Girls, including on Lorelai’s birthday. Rory wanted to throw a lavish birthday party for Lorelai with the entire town and begged Pete from Antonioli’s to make a massive pizza for everyone. After an argument between Lorelai and her parents broke out, Rory continued with her pizza plans to turn things around.
Pete was shown on the phone with Rory throughout the episode, trying out different ways to make the massive pizza possible. Pete was one character the writers should have kept throughout the show — especially considering how much pizza Rory and Lorelai order.
Sarah (“Haunted Leg”)
One of the things that have aged poorly on Gilmore Girls about Emily is how badly she treated her staff. It was a long-running joke for those that knew Emily that the Gilmore household went through maids like they did toilet paper. Most of their maids didn’t have speaking roles on Gilmore Girls, but one named Sarah did, and she made quite the comical scene.
In ‘Haunted Leg,’ Lorelai and Rory meet one of Emily’s newest workers, Sarah. Emily is bothered because Sarah didn’t know what the doorbell sound meant, which meant Emily had to do her job for her. Things got worse when Sarah told Emily that dinner was ready at 6:30 pm instead of 7 pm. It was safe to say that she was fired after this evening.
Lane’s Tiny Family Member (“Come Home”)
In “Come Home,” Mrs. Kim realized that Lane and Zack were getting serious and invited them and their band over for a Lunar New Year party. Everyone was nervous about meeting Lane’s extended family but went to the party for free food.
While at dinner, a young, unnamed boy stared directly at Zack and judged every move he made at dinner. Fans found him both adorable and hilarious, especially when he told Zack he couldn’t go to the bathroom in the middle of dinner. Sadly, he never showed up at another Kim family function after this episode.
Carolyn Bates (“Partings”)
In “Partings,” Lorelai was trying to figure out why it was taking so long for her and Luke to get married. She wound up contemplating her relationship openly with a woman she met at Friday night dinner, Carolyn Bates. Carolyn was the daughter of Emily and Richard’s friend, whom they were trying to set up with Christopher.
Carolyn was a lovely woman and she would have made a wonderful partner for Christopher, but there was no spark between them. As a psychologist, Carolyn listened to Lorelai as she vented about her relationship. The two created a real bond that would have continued throughout the series, but Carolyn never came around again.
Charlotte Courtwright (“Lorelai’s First Cotillion”)
In season 7, Lorelai and Rory were surprised when a young girl answered their mother’s door and took their coats from them. Lorelai joked that she was far too young to be hired by her mother and wondered who she was. The young girl was Charlotte Courtwright, the granddaughter of a friend.
Emily was teaching Charlotte dining etiquette to prepare for the upcoming cotillion. Charlotte was charming and eager — she was everything Emily wished Lorelai was at that age and her spunk and class made her a memorable character.
Liesl (“Presenting Lorelai Gilmore”)
In the opening scene for “Presenting Lorelai Gilmore,” Lorelai and Rory were greeted by a new maid named Liesl. Liesl seemed nervous by their appearance and wasn’t sure what to do after letting them in.
Lorelai saw how nervous she was and told her to “go hide in the kitchen” from Emily. Hilariously, Liesl thanked Lorelai and ran away. It wasn’t often that fans got to see this point of view from Emily’s maids, which is why Liesl’s role was a fun one.
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