Summary

• Jared Padalecki's character Dean Forester played a key role in Rory Gilmore's story on Gilmore Girls early in the series.
• Dean's absence in the last two seasons disappointed fans, who still argue about Rory's best boyfriend.
• Padalecki's success in another CW project, Supernatural, further solidified the audience's love for him.

Introduced in the Gilmore Girls' pilot, Dean Forester was a key figure in the early part of Rory Gilmore's story. However, even though Dean was one of Rory's more important romantic interests, he didn't appear on the CW series after Season 5. His surprising absence had a lot to do with the actor who played Dean's character, Jared Padalecki, and his career trajectory, which led him to another popular CW project.

However, Dean remains a crucial part of Stars Hollow history, and he's become one of the most relevant parts of the show for all Gilmore Girls fans. The argument about who is Rory Gilmore's best boyfriend will always continue, but regardless of that, fans truly missed Dean in the last two seasons of the show. What's more, Jared Padalecki went on to star in another CW project that cemented the audience's love for the actor.

Updated on January 30, 2024, by Andrea Sandoval: While Jared Padalecki's character in Gilmore Girls, Dean Forester, is one of the most beloved characters in the show, Dean only appeared up to the fifth season, notwithstanding his brief appearance in the 2016 revival. We updated this article to include more information about Padalecki's departure from Gilmore Girl as well as a breakdown of his career from his beginnings on Gilmore Girls up to 2024.

What Happened to Dean on Gilmore Girls?

Originally from Chicago, Dean Forester moved to Stars Hollow with his family members, May, Randy, and Clara, sometime before the start of Gilmore Girls. Dean pursued Rory romantically and the two pursue dating. However, Rory felt like the relationship was moving too fast for her and the two broke up. While they eventually get back together, the arrival of Milo Ventimiglia's character Jess Mariano drove them apart again. Rory discovered she had more in common with Jess than the less-educated Dean. Dean subsequently begins dating Lindsay Lister (played by Arielle Kebbel).

Dean appeared less frequently on Gilmore Girls starting in Season 4, as he eventually married Lindsay. Rory didn't react well to the marriage, and at the end of the season, Dean cheated on his wife with Rory, which resulted in Rory losing her virginity. That drove a temporary wedge between Rory and her mother, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham). Lindsay also learned about the affair and divorced Dean, allowing Rory and Dean to reconcile again. But in Season 5, Episode 8, "The Party's Over," Dean and Rory break up once and for all. After a Yale party, Dean realized they no longer worked as a couple. Dean appeared one final time on Gilmore Girls later that season to warn Luke Danes against dating Lorelai.

What Happened To Dean in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life?

Jared Padalecki briefly returned in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life to reprise his role as Dean. The 2016 series revival answered the question of who Dean ended up with -- and it wasn't Rory. The show features Rory and Logan's affair and Dean appears as a friendly character when Rory bumps into him at Doose's market. Dean and Rory never rekindled their romance as the show focuses on Logan and Rory's long-standing affair.

It's safe to say that Dean was certainly not the mysterious father of Rory's baby. As Rory and Dean talked in the market, Dean revealed that, since his disappearance, he'd married a woman named Jenny and moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania. They had three sons and were expecting a girl. Rory told Dean that she was working on a novel based on her life, and asked him if he would be okay with her mentioning him in the book, to which Dean agreed. This is the last time the audience sees Dean in the Gilmore Girls franchise, so far. Fans of Rory and Dean as a couple were disappointed with this turn of events, but it's great to know Dean moved on with his life and created a happy family after all he went through in Gilmore Girls.

Why Jared Padalecki Left Gilmore Girls

By Jared Padalecki's initial departure, Gilmore Girls had grown beyond Dean Forester as a character. While Dean made sense throughout Rory's high school career, once she started studying at Yale, the gap between the characters became too wide. Much of Rory's growth as a character involved learning which of her peers were compatible with her. In the end, Dean no longer fit into Rory's life, and his departure helped her discover more about herself. However, there was also another reason for Dean's absence.

Jared Padalecki was cast as Sam Winchester on The WB/CW's Supernatural, which became so popular that it aired for 15 seasons and spawned a popular spinoff, The Winchesters (although Padalecki never appears in this TV series). That said, Padalecki's role as Dean on Gilmore Girls almost cost him that iconic role, as creator Eric Kripke told TV Guide that he wanted Sam to be a smart character and Dean wasn't known for being smart. Padalecki and his manager convinced Kripke the actor was suitable for the role, and the rest, as they say, is history... just like Dean and Rory's relationship.

Where Is Jared Padalecki Now?

While Gilmore Girls fans probably mainly know Jared Padalecki from his time on Gilmore Girls, Padalecki's most iconic role is Sam Winchester in the long-standing CW TV show Supernatural. This role skyrocketed Padalecki's career, as the series garnered a particularly vast fandom. Padalecki led the show alongside co-star Jensen Ackles throughout fifteen seasons, from 2005 to 2020. This massive project also led him to try voice acting in Supernatural: The Anime Series.

After the ending of Supernatural, Padalecki moved on to be an executive producer and star in Walker, a crime series in which Padalecki portrays the role of a widower father who returns to the city of Austin and becomes involved in the investigation of a crime. The show has already released three seasons and is set to release a fourth one, though there isn't a release date yet. In 2021, Padalecki cameoed in Walker: Independence, a prequel of Walker, a show for which he's also an executive producer.

Breakdown of Jared Padalecki's Career:

• In 1999, Padalecki won Fox Broadcasting's "Claim to Fame Contest."
• From 2000 to 2005, Padalecki appeared in Gilmore Girls as Dean Forester.
• Throughout his time in Gilmore Girls, Padalecki also appeared in the films Cheaper by the Dozen, New York Minute, Flight of the Phoenix, Cry Wolf, and House of Wax. He also had a minor role in the TV series ER, appeared in the documentary miniseries I Love the '90s and appeared in a couple of television films: Silent Witness and A Ring of Endless Light.
• In 2005, Padalecki started to play the role of Sam Winchester in CW's Supernatural.
• In 2007, Padalecki appeared in MTV's horror series Room 401 as the host.
• In 2008, Padalecki starred as painter Thomas Kinkade in the Christmas Cottage film.
• In 2009, Padalecki starred in Friday the 13th, as Clay Miller.
• In 2021, Padalecki became the lead character and executive producer of the crime series Walker.
• In 2023, Padalecki cameoed in Walker: Independence.

Every season of Gilmore Girls, as well as the revival of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, is available to stream on Netflix.