It's the age-old debate for Gilmore Girls fans: Team Jess or Team Dean?
Since the early seasons of the beloved series, viewers have remained divided over two of the show's main characters: Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) and Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki)—who became rivals while trying to win the heart of Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel). And although viewers still battle over Jess and Dean—with some even vouching for Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry)—Milo is having the last laugh.
While appearing on The Tonight Show, Milo showed off his tribute to Jared's character: a sign in his office that reads "I love Dean 4 Ever." But it wasn't just the sign that had host Jimmy Fallon laughing, it was the placement of it. As it turns out, Milo put the sign on a certificate he received for one of his This Is Us Emmy nominations.
"Oh my gosh!" Jimmy clapped. "Is that rubbing it in his face?"
However, Milo assured him that's not the case. "Not at all, Jared and I are really good friends," Milo said, adding that he made the sign for someone online and decided to keep it. "After I made it I just said, 'Well, let me just hang on to this 'cause this is cool.' And I literally just kind of stuck it right onto my Emmy notification that was hanging on my wall."
Jimmy then laughed, "Oh, just happened to be there. Yeah, just not big deal, just happened to be there."
Over the years, Milo has weighed in on the debate between the Gilmore Girls characters. In 2018, Milo even admitted that he was #TeamDean.
"That's the crazy part, I was totally Team Dean," he told Bustle. "I still am Team Dean."
As for who Rory really belongs with, Milo told the outlet he never thought too much about it. "I don't dream too far from the script," he explained. "I look at the script and I accept this is what the script is, and [use] my imagination to get to the moments I need to as an actor. But when I left the show, I never really thought about where Jess went."
In 2016, the cast reunited for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, in which Rory discovered she was pregnant. While fans were delighted, it also sparked a new debate over the identity of Rory's baby's father. While viewers were left in the dark, it seems as though some of the cast know the person's identity.
Matt Czuchry actually revealed in a January interview with Us Weekly that series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and executive producer Dan Palladino shared the news with him.
As he explained, "They told me who the father of the baby was, and they said, 'Yeah, you can tell whoever you want.' And I never have."
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