‘I’m screaming’: 2 ‘Gilmore Girls’ characters reunite for a Walmart ad, but fans have legit concerns

It’s a snowy day in Stars Hollow as Kirk Gleason (Sean Gunn) delivers a box to Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) and Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) asks for a cup of hot coffee. No, it’s not a new episode of Gilmore Girls (sob), but the beloved couple is back in a new ad for Walmart.

After Luke gifts his love a Keurig and she says “You shouldn’t have,” he quips, “I had to. You’re drinking me out of business.” Luke and Lorelai then stand outside of Luke’s diner with big grins on their faces and I’m lost in this charming, cozy small-town world again.

All right, I’m back… but now I’m craving coffee. Even though fans can revisit the Amy Sherman-Palladino-created show on Netflix (at least for a little while longer), it’s a great Christmas gift to see the actors together again. One fan said it best on X: “I’m screaming.” Is there another possible reaction to seeing these small-town lovebirds back together again?

It’s not all fun and games (or hot coffee and plaid shirts and backward baseball caps), though. One X user pointed out the first issue with this new ad: not wanting to support Walmart. They said, “A good day for Gilmore Girls but Walmart will not be getting my money.”

It’s understandable that some are disappointed to see such sweet characters in an ad for Walmart, which is known for a host of controversies, not least of all how much it pays its employees. According to The Guardian, a cashier in Arkansas was paid $12.85 per hour, despite having worked there for 11 years. Sam’s Club employees started making $15 instead of $11 per hour in 2021, but Walmart employees weren’t given the same raise. This continues to be a glaring and upsetting issue. In 2023, Rick Wartzman wrote a book called Still Broke and said people should make $20 an hour. As he perfectly put it, “What’s radical to me is to be in the richest country on Earth and have people who get up and work hard every day struggle to the degree they are.” 

Other X users mentioned another glaring problem: if Jess Mariano (played by the absolute dreamboat Milo Ventimiglia, aka my celebrity crush) worked at Walmart, why wasn’t he in the ad, too? It’s a crime not to include the rebel who stole Rory Gilmore’s (Alexis Bledel) heart in high school.

Another X user isn’t pleased with the commercial for another reason. They wrote, “That is SO not canon” because “Luke would NEVER shop at Walmart.” This is a good point. It’s hard to imagine the (lovable) grump setting foot in a chain store. He even turned his late dad’s hardware store into his diner instead of finding a new location. He’s more of a mom-and-pop kind of shopper.

Graham told People that shooting the Walmart ad was “surreal,” “fun” and “a great opportunity.” She also mentioned that Mae Whitman, who played Sarah Braverman’s daughter, Amber on Parenthood, was on set (and her baby was there, too), which made it even more emotional.

Spending a few minutes back in Stars Hollow may not have been perfect, what with the promotion of a problematic chain and the absence of a key character (I wouldn’t complain if Dean was there), but Gilmore Girls fans will take what they can get, especially since it’s been eight years since that chaotic Netflix revival no one wants to discuss.