✨Celebrating the Amy Sherman-Palladino Multiverse ✨
Last night was an absolute dream. The Paley Center for Media hosted their Paley Fest 2025 over the last week at the Dolby Theatre. We were there to celebrate the Amy Sherman-Palladino Multiverse (Gilmore Girls, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and the new upcoming Prime show, Etoile).
My mom and I have been huge fans of Gilmore Girls for as long as I can remember. While we didn't start watching immediately when it was on air, we did join a few years later. So, for at least, the last 23+ years, Gilmore Girls has been in my life. It came at one of the most transitional periods in a girl's life.
I bought the shirt below from Etsy, and absolutely love it! I had to wear for this momentous occasion.
The event started at 7 p.m., but doors opened at 6 p.m. Thanks to being a Paley member, my mom and I were able to get in line, and we were first. They let us in early, walked through a quick security check and that was it. We were in!
We immediately walked over the to the center, where the cutout for the red carpet is. There were only a few people leaning over since the carpet hadn't started just yet. We did spot Amy pretty soon after, posing for a couple of photos before walking the carpet and speaking to the reporters. Not long after, we also spotted Luke Kirby from Maisel and the upcoming Etoile.
We were able to meet up with a few friends we've met over the years, thanks to Gilmore Girls, while we waited for others to arrive, which was fun.
We did see Lauren walk in, looking all business and classy with her white suit. But, not many others walked by or waved to the fans, like some of the other shows of the past. Near the end, Rachel Brosnahan came in and looked up, waved to everyone.
Then, the lights in the lobby dimmed and it was time to go find our seats.
I could not believe we were sitting that close. It's the closest we've ever been for anything in that theater.
Normally there would be an episode screening, whether it's a season premiere, season finale or a pilot/special episode in honor of a big milestone for the show. However, since Amy Sherman Palladino's multiverse covers a 25-year span, with Gilmore, Maisel and the new upcoming Prime show, it was more of a celebration of who she is as a person, storyteller and the worlds she's created.
I knew I was going to cry but I didn't expect the montage to hit me as hard as it did. There were flashes of Lorelai and Rory reuniting after their time apart in season 6, one of the first season scenes in Luke's ("coffee in an IV"), Rory's graduation speech, Luke and Lorelai's "I'm All In" moment on their first date, and so on. I thought about these moments my mom and I have shared watching the show through the years on the couch, me watching in my apartment, how certain episodes have meant something different to me as I've gotten older. They've been with me through all the stages of my life, from jr. hi to adulthood. I'm now officially a year older than Lorelai was in the first season. I thought of all the memories and times we've spent on the Warner Bros. lot and visited these very spots. The impact of TV is incredible, and it's such a beautiful thing to share with an audience like the one we were in.
I was wiping away tears throughout it.
For the remainder of the time, Stacey Wilson Hunt, a reporter journalist moderated the event with questions directed to the panel, from Dan and Amy Sherman-Palladino, and the other panelists: Luke Kirby, Alex Borstein, Rachel Brosnahan, Lauren Graham, Kelly Bishop and from the upcoming Etoile, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou de LaLaâge.
I loved that for basically a full two hours, we just got to hear stories from these iconic legends who have created my favorite show of all-time. It was surreal. That's the only word that I can think to say. Because it's literally what dreams are made of.
Of course, Amy's work was the focal point, which they jumped to each of them equally, talking about the process for pitching Gilmore Girls to Warner Bros., the casting, hearing from Lauren and Kelly's perspectives and how people relate to them now.
Then, of course, more recently, there was the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It was centered around a female comedian, doing stand-up and making a name for herself. In the midst of that, she also goes through a divorce, she has kids to tend raise, dynamics with her parents and them not necessarily agreeing that this is the life path she should be going down.
We also can't forget the short-lived "Bunheads," that was once again ahead of its time, like Gilmore. Sutton Foster also sent in a short video to say hi to everyone and that she wished she could be there.
We also watched the trailer of "Etoile" that had been released earlier in the week. It looks epic, and again, another completely different world from all the others. But, it still shows the same heart and wit, that only Amy can do.
I was so in the moment for this one, that I wasn't taking notes or recording too much of the nuggets and words of wisdom. I did find these articles that perfectly encapsulated the standout moments from the evening:
Everything Amy said was pure gold. I just loved hearing her answer in her rants/tangents. Because it's just so Amy! She's everything we hear in the dialogue of Lorelai, Rory, and Emily. She's everything we hear in Susie and Midge. And I just know we'll catch more glimpses of her in the new setting and world of ballet.
As the evening came to a close, the moderator said there were a couple of Paley member questions. I'd submitted one a couple weeks prior. But, after they asked someone else's question, I was thinking I probably didn't have much of a chance. And then I heard, "our last question comes from Shelby Parker..." and I'm pretty sure I blacked out, or felt like I was in some sort of trippy dream that I'd always wanted. And then they were actually looking for me, and I'm just like "That's me! Hi!" all awkwardly. But, honestly I was just in disbelief. Here were some of my favorite people of all-time acknowledging my existence. I was so glad I was able to record her entire answer. I was just in shock.
Shortly after, they wrapped up the event. And that was that. People did rush to the stage, like they used to, when they used to sign autographs and take selfies. But, I think since Covid, they don't do that anymore. I was flying high from all the excitement and energy in the crowd.
Amy's mom sat just a few rows behind us, so I was going to try to make my way over to her, as we were walking out. But, unfortunately, she was taken backstage, so I didn't get a chance to. We kept walking out of the auditorium, and I spotted Liz Torres near the very back. She played Miss Patty, dance teacher extraordinaire. And then I realized that Valerie Campbell, the key set costumer on Gilmore Girls, was there with her. There were a couple of people talking to her in front of me, then they left. I talked to Valerie for a couple of minutes -- That I was a huge Gilmore Girls fan and always love her stories and posts, and that I saw her at the WB Holidays Made Here, but didn't get a chance to talk to her. She asked me if I was on Tik Tok or Instagram (I said no automatically, but remembered I am on there, I just don't use it as often). I said I was on Instagram. She mentioned that she's trying to gain more followers and wants to put more of her videos on YouTube, and encouraged me to follow her there. We grabbed a selfie together, then she asked if I wanted to take a picture with Liz. I walked over and told her I loved her work on Gilmore Girls, and she was very appreciative. She thanked me and asked my name, then we posed for the photo. She was so sweet. I thanked her, then said bye to Valerie and was shaking with excitement as we kept walking out of the theater.
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