Arielle Kebbel is looking back at the “Gilmore Girls” role that has taken on a new life with viewers.
The actress played Lindsay Lister on the beloved series, which originally aired from 2000 to 2007 (and is available to binge on Netflix!). Lindsay entered the picture through Dean Forester, Rory Gilmore’s first and ex-boyfriend, after his first breakup with Rory.
Lindsay and Dean, played by Jared Paladecki, later got married young. Their relationship became part of one of the show’s most debated storylines after Dean reconnected with Rory, played by Alexis Bledel, during the marriage.
In a recent StyleCaster video, Kebbel revisited some of Lindsay’s old lines from the series. The moment led the actress to talk about how fans once viewed the character.
Getty“I have such a love for her,” Kebbel said. “She brought me into, I mean, she was my first acting job in LA ever.”
The “A Bride for Christmas” actress said she understood the reaction Lindsay received when the show first aired.
“And I also understood why fans hated her in the beginning,” she said. “I was all good with all of it.”
Years later, the conversation around Lindsay looks a little different.
“So the fact that it’s come full circle now is the most pleasant surprise, because I was kind of at peace with the whole thing,” the “Aquamarine” star said.
‘Gilmore Girls’ Fans Revisit Lindsay Lister — ‘Justice for Lindsay’
Lindsay has become a bigger talking point online in recent years, with “Justice for Lindsay” gaining traction among “Gilmore Girls” viewers online.
The renewed conversation is not just about Lindsay herself. A lot of it centers on the Dean and Rory storyline, which has aged differently for some fans watching the show back.
In the comments on StyleCaster’s video, several viewers defended Lindsay.
“Lindsay was never the problem. Was she a little immature? Sure. But they were fresh out of high school they were both immature,” one user wrote.
Another added, “We didn’t hate her, we hate what Rory did to her.”
Others were more mixed. In separate TikTok comments about the “Justice for Lindsay” conversation, some viewers said Lindsay was treated unfairly but questioned the choices around her young marriage to Dean.
One TikTok user said Lindsay “didn’t deserve any of that,” but added that she and Dean were too young to be married.
Another viewer said Lindsay was not “a perfect person either,” pointing to the couple’s money stress and how much pressure Dean was under.
The “John Tucker Must Die” star, however, seems touched that viewers are still talking about Lindsay at all.
“I’m flattered,” she said in the StyleCaster video. “I mean, the whole Justice for Lindsay thing, it just, it like warms my heart and brings me so much joy.”
She also imagined Lindsay getting to see the shift for herself.
“Wherever Lindsay is out there, it makes me like smile and wink at her,” Kebbel said. “I’m like, see, people see you now, girl. Good for you.”
Arielle Kebbel Talks Early ‘Gilmore Girls’ Role
The “Vampire Diaries” actress has also spoken about how “Gilmore Girls” fit into the start of her career.
During a March appearance on the “Chicks in the Office” podcast, the 41-year-old actress said the show came along early in her Los Angeles journey.
“When I first moved to LA, outside perception, of course, I’m doing Gilmore Girls right away,” Kebbel said. “So, it’s like I’ve made it.”
GettyThe Florida native said the reality was different because Lindsay was a recurring role.
“I was a recurring, so I never knew when I was getting booked again,” she said. “And so, of course, it was a huge opportunity. I loved it.”
