Actress Sally StruthersdelightedGilmore Girls fans with her portrayal of Lorelai Gilmore’s (Lauren Graham) quirky and somewhat nosy neighbor, Babette Dell.
While speaking to The New York Post in October 2025, Struthers said that she improvised a memorable Babette moment from Season 6, Episode 1. In the scene, Babette frantically runs over to Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) while clutching her chest.
“We were shooting at night, and my character, Babette, had to run from the town square to Luke’s Diner. I had news to tell, like the town crier,” recalled the All in The Family star while speaking to the publication. “After that many runs, my breasts were hurting, being jiggled up and down. I didn’t have on a sports bra, or anything. So I was holding them, and running.”
She also said that her action “cracked up” Gilmore Girls‘ creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who “couldn’t believe [she] was doing that.”
“That’s the take that’s in the show – Babette running, holding her breasts,” quipped the 79-year-old actress.
Struthers appeared as Babette during the show’s original seven-season run, which ended in 2007. She also portrayed the character in the 2016 Netflix four-episode reboot, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. per IMDb.
Scott Patterson Said He Improvised a Touching Moment During ‘Gilmore Girls’
Struthers isn’t the only Gilmore Girls star who had an unscripted moment. In an October 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Patterson shared he improvised a moment wherein Luke provides words of support to Lorelai in Season 4. He explained that while Lorelai tearfully shares she would like to have a partner to help her open her inn, he decided that Luke would give her a comforting squeeze.
“I remember after we shot it, especially the close-up because it requires Lauren to emote on a very deep level, and it’s very difficult and specific and scary,” said Patternson while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter. “It doesn’t matter how talented you are or how easily you wear your heart on your sleeve, you’re doing this in front of 30 people and it’s midnight and cold and everybody’s tired. I just remember after we finished, I held her head and wrapped her in my arms a little bit — none of that was scripted.”
According to Patterson, Graham appreciated the gesture.
