Stars Hollow’s favorite chef is back! After previously saying that she would not be involved in Netflix’s upcoming Gilmore Girls reboot, Melissa McCarthy will return as optimistic culinary expert Sookie St. James, best friend to Lorelai (Lauren Graham).
McCarthy, 45, announced the big news while taping her appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday, April 7, pointing out that the deal had been finalized just hours prior. She also alluded to the apparent difficulty of finalizing her Gilmore Girls return.
“It is really exciting,” the Boss star said. She explained that the show “was near and dear to my heart,” but that “we could not get those schedules to work [for the reboot]. And there was a whole thing. And then I was gonna be out of the country and blah, blah, blah. And literally about an hour and half ago, we figured out that I’m going to go back and do it, and I am so excited. And they are gonna be amazing.”
“[Series creator] Amy Sherman-Palladino is going to squeeze me in to do it, and I’m very happy to go back to Stars Hollow,” the Oscar-nominated actress continued about the revival, which is currently filming. “I’m just really excited about that. So it just happened, and I got asked a lot about it, and as of not even two hours ago, it’s happening.”
Netflix confirmed the news on Twitter on Thursday as well: “It’s a magic risotto miracle. Sookie is back! See you in Stars Hollow, @melissamccarthy!”
McCarthy had previously stated that she had not been invited to appear in the update, but that she was excited for it and was planning to watch. She played the quirky chef throughout the series’ original run, starting with its October 2000 pilot.
Following months of speculation, Netflix confirmed in January that it is bringing back Gilmore Girls, which ran for seven seasons before signing off in May 2007. The revival will consist of four 90-minute episodes, each themed around one of the four seasons. The release date has not yet been announced.
McCarthy’s Ellen DeGeneres Show appearance airs on Friday, April 8.
