Gilmore Girls Fans Spotted A Subtle Jess Easter Egg In A New Commercial

Who was Rory’s best boyfriend on Gilmore Girls? The discourse was recently reignited by — of all things — a new Panera Bread commercial. The ad saw Jared Padalecki and Matt Czuchry argue the merits of their respective soups. Of course, it really sounded like they were talking about their characters, with Czuchry favoring his “rich” and “sophisticated” menu pick (hi, Logan) and Padalecki describing his “reliable” choice as the “perfect first... bowl of soup” (which is just what Dean would say).

While Milo Ventimiglia wasn’t there to make the case for Jess, his character’s influence loomed large in the commercial. In fact, several fans pointed out a subtle Easter egg that might hearken back to a specific Jess gag from Gilmore Girls.

Jess Tess Mariano

Padalecki leaned into the old Jess vs. Dean rivalry throughout the commercial, voicing his contempt for the “bad boy” who once “left without even saying goodbye,” an apparent nod to Jess’ hasty Season 3 departure from Stars Hollow.

He also stormed up to the counter when a Panera employee announced an order for someone named Tess — as if he thought he heard “Jess” and was ready to throw fists like they did in high school.

While you likely caught the winky “Tess” rhyme, did you know that it was actually used on Gilmore Girls before? Fans on social media pointed out that in Season 3, Luke got a call about his nephew’s skirmish at a house party. “I do know someone who would get into a fight at a party and leave the place completely trashed,” he says. “It’s a wild guess, but I think his name rhymes with Tess.”

Before that, in Season 2, Lorelai was unnerved by Rory’s care for Jess, the town’s brooding new arrival. Relenting after Rory asked her to be nice to him, Lorelai huffed: “Can I at least call him Tess for a little while?”

More than 20 years before two Gilmore exes broke bread together, the name “Tess” was already being used as a stand-in for Jess — a tradition the Panera commercial hilariously upholds.

Another Reunion Is On The Way

While the new ad may only reference Gilmore Girls in spirit, a proper reunion is in the works. In honor of the show’s 25th anniversary this fall, several stars — including Padalecki, Kelly Bishop, and Keiko Agena — will appear in the documentary Searching For Stars Hollow, according to The Hollywood Reporter.