Though they’re not a part of the 2024 TV schedule, shows like Friends and Gilmore Girls will always be iconic favorites that reside in the hearts of many fans. So, with such mythic legacies that could see them included on such lists as the best sitcoms to ever air, there are tons of rumors that point to “behind the scenes” facts that just aren’t true. And, in the case of both of these Warner Bros.-produced shows, the claim that they shared a wardrobe has been debunked by a costuming professional who should know - as she worked on Gilmore Girls.
The Friends And Gilmore Girls Rumor Sparked By Social Media
There was definitely a period of overlap between the two hit sitcoms that shared the same umbrella of corporate production. They also both filmed on the WB lot in the early aughts. So it doesn’t feel that strange to think that Friends and Gilmore Girls’ status as TV siblings of sorts could have led to clothing items being shared between the lot mates, which is probably how the rumors started. The theory only gained more traction after this video pointed out a couple of very specific pieces as supposed evidence:
@itslanawhatsup ♬ original sound - itslanawhatsup
Alas, that is simply not true. In a comment on this very post, costumer Valerie Campbell stepped in with a simple statement that put the matter to rest. As far as her thoughts on this clip were concerned, here’s what Ms. Campbell had to say:
No we didn’t. Sorry we didn't trade clothes. I worked on Gilmore Girls in costumes.
Valerie Campbell worked on 132 of the 153 original episodes of Gilmore Girls’ multi-network TV run, as well as the entirety of the run for the Netflix original miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Given those credentials, Campbell definitely knows where the scarves are buried. Not to mention she’s also the party who took to social media to help explain that Gilmore Girls’ baby daddy drama that was left over in the cliffhanger finale of A Year in the Life.
So there seems to be very little that the costumer doesn’t know about this series. Which is why what she had to say about why this theory just isn’t true comes with a great weight of authority.
What Really Happened With Gilmore Girls' Costumes, According To Costumer Valerie Campbell
Valerie Campbell has had a lot of fun on social media discussing the ins and outs of her time working on Gilmore Girls. And the latest example of such material comes from her TikTok rebuttal, which helped clarify the point she made above. Pointing out why this rumor may have gotten started, as well as what the reality behind the situation happens to be, here’s part of how Campbell debunked this claim:
If something happened and we needed to repeat [an] outfit, we want to be able to find it again. In the case of Rory, Lorelai and Emily, we definitely would not have gone over to the Friends costume department and said, ‘Hey, can we borrow an outfit?’
Valerie Campbell laid out that the real reason the casts between both shows had similar looking clothing is that pretty much everyone on the Warner Bros. lot shopped at the same stores. What’s more, Campbell shared a story of the rare exception that would call for borrowing clothes from another set.
As it turns out, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life actually did borrow a suit from the Supergirl wardrobe department in a massive pinch. A scenario that's really an exception that proves the rule, this is the sort of behind-the-scenes tidbit that some creators think they've stumbled upon when reporting theories such as this.
So there it is: the Friends/Gilmore Girls clothes-swapping theory is officially debunked, although this does sound like one of the most ridiculous Friends episodes that never happened. Those of you looking for fresh inspiration from GG can catch it all with a Netflix subscription, at the time of this writing. Meanwhile the entirety of Friends can be streamed with the use of a Max subscription, where it's always been there for you...since it left Netflix.
