Why Did Jared Padalecki Leave Gilmore Girls?

Those who don't know Padalecki from his time on "Gilmore Girls" more than likely know him from "Supernatural," on which he played Sam Winchester from 2005 to 2020. "Supernatural," created by Eric Kripke, follows the Winchester brothers as they hunt down supernatural beings, from vampires to ghosts to demons.

Seeing as "Supernatural" began in 2005 and "Gilmore Girls" ran until 2007, it's pretty obvious what happened here — Padalecki left a supporting role in one series for the starring one in another. Still, Padalecki discussed the transition between the shows in an interview with TV Guide in 2019. As it turns out, his "Gilmore Girls" character's reputation almost cost him the role of Sam Winchester on "Supernatural." Padalecki was told about his chances of getting the part, saying, "'Eric [Kripke]'s like, 'Uh, I've seen 'Gilmore Girls.' We want Sam to be really smart.' And so my manager had to go, 'Uh, well, my client is a National Merit Scholar.'" While the start of "Supernatural" sees Sam as a student at Stanford University, Dean of "Gilmore Girls" once worried about how his relationship with Rory would progress since he wasn't academically gifted enough to get into an Ivy League.