Scott Patterson shared with Us Weekly that when Luke Danes yelled at Sookie St. James to move from behind the diner counter, he thought that Luke was too harsh and yelled too much. The actor said, “If you talk to someone like that in real life, they’re going to be affected… today you couldn’t get away with that.”
Stars Hollow would feel empty without Luke’s diner, and Gilmore Girls wouldn’t be the same comforting show without Lorelai and Luke’s banter and long-term relationship. But while Luke may be famous for complaining about the world around him, viewers have noticed that a lot of Luke’s jokes and storylines feel dated and in some cases, offensive.
Luke Doesn’t Give Jess A Proper Room
It’s sweet that Luke and Jess have a friendly relationship by the end of the series, but they fight a lot during Jess’s high school years and Jess isn’t always super nice to Luke.
But although Luke wants to be there for Jess and help him out, he doesn’t have the best living situation for a teenager. Luke lives in a studio apartment above his diner, and it doesn’t seem big enough for the two of them. Jess and Luke also don’t have separate bedrooms. It seems like Luke should move into a new place so Jess can have his own room, especially since Luke has the money for it.
Luke Tells A Girls Soccer Team They Should Play “Like Girls”
In the season 6 episode “Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out,” Luke becomes a sponsor for a girls’ soccer team, and he complains that the team is being too rough. Tilly says, “We play the way the boys play” and Luke says “But boys are boys, and girls are girls.”
The members of the soccer team are hurt by Luke’s comments, and they have every right to be, as Luke is being sexist and unfair.
Luke’s Ban On Cellphones In His Diner
Part of Luke’s quirky, grumpy personality is the fact that he can’t stand cell phones. He even has a sign behind the counter at his diner saying that these are totally banned.
But this aspect of the show hasn’t aged well at all since it doesn’t seem like Luke can really stop people from texting or checking their phones while eating and drinking coffee. Even in the Netflix revival A Year In The Life, Luke tries to stop customers from using WiFi, and it just doesn’t ring true.
Luke Shames People For Breastfeeding
While Luke has many relatable Gilmore Girls quotes, he also has some cringeworthey lines, like when he shames people for breastfeeding and doesn’t want anyone to feed their baby in his diner.
In the season 3 episode “Eight O’Clock At The Oasis,” Luke gets upset and says, “When did that become acceptable? In the old days, a woman would never consider doing that in public. They’d go find a barn or a cave or something. I mean, it’s indecent. This is a diner not a peep show!” Lorelai jokes around with him, but why isn’t she more upset about this?
Luke Makes An Offensive Comment About Kirk’s Bag
Luke and Kirk have an interesting friendship that develops over the course of Gilmore Girls. Kirk loves sitting at the diner and enjoying a meal, and he also goes to Luke for life advice. It’s really nice seeing Luke look out for Kirk.
However, despite the heartwarming moments between these two characters, Luke says a horrible thing to Kirk in one scene. When Kirk comes into the diner once, Luke asks, “what’s with the gay bag?” It’s a bizarre moment and not okay for Luke to say this.
Luke Buys The Twickham House In Secret
Luke and Lorelai have a lot of romantic Gilmore Girls scenes, but Luke also acts strangely during their relationship. Luke dreams of buying the Twickham House so he and Lorelai have a new, beautiful place to live, and he’s able to purchase it.
Although this is meant to be a sweet gesture, it’s problematic that Luke doesn’t talk to Lorelai about this beforehand. She loves her house and feels an emotional attachment to it, and Luke should realize that Lorelai would want to be part of such a big life change and financial decision.
Luke Punches Christopher
Although the love triangle between Christopher, Lorelai, and Luke adds drama to the show, Luke’s actions toward Rory’s father are terrible. While of course violence is never alright, when Luke punches Christopher in season 7, it was presented as if he was defending Lorelai’s honor because he’s so jealous.
It makes sense that Luke would dislike Christopher and want to get back together with Lorelai, but hurting Christopher isn’t the way to go about this.
Luke Wants To Hide April From Lorelai
Gilmore Girls fans have many feelings about Luke’s daughter April. She may be brilliant, and it may be moving watching Luke discover that he’s a wonderful parent. But the way that the show introduces April is difficult for many viewers to accept.
When Luke learns about his child, he’s already committed to Lorelai, and he begins wavering about their wedding. Luke acts like he wants to hide April from Lorelai, as he doesn’t want the two to get to know each other, and this feels problematic and awkward today. Lorelai doesn’t need to give Luke space, she needs to stand up for herself.
Luke’s Comments About Eating Belgian Waffles
Gilmore Girls fans love Luke’s diner, but Luke doesn’t seem like he wants to eat most of the items on his menu, as he’s presented as a super healthy eater for much of the series.
In one scene, Luke tells Lorelai that he was so mad and upset that he got some junk food, explaining, “I bought one of those Belgian waffles with the ice cream dipped in chocolate.” When Lorelai asks if he ate it, he says, “I’m upset not suicidal!” This is an uncomfortable, offensive joke that isn’t funny at all, and it’s strange that Luke would say this.
Luke Doesn’t Understand Surrogacy
While it’s heartwarming seeing Paris own her own fertility clinic in A Year In The Life, it’s confusing that Luke has trouble understanding how surrogacy works.
Luke thinks that this would mean that he sleeps with the woman who will carry his and Lorelai’s child, and it doesn’t ring true that he wouldn’t know how this process would go. While it seems likely that Lorelai and Paris would explain this to Luke, it also seems like he would already know this.
Luke Insults The Stars Hollow Residents
The residents of Stars Hollow are some of the best parts of Gilmore Girls, and Lorelai and Rory enjoy being part of their world. In one scene, Luke insults the people who live in the small town while also making a harsh comment about medication.
When Luke says, “Crazy people. The whole town should be medicated and put in a rec room with ping-pong tables and hand puppets,” it’s definitely offensive. It’s wrong for Luke to say this about anyone, but especially people who he sees every day and loves.
