Lorelai Gilmore has a mother who appears on the show.
Lorelai Victoria Gilmore is a fictional character in the WB/CW television series Gilmore Girls , portrayed by actress Lauren Graham . Lorelai is a single mother of a teenage daughter , Rory ( Alexis Bledel ) . The dynamic of single parenthood and the tension between Lorelai and her wealthy parents , Richard ( Edward Herrmann ) and especially her controlling mother , Emily ( Kelly Bishop ) , form the main theme of the series story line . Subplots involve various financial difficulties , love interests and other domestic entanglements for both Lorelai and her daughter Rory . Alex Lesman ( Billy Burke ) , an outdoorsy coffee house entrepreneur ; Jason Stiles ( Chris Eigeman ) , a childhood acquaintance , and Luke Danes ( Scott Patterson ) , the owner of Luke 's Diner in Stars Hollow , with whom she always had a strong connection .