NEED TO KNOW
Jared Padalecki’s daughter is his biggest fan — most of the time.
The actor, 43, is beloved for playing one of the most iconic TV boyfriends: Dean Forester, Rory Gilmore’s first love in Gilmore Girls. He recently spoke to PEOPLE for the 2025 Sexiest Man Alive issue, and reveals how the role has impacted his professional and personal life since its premiere 25 years ago.
“I feel like I can’t really go anywhere without somebody wonderfully coming up and saying, ‘I love the show. My mom and I watch,’ or ‘I force my boyfriend to watch it,’” he says. “So it’s been funny, especially since COVID, people are like, ‘Oh, here’s a feel-good show. Let’s stream this. We love the music, and we love the setting and the characters and the writing.’”
Doug Inglish
While he has supporters all over the world, Padalecki says he also has a fan club at home. His wife, Genevieve Padalecki, often watches the show with their 8-year-old daughter Odette, who has almost all good things to say about it.
“Odette loves it, except for when Dean and Rory [played by Alexis Bledel] kiss,” he laughs. “She doesn’t comprehend. She’s like, ‘Why is dad kissing somebody else?’ And Gen, who’s an actress as well, is like, ‘Well, because he’s playing a character and that character and this character are in love, and they’re kissing.’ Odette is like, ‘Hmm.’ She digs her feet in: ‘Dad should only kiss mom.’”
“I don’t want to upset Odette,” he quips.
For more Sexiest Man Alive content, including cover star Jonathan Bailey, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.
Jared Padalecki/Instagram
Jared and Genevieve met in 2008 on the set of Supernatural while filming season 4 of the long-running television show. They tied the knot in February 2010 and went on to welcome three children together: Thomas Colton, 13, Austin “Shep” Shepherd, 11 and Odette Elliott, 8.
In May 2017, Jared opened up to PEOPLE about becoming a girl dad after having two sons, gushing over his relationship with Odette.
“It’s a really cool experience, and I’m really excited for her to grow and hopefully have a Daddy’s girl,” he said.
He also admitted that having a daughter sometimes makes him feel “really nervous and vulnerable.”
“With boys, you’re like, ‘Go skin your knees and go break your arms like I did,’” he explained. “But with a girl, you’re like, ‘If somebody ever touches her, I’ll go off the handle!’”
The family of five currently resides in a farmhouse in Austin, Texas, not far from Padalecki’s hometown of San Antonio. He and Genevieve first put down roots in the Lone Star State in 2010 before fully transitioning from California for its “slower pace.” Along with their three children, they also have a flock of chickens, dogs, miniature horses and even a beehive.
