It’s been 21 years since we were introduced to Gilmore Girls, but one of the series’ stars, Jared Padalecki, has some regrets about his early appearances on the iconic mother-daughter show.

On October 5, the hit series Gilmore Girls celebrated its 2-1 birthday, and in honor of the occasion, Netflix sent a touching tribute to the series on Twitter. This particular mention from the streaming service compelled the actor to jokingly apologize for his performance on the show when it initially aired in 2000.

“Gilmore Girls premiered 21 years ago today, introducing us to one of the greatest mother-daughter duos in television history,” Netflix tweeted on Tuesday, with photographs of cast members, including Padalecki’s Dean Forester, roaming about town with Rory (Alexis Bledel). “Blessing us with endlessly quotable dialogue, and making generations long to live in the quaint yet wildly quirky Stars Hollow.”

Padalecki commented on the post, writing, “Sorry about the teeth… And the forehead… (“five”-head?..?) Glad I grew into those.”

Netflix replied brilliantly to the actor’s remark, saying, “Zero apologies required, sir.”

Sorry about the teeth…
And the forehead… (“five”-head?..?)
Glad I grew into those.

— Jared Padalecki (@jarpad) October 5, 2021

The 39-year-old Supernatural veteran was barely a teenager when the program debuted in 2000.

Fans of the WB series, which initially aired for seven seasons before ending in 2007, praised Padalecki for his attractive qualities.

One fan agreed, writing, “Noooo. You were cute as a button then, and you’re gorgeous now. Teeth, forehead, and everything in between, but heart and soul most of all. Love you ❤️❤️❤️.”

“You were adorable then well your [sic] still adorable now and even have the cool dad jokes now happy 21 years in TV,” a second person tweeted.

Another user asked Walker to “bring back the ’90s mushroom cut” that his Gilmore Girls character had in high school, and a fourth said Dean “really did rock that leather jacket” back then.

Padalecki wasn’t done apologizing. He also said in response to a fan account that referenced the milestone, “I am deeply sorry for breaking into your houses for 21 years to make you look at, and listen to me… I hope I can be forgiven.”

I am deeply sorry for breaking into your houses for 21 years to make you look at, and listen to me…
I hope I can be forgiven.

— Jared Padalecki (@jarpad) October 5, 2021

And, if you’re wondering where the actor stands on the iconic decades-long Dean vs. Jess (played by Milo Ventimiglia) debate—that is, which one was a better lover for Rory Gilmore—the answer of brotherly love might surprise you.

Padalecki paid respect to his time on Gilmore Girls earlier this year by chiming in on the discussion about which of Rory’s boyfriends was the best. Rory fell in love three times during the series, and again in the 2016 Netflix revival, A Year in the Life.

Rory dated bad boy Jess Mariano after splitting with her first love, Dean (Milo Ventimiglia). When she was in college, she began dating Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry). Fans are still divided on who was the best match for Rory after all these years, but Padalecki and Ventimiglia, 44, remain fans of each other’s characters.

Why he left the Show?

According to Screen Rant, while Jared Padalecki was an important part of “Gilmore Girls,” especially in the beginning, he wasn’t the first choice to play Rory’s first lover. Originally, Nathan Wetherington was cast in the part, but Padalecki took it after the pilot was shot. He progressively faded into the background as the seasons progressed, eventually disappearing entirely in Season 5 when Dean and Rory realized they were better off apart.  Padalecki eventually departed the cast of “Gilmore Girls” to take on what would become a career-defining role as Sam Winchester in “Supernatural.”

Dean, on the other hand, nearly lost him the role, with Padalecki revealing to TV Guide that his management had to persuade series creator Eric Kripke that his client could really play clever, despite what “Gilmore Girls” may have shown. “And so my manager had to go, ‘Uh, well, my client is a National Merit Scholar,'” Padalecki explained.

Padalecki did appear in the well-received 2016 revival “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” with the sequel indicating Dean had finally found love and was happily living in Pennsylvania with his wife and children. “Supernatural” premiered in 2005, so there was little time to second-guess whether or not he made the correct decision, but Padalecki certainly has no regrets about how it all turned out.