Howard Stern

LORELAI: And the second thing is, you need to tell me why you’re sitting like that.
SHERRY: Maureen told me that Howard Stern said that if you squat, it makes the baby come out faster.
LORELAI: Okay, as long as you have a sane reason from a reliable source.

Howard Stern (born 1954), radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, The Howard Stern Show, which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. His show attracted a lot of controversy and was considered vulgar and outrageous.

Despite this, and Lorelai’s understandable disdain for Stern as an authority on medical issues, squatting is actually recommended as a safe and effective position to give birth in.

Doctor Laura

JESS: You know, you don’t know anything about me, or my life, or my mom, or Luke, so why don’t you Doctor Laura someone else?

American talk show host and author Laura Schlessinger (born 1947), best known for her radio show, The Dr Laura Program. With a background as a marriage and family counsellor, Schlessinger typically answers callers’ requests for advice, and gives short monologues on social and political topics.

Her show was highly popular, but around the early 2000s began losing listeners because Schlessinger was giving less relationship advice and more lectures on morality and conservative politics, in particular, her opposition to homosexuality. No doubt this comparison would have infuriated Lorelai, as it was intended to.

Twenty Questions

LUKE: So you get unpacked?
JESS: Yup.
LUKE: Get enough space in the closet?
JESS: Plenty.
LUKE: You hungry?
JESS: Eighteen.
LUKE: What?

JESS: Just counting how many questions ’til we hit twenty.

Jess is referring to Twenty Questions, an American parlour game originating in the 19^th century. One person chooses a particular object or subject, but keeps it a secret. Players take turns asking them questions about it, which can only be answered by “yes”, “no”, and “maybe”. Winning the game involves correctly guessing the answer within twenty questions – if not, the answerer wins the game. Twenty Questions has been made into several successful radio and television quiz shows.

Of course, Luke isn’t trying to guess anything, just asking if Jess has everything he needs, but Jess is clearly not in the mood.