Kate Walsh Is Returning to Grey’s Anatomy

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Kate Walsh is back on call at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Kate Walsh, known for her role on Grey’s Anatomy, will be returning as Dr. Addison Montgomery in a future episode of the show’s 22nd season, Shondaland, the production company founded by creator Shonda Rhimes, has announced.

Shondaland officially announced on Instagram on December 4th that Dr. Addison Montgomery will be returning to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital!

Kate chimed in with her excitement, too, commenting alongside a heart-eyed emoji, “Here we go.”

Audra McSorley first appeared on Grey’s Anatomy in 2005 as part of the original cast. She remained a regular through its third season before moving to the spin-off show, Private Practice, led by Ellen Pompeo. She starred in every episode of Private Practice for six seasons, from 2007 to 2013.

Kate will be back in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on January 29th, titled “Strip That Down.” This marks her first appearance on the show since playing a recurring role in seasons 18 and 19 between 2021 and 2023, according to several reports.

Before the actress’s return was announced, the show’s creator, Meg Marinis, hinted that season 22 would feature some returning characters alongside Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey.

I’m so excited! The creator recently told The Hollywood Reporter that we’re absolutely going to see some familiar faces return. Apparently, Meredith will actually have scenes with them, and we might even get a glimpse of her back at her old house. It’s going to be amazing to see those connections again!

The team behind Grey’s Anatomy isn’t the only one thrilled about bringing back familiar faces. Kate Walsh shared that she received a lot of positive feedback from fans after appearing in seasons 18 and 19.

As a lifestyle expert, I often talk about finding closure, and honestly, this story really resonates with me. Back in 2021, I shared with the press how wonderful it felt to finally address a question I’d been getting for years. Everywhere I went, reporters always asked if I’d ever consider returning to Grey’s Anatomy. And you know what? I finally did, and it felt amazing to be able to give the fans an answer!

I was really struck by what Kate said. She described how suddenly, unexpectedly, she just completely broke down – she felt overwhelmed by everything she was carrying. It was like all her emotions just surfaced at once, and it happened so quickly, right there in the elevator. It really resonated with me because I think we’ve all been there, where it feels like too much is building up.

Kate Walsh and her fellow actors on Grey’s Anatomy have been involved in some incredibly dramatic television scenes. Here’s a look at the show’s most shocking moments.

The first episode of Grey’s Anatomy started with a surprise for new intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo): she discovered that the attractive man she’d spent the night with – played by Patrick Dempsey – was actually her new boss, the famous Dr. Derek Shepherd. Talk about an awkward situation!

As a lifestyle expert, I remember everyone being completely shocked back in the first season of Grey’s Anatomy! It was a truly unforgettable moment when Kate Walsh debuted as Addison Montgomery, walking right up to Meredith and Derek and dropping that now-famous line: “You must be the woman who’s been screwing my husband.” Seriously, it was instant drama and cemented Addison as a character we’d never forget!

Early in its second season, Grey’s Anatomy aired a dramatic episode immediately after the Super Bowl. Viewers watched with bated breath as Meredith Grey risked her life by putting her hand inside a patient to prevent a live bomb from exploding. Just when everyone felt relieved that the bomb squad chief, Dylan (played by Kyle Chandler), had safely removed the device, it detonated, tragically killing him.

Viewers became invested in the romance between Izzie (Katherine Heigl) and Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as he waited for a life-saving heart transplant during the second half of season two, and many fell in love with their story alongside Izzie. When her risky attempt to get him a heart sooner backfired and he tragically died in the season finale, it became clear that Grey’s Anatomy wasn’t afraid to break hearts and didn’t guarantee happy endings.

The season three ferry accident featured two shocking moments: Meredith being thrown into the icy water and almost drowning, and her later confession that she had actually stopped fighting to stay alive. Which was more surprising?

Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) joined Seattle Grace at the start of season three. Her arrival echoed Derek’s first meeting with Meredith – they connected the night before she started, but thankfully didn’t end up sleeping together! She quickly introduced herself to George O’Malley in the intern locker room. As it turned out, Lexie was Meredith’s younger half-sister, one of two daughters raised by their father, Thatcher, and his second wife, Susan, adding another layer to the hospital’s complex relationships.

Over two and a half years after his character died, Denny Duquette reappeared on the show as a ghost – and in a bizarre turn of events, he had a romantic encounter with Izzie. This highly unbelievable scene served to hint to both Izzie and the audience that she was seriously ill. It was eventually revealed she had advanced melanoma, which had spread to her brain and other parts of her body.

Everyone anticipated Izzie’s character would be the one to die in the season five finale, but George O’Malley’s disappearance should have been a hint that something was wrong. When Meredith discovered the unidentified patient brought in after being hit by a bus – a man who’d been trying to help someone else – was writing ‘007’ (a nickname from earlier in the series) on his hand, she desperately tried to warn the surgeons. Sadly, it was too late, and he died.

The season six finale of Grey’s Anatomy is remembered as one of the show’s darkest moments. A grieving widower, fueled by loss and arriving after the hospital merged with Mercy West, entered with a gun and began shooting. Several doctors were killed or wounded, and the terrifying image of Bailey being pulled from under a bed remains incredibly disturbing. While Bailey survived, the ordeal tragically resulted in a miscarriage for Meredith Grey, who believed her husband Derek had been killed in the shooting.

Just two seasons after a devastating shooting at the hospital, Shonda Rhimes created another major crisis for her doctors. In the season eight finale, a plane carrying Meredith, Derek, Cristina Yang, Lexie, Mark Sloan, and Arizona Robbins crashed while they were traveling to Boise, Idaho for a surgery. The crash left them stranded and injured, and no one knew where they were. Sadly, Mark and Lexie died, Arizona lost her leg, and Derek almost permanently lost the use of his hand.

When Sandra Oh decided to leave Grey’s Anatomy after season 10, the show created a surprising farewell for her character, Cristina Yang. They brought back Isaiah Washington as her ex-fiancé, Preston Burke, who she left at the altar years earlier. Burke offered Cristina his hospital in Switzerland, giving her a way to pursue a new life. What made this even more shocking was the show’s decision to bring Washington back, considering he had been fired after using a deeply offensive slur against co-star T.R. Knight.

The season 10 finale of the show said farewell to Cristina and introduced Dr. Maggie Pierce, played by Kelly McCreary, as the new head of cardio-thoracic surgery. In a surprising twist at the end of the episode, Maggie revealed to Richard (James Pickens Jr.) that she was the daughter of the renowned Dr. Ellis Grey. Richard wasn’t the only one shocked by this news – Meredith also learned she had another sister!

Everyone was shocked when Derek unexpectedly died near the end of season 11. He had just signed a new contract, making his death even more surprising. While it might have been the only way for showrunner Shonda Rhimes to remove the character without invalidating their 11-year relationship, it was still a painful moment for viewers.

Mer had already faced a lot, but in the twelfth season’s ninth episode, she experienced a terrifying attack by a patient, resulting in a broken jaw that needed to be wired shut to repair her hearing. A particularly powerful scene featured Ellen Pompeo portraying Mer’s panic when her children were unable to visit her while she recovered.

The show addressed Alex Karev’s unexpected departure after Justin Chambers left by revealing he’d reconnected with his ex-wife, Izzie, years after she disappeared and filed for divorce. He discovered she had twins and had been raising them on a farm. Ultimately, he chose to be with his new family instead of continuing his life in Seattle. It was a completely surprising twist for viewers!

During season 17, viewers saw Dr. Andrea “Andrew” DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) tragically die. After dealing with mental health issues, DeLuca had become an attending physician at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. However, in true Grey’s Anatomy style, his progress was cut short when he was stabbed by someone connected to a human trafficking operation.

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2025-12-05 04:18