Dr. Addison Montgomery is heading back to Seattle in the upcoming second half of Grey’s Anatomy Season 22, as Kate Walsh sets another return to the medical drama.
Deadline was the first to report the news that Walsh would be returning to her role as the world-class neonatal surgeon.
Walsh first joined Grey’s in Season 1, arriving as the estranged wife of Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and thereby interrupting the budding romance between him and Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). She became a series regular in Season 2 when the character became a full-time member of the staff at the hospital — it was then known as Seattle Grace — as Addison attempted to rekindle her relationship with Derek, despite the arrival of Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), his former best friend with whom she had an affair.
Ultimately, their marriage ended, and Walsh’s time as a series regular ended at the end of Season 3. However, she remained a fixture of the Grey’s world, reprising the role to lead the series’ first spinoff, Private Practice, and making several additional comebacks to the show in seasons 4 through 8. Her most recent appearances on the show came in Seasons 18 and 19, which followed a nine-year absence from the Seattle storyline.
The last time we saw her, Addison returned to Grey Sloan Memorial to assist Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) with the new OB/GYN residents in “Training Day.”
According to Deadline, fans can expect to see Walsh on screen again in Grey’s Anatomy for the episode airing on Thursday, January 29, though details about her arc are unclear at this time.
Grey’s returns for the second half of Season 22 on Thursday, January 8, at 10/9c. The fall finale left the fate of at least one character in question, as Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) was last seen undergoing a C-section for her twins in the middle of a heart operation with Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill).
Walsh is the latest in a series of Grey’s actors who’ve made a comeback in Season 22. Previously, Kelly McCreary reprised her role as Maggie Pierce, and Jesse Williams returned as Jackson Avery.
Grey’s Anatomy, Season 22 Midseason Premiere, January 8, 10/9c, ABC