Dr. Addison Montgomery is back! Kate Walsh announces her return for Grey's Anatomy season 18

Kate Walsh surprised Grey's Anatomy fans by announcing her return as Dr. Addison Montgomery in the upcoming season

"Piece of My Heart" - Addison (Kate Walsh) returns to Seattle Grace to perform an operation and is taken aback by all of the changes in her old co-workers' lives.
(Image credit: Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

Kate Walsh is picking up her scrubs once again! The actress announced on Thursday that she would be returning for Grey's Anatomy season 18 as the infamous Dr. Addison Montgomery.

Last season, Grey's Anatomy fans were gifted with various guest appearances from the original cast, including one fan-favorite character after nearly 10 years off the show. Now, Kate is the latest to rewalk the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The actress made the official announcement in a video posted on all the Grey's Anatomy social media accounts, which received overwhelming excitement from fans.

"Well, well, well, would you look who it is. That's right, my loves, Dr. Addison Montgomery is coming back to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and I'm so excited to be home again joining Shonda, Ellen, and the rest of the incredible cast," The 53-year-old said in the video, referring to the series creator Shonda Rhimes and her co-star Ellen Pompeo.


She then confirmed the news on her personal accounts with a funny video mimicking a viral TikTok trend. In it, Kate revealed a question she's often asked: "Will you ever come back to Grey's Anatomy?" In dramatic fashion, she revealed her answer—"yes"—as the video cut to her wearing medical scrubs and lip-synching one of Emma Roberts most iconic lines from American Horror Story.

"Surprise, bitch. I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me," she mouthed.

Kate originally left the medical drama for her own spin-off show, Private Practice, which ran from 2007 to 2013. Before that, her character, Addison, played a crucial part in the Meredith and Derek (played by Patrick Dempsey) drama. Let's not forget the dramatic season one finale when Meredith found out McDreamy was married to another woman—Addison.

Dr. Montgomery isn't the only character we can expect a return from. It's also been reported that Kate Burton, will reprise her role as Meredith Grey's mother, Dr. Ellis Grey, in the new season.

Last season, fans were devastated after learning one major Grey's Anatomy character is departing the show, but with season 18 on the horizon, maybe the return of Kate's character will be enough to fill the Jesse-sized hole left behind. If you're still not caught up, make sure to watch Grey's Anatomy season 17 before the new season premieres on ABC, September 30, 2021.

Rylee Johnston

Rylee is a U.S. news writer who previously worked for woman&home and My Imperfect Life covering lifestyle, celebrity, and fashion news. Before joining woman&home and My Imperfect Life, Rylee studied journalism at Hofstra University where she explored her interests in world politics and magazine writing. From there, she dabbled in freelance writing covering fashion and beauty e-commerce for outlets such as the TODAY show, American Spa Magazine, First for Women, and Woman’s World.