‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Alum Confirms Return for Season 18

 Grey’s Anatomy is continuing its trend of bringing back fan favorites in the upcoming season 18, with Deadline reporting that will be returning to the medical drama for a guest arc. Her story arc has not yet been revealed, but her character Addison Montgomery will be returning to Seattle for multiple episodes. 

The official Grey’s Anatomy Twitter account also shared the news with a video of Walsh confirming Addison’s sure-to-be dramatic return. “Well well well, would you look who it is,” Walsh smirks in the video. “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 [Rhimes], Ellen [Pompeo], and the rest of the incredible cast.” While she didn’t reveal when during the season Addison returned, Walsh promises that the story will deliver.

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Walsh’s Addison Montgomery first showed up on Grey’s Anatomy at the end of season one as Derek Shepherd’s (Patrick Dempsey) first wife. This kicked off a love square between Addison, Derek, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), and she was a fan-favorite character and series regular for seasons two and three. She eventually got her own spinoff show, Private Practice, which ran for six seasons from 2007-2013. She continued to make guest appearances on Grey’s but hasn’t been seen since season 8.

Season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy saw the return of many departed actors, including Dempsey, Dane, Chyler Leigh, T.R. Knight, and Sarah Drew, and Walsh was asked about potentially returning back in March of this year, to which she replied with an enthusiastic yes. “If they could get it done, I’d be happy to come back,” she told PEOPLE, saying she’d “absolutely” make a return. “Maybe I’ll Zoom in Dr. Addison could Zoom in.” Although she left the show after just two seasons, she did say she always knew Grey’s Anatomy would be a major hit. “Sometimes I do feel like I get a little witchy about things,” she admitted. “I was like, ‘This is a great show.’ Even before it even had an airtime. I was just on as a guest, I was like, ‘This is a great show. I think it’s going to be really good.’ And here we are. Here they are.” The actress then added, “Seven years later. It definitely changed my life.”