‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fan Favorite to Return in Season 22

Another Grey’s Anatomy fan favorite is coming back.

A teaser for Season 22’s fourth episode, “Goodbye Heroes,” revealed that Jesse Williams’ Jackson Avery is returning to Grey Sloan.

Per ABC, in the episode, airing on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET, “The interns juggle a bizarre trauma, while a complex breast reconstruction forces Meredith into a tense partnership.” Not too much has been revealed about Williams’ appearance, but in the teaser, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) tells Warren (Jason George) she “ran into Jackson” and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) talks to him about Koracick’s (Greg Germann) Alzheimer’s results. Jackson really gives it to Meredith about her research, but his true reason for stepping back into the navy scrubs is unknown.

Williams joined as Dr. Jackson Avery in Season 6, as a surgical resident from Mercy West following its merger with Seattle Grace. He later becomes Chief of Plastics at Grey Sloan and departed in Season 17 when he decided to move to Boston with ex April Kepner (Sarah Drew) and their daughter Harriet to run the Catherine Fox Foundation. Since his departure, Williams has made multiple appearances on Grey’s Anatomy, most recently in the Season 21 premiere in 2024.

His guest appearance on Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 will mark the latest return by an alum. Kelly McCreary guest starred in last week’s episode, returning as Dr. Maggie Pierce to help Meredith stage an intervention for Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) following Monica’s death. McCreary departed in Season 19 after joining at the end of Season 10.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 only premiered on Oct. 9, but already the series has been pulling out some surprises. Following the Season 21 cliffhanger, fans were left wondering who got caught in the explosion, and Chris Carmack’s Link was on death’s door in the OR, but luckily, he survived, though his recovery has not been easy. As previously mentioned, Natalie Morales’ Dr. Monica Beltran did not survive the blast and succumbed to injuries she sustained while being pinned by surgery equipment. This led Amelia to decide to take a sabbatical, and it has been revealed that Scorsone will be out until 2026, missing eight episodes.

Don’t miss Jesse Williams’ much-anticipated return as Jackson Avery on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. All seasons of Grey’s Anatomy are streaming on Hulu, where new episodes are available the day after they air.