So far, season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy has brought back two fan-favorite characters and, with the season returning next week, more could be on the way. While there are a slew of early Grey's actors fans would probably love to see return, only one has recently said they'd be interested (and no, it's not Katherine Heigl). Instead, it's Kate Walsh, who played Dr. Addison Montgomery throughout Season 1 and as a series regular in Seasons 2 and 3 of Grey’s Anatomy before starring in all six seasons of the spinoff Private Practice. Recently, the actress shared her thoughts on how her character could even come back to Grey Sloan Memorial.
Kate Walsh spoke to People about the possibility of returning to the long-running medical drama, saying she would absolutely reprise her role as Dr. Addison Montgomery. Walsh mentioned if they could get it done, she’d be happy to come back, suggesting Addison could through the use of technology Walsh said:
If they could get it done, I'd be happy to come back. Maybe I'll Zoom in. Dr. Addison could Zoom in.
Kate Walsh went on to reflect about her time on Grey’s Anatomy and the show itself, saying she knew it was going to be a great show before it even aired. Seven years after doing the show, it changed her life. No, literally, in the same interview, she said "it changed my life." Possibly appearing again is sort of the opposite perspective a few of her Grey's Anatomy co-stars have had over the years, though more recently her former co-star Katherine Heigl has warmed up to the idea of maybe one day, some day, returning. This is after years of being pretty negative on the prospect.
As for Dr. Addison Montgomery, this isn’t the first time Kate Walsh has spoken out about her thoughts on if she would ever return to Grey’s Anatomy. In 2019, Walsh mentioned that if it were the right time with the right storyline, she would return. She said she always considered Grey’s her home, saying it’s a big important piece of her life and that she would absolutely return if it made sense for everybody involved.
Kate Walsh made her first appearance as Dr. Addison Montgomery in Season 1’s “Something To Talk About." The episode shocked fans with the reveal that Dr. Derek Sheppard (Patrick Dempsey) was married, even though he and then-intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) were going out. She became a series regular towards the beginning of Season 2 until the end of Season 3, before she went on to star in Private Practice. Walsh returned to the series in the Season 8 episode “If/Then,” which took place in an alternate universe in Meredith’s dream.
Grey’s Anatomy has already brought back Derek Sheppard and George O’Malley (TR Knight) this season, as part of Meredith’s COVID-induced dreams. There is evidently going to be another surprise guest appearance later on this season, but there’s no word on who it could be. Would you want to see Kate Walsh return as Dr. Addison Montgomery? Grey's Anatomy's 17th season returns Thursday, March 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
