This iconic Grey's Anatomy character announced their return in an epic way

Paging doctor...

GREY'S ANATOMY - (Standing) Isaiah Washington as "Dr. Preston Burke," Ellen Pompeo as "Meredith Grey," Patrick Dempsey as "Dr. Derek Shepherd," Kate Walsh as "Dr. Addison Shepherd," T.R. Knight as "George O'Malley," Justin Chambers as "Alex Karev," Chandra Wilson as "Miranda Bailey," James Pickens, Jr. as "Dr. Richard Webber," (Sitting) Sandra Oh as "Cristina Yang" and Katherine Heigl as "Isobel 'Izzie' Stevens" star on "Grey's Anatomy" on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network, Addison Grey's Anatomy
(Image credit: Frank Ockenfels / Getty)

Welcome back Addison, Grey's Anatomy's Mrs. McDreamy herself.

Last season saw the return of several OG Seattle Grace doctors to the long-running series, including Patrick Dempsey's Derek Shepherd T.R. Knight’s George O’Malley, and one more is joining the bunch: Addison Montgomery will be back for season 18 of the ABC medical drama.

Addison, played by Kate Walsh, had one of the best entrances of all time on the show, revealing herself to be Derek's estranged wife in the season one finale back in 2005. The character went on to have her own spin-off show, Private Practice, which ran for six seasons from 2007 to 2013.



Now, eight years later, Addison Montgomery is back and Walsh announced the return of her beloved character with—what else?—an epic TikTok.

In her own version of the popular chopping dance trend, Walsh does the fist-bump boogie while the caption "questions I frequently get asked" plays overhead. One query, of course, was whether she'd ever come back to Grey's, to which she responds "YES" while the video cuts to Walsh wearing a white lab coat and mouthing along to audio from American Horror Story: Coven, saying: "Surprise bitch. I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me."

Walsh reposted the video on Instagram with the caption: "It’s really happening. Dr. Addison Montgomery will see you shortly 💅 #GreysAnatomy @GreysABC @EllenPompeo @Shondaland"

The actress, whose post-Grey's TV credits include 13 Reasons Why and Emily in Paris, had previously expressed interest in returning to the doctor drama. She told Us Weekly in February: "I’m here in Western Australia so it would be a big trip so I’d have to see. But, yeah, I’m always open to it. I’m here!" adding that "maybe Addison could call in or zoom in" for the new season. 

Walsh had a humorous reaction to fellow fan favorites like her character's ex-hubby Derek making appearances on the show. "Gal u already know how Addie would’ve reacted to this,” she captioned an Instagram post of her character giving some serious side-eye to a photo of her ex and Meredith Grey hugging on a beach. 

“Sending so much love from overseas to @EllenPompeo & @PatrickDempsey on their internet-breaking reunion," the caption continued.

When is Grey's Anatomy back on?

We'll have to wait and see exactly what Walsh's return to Grey's Anatomy will entail, but we do know that season 18 will premiere on Thursday, September 30 at 9 pm EST (1 am GMT) on ABC. 

However, fans in the UK might have to wait a bit longer for the show to premiere across the pond if season 17 is any proof—while last season debuted stateside in November 2020, Brits didn't get new episodes until April 2021. Like previous editions, we can expect season 18 to air on Sky Witness and NOW. 

If you simply can't wait until then, you can watch the new season in the UK with help from a VPN. A VPN  is a handy piece of software that allows you to browse anonymously, and to change your IP address so your mobile, computer, or laptop thinks it's in another location. Meaning, you can watch your favorite show, film or event—even if you’re away from home.

Our favorite VPN service is ExpressVPN—rated the best VPN in the world right now, by our colleagues at TechRadar.

Christina Izzo

Christina Izzo is the Deputy Editor of My Imperfect Life. 


More generally, she is a writer-editor covering food and drink, travel, lifestyle and culture in New York City. She was previously the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York


When she’s not doing all that, she can probably be found eating cheese somewhere.