The episode marked the actress’ first appearance since her multi-episode arc in seasons 18 and 19.

Kate Walsh returns to Grey’s Anatomy and makes shocking reveal about Addison’s husband

The episode marked the actress' first appearance since her multi-episode arc in seasons 18 and 19.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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January 30, 2026 11:18 a.m. ET

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Kate Walsh on 'Grey's Anatomy'. Credit:

Disney/Anne Marie Fox

Kate Walsh can't help but shake up the renowned doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital whenever she comes through.

The actress reprised her role as Dr. Addison Montgomery on Thursday's episode of the long-lasting medical drama, bringing her character's unique charm and inevitable mess along with her. This time, Addison was back to convince Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), who was still on sabbatical after the tragic events of last season's finale, to assist her with a pregnant patient who was suffering from a tumor that affected her sight.

But Addison revealed she was facing more woes than her concern for her patient, Emma. After Amelia had to kick Addison out of her OR for having a mini-meltdown in the middle of the procedure, the neonatal surgeon confessed that she was struggling with the breakdown of her marriage to her husband, Jake.

Yes, Jake Reilly (portrayed by Benjamin Bratt), a.k.a. Pineapple Guy, who Addison married in the finale of the beloved *Grey's* spinoff *Private Practice* (2006–2013), and with whom she shares her son, Henry.

Caterina Scorsone and Kate Walsh on 'Grey's Anatomy'.

Disney/Anne Marie Fox

"Jake is leaving me," Addison told Amelia in the scrub room. "He stopped supporting my work on the PRT and wants me to come home."

PRT refers to the Physician Response Team vehicle that Addison repurposed to become a traveling treatment center for reproductive health needs across the country. It was how Addison met Emma, who was in Idaho when Addison provided her with birth control.

It's only after she's kicked out of the OR by Amelia that Addison has an epiphany during a phone call with Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), who is in post-surgical recovery after treating his prostate cancer — an arc inspired by Pickens' real-life diagnosis as well. (The Grey Sloan crew is going *through *it!)

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During the call, Addison realizes that she had pressured Amelia to come back before she may have been really ready, potentially fueled by her having dedicated everything to work — even to the detriment of her marriage.

"Jake used to be in it with me. He used to call me every morning when I was on the road to give me these pep talks, tell me how brave I was for doing work no one else would do," Addison tells Amelia as she opens up about the problems in her marriage once the surgery is successfully completed on Emma. "He'd send me these care packages with birth control pills, talk through difficult cases with me. He was on my side. But now he hardly calls, and when he does, he complains about traffic on the 405 or Henry's school or me."

But Addison can't deny that Jake is right when he says she's been emotionally absent from their marriage. "He says when I'm home, I'm barely there. You know, he's right, I'm not a good partner. I forgot an anniversary. I forgot a birthday. I am not the woman he married anymore," she continues. "But nothing is what it used to be. I don't even recognize science anymore. All I know is I can't stomach sitting on the sidelines and watching people die. So I'm going to choose work, and if that blows apart my life, then...."

Kate Walsh and Benjamin Bratt on 'Private Practice'.

"I think if he's asking you to choose, something's probably already fundamentally broken," Amelia muses.

Although Addison and Amelia talk over her options, it's clear to them both that the relationship can't be saved if things stand the way they do. The episode ends with them bonding together at Amelia’s apartment, but it remains to be seen what Addison chooses to do about her dying marriage.

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The episode marked Walsh's first appearance since her multi-episode arc in *Grey's* seasons 18 and 19.

In an interview with *Variety *published on Thursday, Walsh likened reprising the character to "putting on an old dress, but very sparkly still. It's got a little sparkle, literally and figuratively."

"But, yeah, there's a part of my psyche that will always be reserved space for Addison. It's just in me," she added. "It's so nice. It's more like putting on a worn but comfortable glove that I could just go right into. All the metaphors are just so cheesy, but it's like going home."

Kate Walsh and Chandra Wilson on 'Grey's Anatomy'.

Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty

And when it comes to Addison's situation with Jake, Walsh told the outlet she "loved" the storyline and how it reflects real life.

"Look, what she's doing is so radically different, and everything's changed so much. I think it'd be really interesting to actually see that transpire or see what comes of it," she continued. "But I really loved [the storyline]. I was like, 'She should be in jeopardy.' My thing is, I love that she's doing all these things and coming back. There's this sort of desperation, but how does that manifest in her life for real? How does it manifest at work? What does the clinic look like? Is Oceanside still [around]? What's happening? So [I want] to have a little catch up and to actually see the ramifications of the choices she's making and the sacrifices she's making. I think a lot of people can relate to that."

*Grey's Anatomy* airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.**

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