The actress will reprise her character as Dr. April Kepner in an upcoming episode.
Sarah Drew is headed back to Grey Sloan.
The actress will be returning to Grey's Anatomy, reprising her role as fan-favorite Dr. April Kepner for an upcoming season 17 episode, ABC confirms to ET.
News of Drew's return Friday comes on the heels of former series regulars Patrick Dempsey and T.R. Knight's reappearances as Derek Shepherd and George O'Malley, respectively. Deadline first reported the news.
Drew left Grey's at the end of season 14 after nine seasons on the long-running ABC medical drama. Her departure at the time came as a surprise. She was first introduced midway through season 6 when Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital merged with Mercy West. Her character has a young daughter, Harriet, with Jesse Williams' Jackson Avery.
Since her premature exit, Drew has addressed the possibility of whether she'd ever return to Grey's, saying she'd "never say no" if the opportunity arose.
"That's a hard question to answer because nobody has asked me to come back, so I can't answer that," the Cruel Summer star told ET in November. "All I will say is that I love my family over there, so I would never say no to the possibility, but it has not presented itself."
In her final episode, April married Matthew Taylor (Justin Bruening), though Drew's Grey's return may now offer a glimmer of hope for fans wishing for a reconciliation or closure between April and Jackson.
"If it were up to me, they would have been the endgame," she said. "That's if it were up to me, but, you know, it's not up to me."
Williams recently hinted at a possible reunion between Jackson and April, sharing he would "love any opportunity for us to continue that story" because they "have an ability to communicate and be vulnerable with each other and push each other."
"They are incredible together," Williams told ET in February. "I am a fan [of Drew's] and she is absolutely one of the most special people I’ve worked with. We developed those storylines together with our incredible writers, so it’ll always hold a very real place in my heart and memories. We stay in contact. She is the sweetest."
Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. For more, watch below.
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