Is Patrick Dempsey Scrubbing In for Grey’s Anatomy Season 22? The Real Story

If you saw those Facebook posts screaming that Patrick Dempsey is swooping back into Grey's Anatomy for seven episodes this season... take a breath. It is not happening. There is no official announcement from ABC, Disney+, or the Grey's production. And Dempsey is literally tied up shooting a different network drama right now. So, yeah, this rumor collapses pretty fast once you poke it.

The rumor and why it spread

The viral claim said something like: "Yes, it is true! Derek Shepherd is returning to Grey's Anatomy for Season 22... at least seven episodes... maybe tied to an early-onset Alzheimer’s story." It offered zero sources and clashes with things we actually do know.

My best guess on the "seven episodes" part: people mixed up Patrick Dempsey with Ellen Pompeo. Variety reported Pompeo is only appearing in roughly seven episodes this season while still narrating. That is true. Dempsey doing seven? Not backed by anything.

Dempsey's schedule makes the rumor impossible

Fox has officially ordered a new drama, Memory of a Killer, with Dempsey starring as Angelo Ledda, a hitman with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Collider covered the pickup. Production started in August 2025 and is scheduled to run through December 2025, per The Dempsey Hub. That is a full broadcast lead commitment and his first since leaving Grey's in 2015 after 11 seasons. In other words, there is no practical way he is quietly shooting seven Grey's episodes on the side.

Also: Dempsey is not mentioned in any Season 22 cast materials or network comms. If he were back, ABC would not bury that lede.

Where Derek actually is in the Grey's timeline

Derek Shepherd died in Season 11, Episode 21, which aired April 23, 2015. He stopped to help crash victims, got hit by a semi, and was declared brain dead after a hospital failed to order a timely CT scan. Since then, he has only popped up in dreamlike, ethereal scenes with Meredith. The big one: Season 17's COVID beach episodes in 2020 and 2021, where he appeared in episodes 2, 3, and 8. At the time, Dempsey called that return a beautiful way to close the chapter and tossed in a non-committal "never say never" for the future.

Fans even marked the 10-year anniversary of Derek's death in April 2025, because we all remember exactly where we were for that one.

What Season 22 is actually doing

Season 22 premiered October 9, 2025 on ABC, pulling 2.573 million viewers and a 0.29 rating. The new season picks up right after last season's hospital explosion cliffhanger. In the premiere, Natalie Morales' Monica Beltran was killed, setting a grief-and-recovery tone that the writers are leaning into hard.

"One of the real-world themes that has come into this season is the theme of hope. No matter where you stand on anything, things have been happening one after the other, and in particular, that is what we felt this summer. We thought, 'How can we write our feelings out in this season of television?' And that is through the theme of hope. Who gives you hope; who helps you find it after you have lost it; what gives you hope; and, how can you be hope for somebody else? How do we rise from what happened?"

That is showrunner Meg Marinis to The Hollywood Reporter, explaining why they made a brutal call early and where the season's head is at.

Plot-wise, the hospital is a mess and in renovation mode. Chris Carmack's Link survives but faces a long recovery. Episode 2, which aired October 16, 2025, brought back Kelly McCreary as Maggie Pierce with a surprise pregnancy reveal. That same night, the show hit its 450th episode milestone.

Cast logistics this year are a bit of a puzzle. Caterina Scorsone (Amelia) is on an extended break and will appear in only 10 of 18 episodes, per Deadline. Trevor Jackson has been bumped to series regular as surgical resident Wes. Jade Pettyjohn and Anita Kalathara join in recurring roles. Meanwhile, Ellen Pompeo maintains the reduced on-screen presence from last season - around seven episodes - and keeps the narration duties.

Who is actually in Season 22

• Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Kevin McKidd, Caterina Scorsone, Caterina Scorsone (limited this season), Camilla Luddington, Kim Raver, Chris Carmack, Anthony Hill, Jason George, Alexis Floyd, Harry Shum Jr., Adelaide Kane, Niko Terho, Trevor Jackson (now a series regular), plus recurring additions Jade Pettyjohn and Anita Kalathara. Patrick Dempsey is not on any official cast list.

The takeaway

Patrick Dempsey is not returning to Grey's Anatomy for Season 22, let alone for seven episodes. The Facebook rumor is unsourced, conflicts with his Fox series shooting schedule, and is not supported by ABC, Disney+, or the show's production. If Derek ever reappears, you will hear it from the network, the show, or a major outlet - not a random graphic on social.

Grey's Anatomy Season 22 airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.