Patrick Dempsey Reveals How His 'Grey's Anatomy' Cameo Came to Be

Patrick Dempsey makes an appearance on today’s Ellen DeGeneres Show, and he’s speaking out about his return to Grey’s Anatomy.

Five years ago, his character, Dr. Derek Shephard, was killed off of the show. On Thursday’s Grey’s premiere, his character made a total surprise appearance.

Ellen pressed Patrick for more info about how many episodes he will appear in.

“That’s a good question, I’m not sure how many [episodes],” Patrick said, adding: “I know I’m throughout this season. He comes back to visit.” The showrunner previously revealed how many episodes Patrick will appear in, and it seems like the appearances won’t necessarily be back-to-back, but instead, sprinkled throughout season 17.

Patrick also revealed how his cameo came to be and it was because of Ellen Pompeo asking if he’d return!

FYI: Patrick is wearing a Vuori Clothing vest during the interview.