Kate Walsh and Amy Brenneman shared the screen for six seasons on Private Practice, but their connection extended far beyond the fictional walls of Oceanside Wellness. Nearly two decades after the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff premiered, Walsh is opening up about the bond she formed with her co-star—a friendship she describes in unmistakably familial terms.
“We became sisters from another mister on our television program together and then always have stayed close,” Walsh said in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at The Center at West Park’s staged reading of The Big Chill on August 31.
The word “sisters” is not a casual choice. For Walsh, 58, it captures something real about a relationship that began as a professional partnership and deepened into something that has outlasted the series itself.
Private Practice premiered on ABC on September 26, 2007, a spin-off of Shonda Rhimes’ wildly successful Grey’s Anatomy. The series followed Dr. Addison Montgomery—a character Walsh had originated on Grey’s Anatomy—as she left Seattle Grace Hospital for a private medical practice in Santa Monica, California.
Brenneman joined the ensemble as Dr. Violet Turner, a psychiatrist working at the same practice. Over six seasons and more than 100 episodes, the two actors worked closely together, their characters navigating professional challenges and personal upheavals side by side.
Working on a network television drama is an intense experience. Long hours, emotional storylines, and the shared pressure of producing 22-plus episodes a year create a kind of forced intimacy among cast members. Some of those relationships fade when the show ends. Others endure.
For Walsh and Brenneman, the latter proved true.
“We stay in touch. We’re good buddies,” Walsh said. “She is my bestie.”
The simplicity of that statement—”good buddies,” “bestie”—belies the depth of a friendship that has now spanned nearly two decades, surviving the end of the show in 2013 and the natural drift that often follows when colleagues stop working together.
Kate Walsh’s Addison Montgomery was never meant to be a permanent fixture in the Grey’s Anatomy universe. She arrived in the first season finale as Derek Shepherd’s estranged wife, a complication that seemed destined to be resolved and written out.
Instead, Addison became one of the most compelling characters in the franchise. Walsh played her with a blend of sharp intelligence, vulnerability, and unapologetic ambition that made her difficult to dismiss. When the character moved to Private Practice, she carried that complexity with her—a renowned neonatal surgeon trying to rebuild her life in a new city, working alongside a group of doctors whose personal entanglements rivaled their professional ones.
Amy Brenneman’s Violet Turner was Addison’s colleague and friend, a psychiatrist whose professional insights often contrasted sharply with her own chaotic personal decisions. Brenneman brought a warmth and groundedness to Violet that balanced the show’s more melodramatic impulses.
Their on-screen dynamic reflected a genuine ease between the actors. Addison and Violet disagreed, confided in each other, and supported one another through some of the series’ darker storylines. Off-screen, Walsh and Brenneman were building something similar.
The “sisters from another mister” phrasing is playful, but it points to something sincere. Walsh isn’t claiming a biological bond—she’s describing a relationship that came to feel as foundational as family.
The two actors have remained in each other’s lives in ways both large and small. In 2015, Brenneman told PEOPLE that the Private Practice cast was reuniting for makeup artist Sergio Lopez-Rivera’s destination wedding. “So it’s me, and Kate Walsh, and Taye Diggs and Paul [Adelstein], and there’s a whole bunch of Private Practice folks that are going to be partying their asses off in Northern Spain,” she said at the time.
In 2022, Walsh appeared on an Instagram Live with Brenneman when she revealed her engagement to Andrew Nixon. That a major personal milestone was shared in Brenneman’s virtual company says something about the trust and closeness between them.
Walsh’s description of Brenneman as her “bestie” carries particular weight given how rarely she uses such language publicly. It suggests a relationship that is not merely friendly but actively prioritized.
Private Practice ended its run on January 22, 2013, after six seasons. For many casts, the series finale marks the end of daily interaction and the beginning of a gradual drifting apart. Walsh and Brenneman chose a different path.
Walsh went on to roles in The Umbrella Academy and Emily in Paris, while Brenneman continued working across television and film. Their professional lives diverged, but their personal connection held.
The friendship has manifested in various ways over the years—the wedding trip to Spain, the Instagram Live engagement reveal, and now Walsh’s public comments about their bond. These aren’t the markers of an obligation or a professional courtesy. They’re the hallmarks of a genuine friendship maintained through deliberate effort.
Walsh has also remained connected to the broader Private Practice family. She returned to Grey’s Anatomy for a guest arc in 2026, reuniting with Caterina Scorsone, who played Amelia Shepherd—another character who originated on Private Practice. Walsh described that reunion as feeling like coming home.
“She and I always just jive so well and have great chemistry,” Walsh told Variety about working with Scorsone again. “She does feel like family to me.”
That word—family—keeps appearing in Walsh’s descriptions of her Private Practice colleagues. It’s not a promotional talking point. It’s how she seems to genuinely understand those relationships.
Walsh’s comments about Brenneman came during a public appearance at a staged reading of The Big Chill at The Center at West Park on August 31. The event placed Walsh in a nostalgic frame of mind, prompting reflections on the relationships that have shaped her career.
There was no formal Private Practice reunion tied to her remarks—at least not one that has been publicly confirmed. But Walsh’s willingness to discuss the friendship so warmly has resonated with fans who remember the show’s original run.
The timing is notable. Private Practice premiered in 2007, meaning the show is approaching its 20th anniversary. Nostalgia for the series has been building, fueled in part by Walsh’s return to Grey’s Anatomy and the ongoing cultural footprint of Shonda Rhimes’ television universe.
For longtime viewers, learning that Addison and Violet’s friendship was rooted in something real adds a layer of meaning to the episodes they’ve watched and rewatched. The chemistry they saw on screen wasn’t manufactured.
Walsh has made no secret of her desire to share the screen with Brenneman again.
“I would love to,” she said when asked about the possibility. That statement is an expression of interest, not a confirmation of a project. No collaboration has been announced, and there is no confirmed Private Practice revival.
Shonda Rhimes has discussed the possibility of revisiting the series in the past, but no concrete plans have materialized. The television landscape has changed significantly since 2013, and revivals are no longer unusual—but a Private Practice return would require aligning schedules, storylines, and the creative vision of everyone involved.
What Walsh’s comment does confirm is that she remains open to the idea. If a project emerged that made sense, she would be willing to reunite with Brenneman on screen. That’s not a promise, but it is a door left open.
Private Practice occupied a particular space in the television landscape of the late 2000s and early 2010s. It was a medical drama, but its focus was less on the medicine than on the complicated personal lives of its characters. The show dealt with infertility, addiction, infidelity, and grief with a frankness that sometimes shocked viewers and sometimes moved them deeply.
The ensemble cast was a major part of its appeal. Walsh, Brenneman, Taye Diggs, Paul Adelstein, KaDee Strickland, Caterina Scorsone, and others created a group of characters who felt like people you might know—flawed, struggling, trying to do better.
Addison and Violet’s friendship was one of the show’s anchors. They were different in temperament and approach, but they shared a fundamental respect for each other. Watching them navigate their professional and personal challenges together gave the series an emotional center that resonated with viewers.
For fans, discovering that Walsh and Brenneman’s real-life friendship mirrored—or even exceeded—the one they portrayed on screen is a source of genuine pleasure. It confirms that what they saw was real, that the connection between Addison and Violet wasn’t just good acting.
Kate Walsh has remained busy since Private Practice ended. She appeared in The Umbrella Academy and Emily in Paris, and returned to Grey’s Anatomy in 2026 for a guest arc that reunited her with Scorsone. She is engaged to Andrew Nixon.
Amy Brenneman has continued working steadily in television and film. Before Private Practice, she was known for NYPD Blue and Judging Amy. Her career has spanned multiple decades and genres, but Private Practice remains one of her most recognizable roles.
Both actors have maintained public profiles without seeking the kind of constant visibility that defines some of their peers. Their friendship, conducted largely out of the spotlight, reflects that same preference for substance over spectacle.
Who is Kate Walsh’s best friend from Private Practice?
Kate Walsh has described Amy Brenneman as her “bestie” and said they “became sisters from another mister” while working together on Private Practice.
What did Kate Walsh say about Amy Brenneman?
Walsh said she and Brenneman “became sisters from another mister on our television program together” and that they “always have stayed close.” She also called Brenneman her “bestie” and said they “stay in touch.”
Who did Kate Walsh and Amy Brenneman play on Private Practice?
Kate Walsh played Dr. Addison Montgomery, and Amy Brenneman played Dr. Violet Turner. Both characters worked at the Oceanside Wellness Group.
Are Kate Walsh and Amy Brenneman still friends?
Yes. Walsh has confirmed that they remain close and in regular contact, describing Brenneman as her “bestie.”
Will Kate Walsh and Amy Brenneman work together again?
Walsh has said she “would love” to share the screen with Brenneman again, but no project has been announced or confirmed.
When did Private Practice air?
Private Practice aired on ABC from September 26, 2007, to January 22, 2013, spanning six seasons.
Why did Kate Walsh and Amy Brenneman become close?
The two actors worked together closely for six seasons on Private Practice, and their professional relationship evolved into a lasting personal friendship that has continued long after the show ended.