Kate Walsh Confirms 'Private Practice' Departure

Renewal, cancelation or simply goodbye, season six is it for ABC's "Private Practice" star Kate Walsh.

A studio audience for Bethenny Frankel's new talk show "Bethenny" got the news straight from the horse's mouth, The Huffington Post reports: "This is my last season of 'Private Practice.'"

Walsh started portraying Dr. Addison Montgomery seven years ago on "Grey's Anatomy," before departing to spin the character off on "Private Practice." The practice moved Montgomery south down the Pacific coast from Seattle Grace to a Los Angeles practice. True, Walsh's contract expired after the show's fifth season. Nevertheless, she signed on not for a new full order but a 13-episode run this fall.

It would then stand to reason that this really will be the end of the road for "Private Practice." Paralleling Walsh's deal - and probably not coincidentally - the series' sixth-season order was for only 13 episodes. Still, creator Shonda Rhimes recently claimed that Walsh's deal and season six expiring simultaneously indicates nothing certain.

"There's a lot of budgetary issues on that show," she told TV Guide. "We need to make sure the show is viable and that we can produce it . . . I have been told that I'm not allowed to think of us only doing 13 episodes."

Rhimes noted also in that interview that this season won't feature co-star Tim Daly, though she admiringly said, "I feel as though Tim's character had a wonderful journey."

Wonderful fans of PPP. Shonda informed my agent today that Pete wont be returning for season 6. It was a great 5 yrs. R.I.P. Pete Wilder.

— Tim Daly (@TimmyDaly) May 30, 2012