Japril! Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams Reunite on 'Grey’s Anatomy’ Set

Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams reunited on the set of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ three years after Drew left the show — see the photo

Japril fans rejoice! Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams reunited on the set of Grey’s Anatomy on Tuesday, March 16.

“Nbd. Not excited at all. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️☺️☺️☺️,” the actress, 40, captioned a masked-up Instagram photo of the pair.

Fans and former castmates were quick to share their excitement. “So happy for you love!!” commented Skype P. Marshall, who played Mary Hodges on the show in 2017. Giacomo Gianniotti, whose character Dr. Andrew DeLuca was killed off in the show’s recent midseason finale, offered a “Yay!!!” while the official Grey’s Anatomy account simply commented a bunch of heart-eye emojis.

Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams Reunite on Greys Anatomy Set — Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew Courtesy Sarah Drew/Instagram

Williams, 39, who plays Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC series, also shared the news with his Instagram followers, captioning a video of him getting into a vehicle with only the “🎁” emoji. After climbing in, the actress popped up from behind him, laughing. Ellen Pompeo left three red heart emojis on the post.

On Monday, the Radio actress’s season 17 guest appearance, which Us Weekly confirmed on March 12, was teased by castmate Camilla Luddington.

“I did happen to run into a gorgeous red head I have missed SO. DAMN. MUCH!!” the actress tweeted in response to a fan who asked if she’d seen the alum on set.

Drew, who played Dr. April Kepner on the medical drama for nine seasons, was originally let go from the show after season 14 in 2018. At the time, the New York native told The Hollywood Reporter that showrunner Krista Vernoff said her character was written off because “she felt like April had been through so much and had come out the other side and that she didn’t know what she could put her through again.”

Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams attend the People's Choice Awards in 2015 Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams Reunite on Greys Anatomy Set — Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams attend the People’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles on January 7, 2015. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

On the show, April married her ex Matthew (Justin Bruening) and quit her hospital job to “do God’s work.” The character was previously married to Williams’ character, Jackson, whom she shared a daughter with.

In the years since her exit, Drew has talked openly about her love for her character. In November 2020, she told Entertainment Tonight, “If it were up to me, [April and Jackson] would have been endgame!”

At the time, Drew was also asked about the possibility of returning to the series. “That’s a hard question to answer because nobody has asked me to come back, so I can’t answer that,” she said. “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.”

Williams, for his part, held out hope for Drew’s return. “They are incredible together,” the Little Fires Everywhere actor told Entertainment Tonight last month. “I am a fan [of Sarah’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.”