Jamie-Lynn Sigler to Play Doctor with MS on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

After a three-year break from television, The Sopranos actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler is returning to the small screen in an important new guest role on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy.

According to Deadline, Sigler will appear in the January 15, 2026, episode “Heavy on Me,” playing Dr. Laura Kaplan, a urologist living with Multiple Sclerosis. Kaplan is called to Grey Sloan by Dr. Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) to offer advice to Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), who revealed his cancer diagnosis during the Season 22 mid-season finale.

The role was specifically created for Sigler, who has lived with the chronic autoimmune disease for over two decades. She first went public about her battle with MS in 2016 and has become an outspoken advocate for those living with the disease. The Big Sky alum hosts the MeSsy podcast alongside Christina Applegate, where the pair discuss living with MS.

Sigler confirmed her Grey’s Anatomy casting on Instagram on Thursday (December 11). “If you told me 20 years ago that I would play a role on one of my favorite shows, not having to hide my MS but having it inspire a story, I would have never believed you,” she wrote on her Stories.

“For anyone out there… your story isn’t over yet,” Sigler added.

Sigler’s casting comes just weeks after Eric Dane appeared in NBC’s Brilliant Minds as a firefighter with ALS, a condition he was diagnosed with in real life. In April, Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a progressive degenerative disease, affecting the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, that doesn’t have a cure.

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Sigler, who rose to fame playing Meadow Soprano on the hit HBO drama The Sopranos, hid her MS diagnosis from the public for almost 15 years. In a 2023 interview with People, Sigler reflected on the moment she went public with her diagnosis, saying it marked the start of “this journey of self-reflection and self-acceptance.”

“I grew up with this idea that people are only going to be attracted to you when you’re perfect, and it’s quite the opposite. MS gave me my superpower, which is vulnerability, because the more raw and real and open I am — and this has forced me to be that — the more beautiful connections are,” she told the outlet.

Sigler last appeared in a TV acting role in 2023 on ABC’s Big Sky, playing Tonya Walsh in a recurring role in Season 2 and a main role in Season 3. Her previous credits include Beef House, Guys with Kids, Ugly Betty, and Entourage.