Emmy Rossum is officially announced that she will be leaving Showtime’s Shameless. She has been the lead for the series since the pilot, and she has been with the show for nine seasons, which premiered in 2011. In a heart felt post on Facebook she bid her farewell from the series.
Here is the post that she sent to all of her fans:
Rossum played as Fiona. Her character was the oldest of the Gallagher siblings, and she had to take on the role of a matriarch in her messy and wild family. The upcoming ninth season got an increase order in episode count with Showtime splitting the season into two with the second half being released in January.
John Wells, the creator and showrunner for the series, said, “Emmy Rossum will forever be part of the Shameless family. She has been integral to the show’s success, from her wonderful portrayal of Fiona to her leadership role on set, as well as directing multiple episodes of the series. We are hard at work now creating a season nine finale for Shameless which we hope will provide a Gallagher-worthy sendoff for Fiona that honors the great work Emmy has done. It is always bittersweet when an ensemble member decides to move out of the proverbial house, but our door will always remain open for Fiona to return home for a visit, or to move back in. I look forward to continuing the stories of this wildly unpredictable family and all of us on Shameless will miss Emmy and her wonderful Fiona.”
In 2016 while the season eight renewal was delayed, Rossum fought and received equal pay as the male lead William H. Macy (Frank, their father). Shameless is one of the bigger shows on Showtime with the series being the highest rated scripted original for the network. Next year Showtime will also be bidding farewell to a pair of their signature drama shows: Homeland and The Affair.
Gary Levine, Showtime’s president of programming, said, “We were saddened when Emmy Rossum let us know that the upcoming ninth season of Shameless would be her last. But we are filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and gratitude for Emmy’s inspired work on our series, of course in front of the camera but also behind it. Fiona Gallagher will always be one of Showtime’s iconic characters, and we applaud Emmy for bringing this character to life in such a natural, touching and fearless performance. On behalf of everyone at Showtime and her millions of fans, we thank you Emmy!”
Right now Rossum is connected to a limited series as Angelyne that will be based on Hollywood icon. It will be produced by her husband Sam Esmail (creator of USA Network’s Mr. Robot, which is also coming to and end).