Why did Emmy Rossum quit Shameless?

With its main character suddenly leaving after nine seasons, why did Emmy Rossum quit Shameless? Here’s everything you need to know.

It’s not often an American remake can be just as good — or better — than its UK original, with Showtime’s Shameless ticking the boxes effortlessly.

Up there with the likes of The Office, the show followed Frank Gallagher, the head of a working-class family in Chicago. His six children suffer because he is a heavy drinker and Fiona, the eldest daughter, has to look after everyone in the house.

First airing in 2011 before wrapping up in 2021, Emmy Rossum served as the show’s main lead for the majority of its time onscreen. But why did she leave Shameless? Here’s what you need to know.

Why did Emmy Rossum quit Shameless?

Emmy Rossum officially left Shameless because of “contractual issues and a desire to pursue other projects.”

Rossum’s character Fiona made a definitive exit at the end of Season 9, with Variety reporting that this came down to re-negotiations of her contract back in 2016. While filming Season 7, Rossum originally demanded equal pay with co-star William H. Macy, before wanting to be paid more.

While things seemed to be smooth sailing on the set of Shameless Season 8, Emmy Rossum herself later posted on Facebook that she wanted to leave to pursue new opportunities, stating “Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block.

“The opportunity to play Fiona has been a gift,” she continued. “There are few characters — female or otherwise — as layered and dynamic. She is a mother lion, fierce, flawed and sexually liberated. She is injured, vulnerable, but will never give up. She is living in an economic depression, but refuses to be depressed. She is resourceful. She is loyal. She is brave. I knew it the second I read the pilot script, this was different, this was special. I tirelessly prepped the audition with my coach Terry Knickerbocker.

“I walked to the appointment in the rain so I looked disheveled. During my third audition, when I got the part IN the room, I literally jumped up and down screaming in joyous relief and disbelief. Quite simply, the last eight years have been the best of my life.”

Scheduling conflicts have also been cited as an alleged reason that Rossum moved away from Shameless, directing for Modern Love and Animal Kingdom shortly after her departure.

As for Fiona, it was stated that the character felt she had done all she could for her family, prompting her to seek out pastures new. However, such an abrupt absence after nine seasons didn’t sit well with the rest of the show.

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