Showtime’s hit comedy-drama Shameless was the talk of the town throughout its 11-season run, but actor Emmy Rossum is clearing the air on the truth behind why she left before the finale.
Rossum played the title role of Fiona Gallagher, the matriarchal sister raising her siblings in the South Side of Chicago. After nine seasons, the series announced in 2018 that the actor would be exiting the series, with rumors circulating that it was due to her decision to start a family.
In an episode of Call Her Daddy, Rossum reveals that the common misconception couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, she was supported in her decision to leave by the Shameless showrunner himself.
“I think a common misconception is I left to go have babies,” she said. “That could not be further from the truth. I left to go make the show I had been developing that our showrunner John Wells had encouraged me to kinda get in the driver’s seat of my own career and make my own shows and make things.”
The actor adds that she had started her production company, Composition 8, in 2019 and had begun working on her 2022 drama series, Angelyne. That’s when Rossum was offered to return to Shameless for two more seasons, but she denied the offer. Shameless would run for those two seasons before coming to an official end in 2021.
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Rossum reveals that she didn’t leave Shameless easily and “wanted to stay in the job. I loved the job.” For the actor and singer, there wasn’t much left to explore from her character, and she felt “beholden” to move on with the series she was working on.
“I wasn’t walking away from the job. I loved the job until it felt like there wasn’t enough juice to squeeze out of the lemon,” she explained.
Despite leaving Shameess with a heavy heart and with “a lot of grief and sorrow,” she was really excited to embark on a new chapter of her life and career. After the Showtime series Rossum’s Angelyne was released on Peacock, where she served as its executive producer and its main star. She would also star in the psychological thrillerThe Crowded Room oppositeTom Hollandand will soon star in the crime drama Furious.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jul 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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