After eight years and over 100 episodes, Showtime and Warner Bros. TV have announced that award-winning actress Emmy Rossum is leaving the production of SHAMELESS following the close of the family drama's ninth season. Rossum has played the pivotal role of Fiona Gallagher for the multi-award-winning program opposite William H. Macy's Frank Gallagher, since the show's pilot episode. In addition to her co-leading the program, Rossum served as a director for several episodes of the emotional roller coaster that is SHAMELESS.
Word of Rossum's departure began after the actress posted a legnthy goodbye letter to the show via her personal Facebook page.
You can Emmy's emotional farewell to her cast, crew, friends and fans below :
Shortly after Rossum posted her heartfelt words, SHAMELESS executive producer and showrunner John Wells, released a statement in which he thanked Rossum for her many contributions to the show.
“Emmy Rossum will forever be part of the Shameless family," said Wells. “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.”
Following Wells' statement was Showtime Networks President of Programming Gary Levine, who added that “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!”
Warner Bros. TV then expressed their own brand of feels by saying “We wish her all the best as she explores the next chapter in her career. But before that, we are excited for fans of Shameless to see Emmy and the entire ensemble cast continue the adventures of the Gallagher family in the show’s upcoming ninth season.”
Not long ago, Rossum fought and won a deal which had her making equal pay to William H. Macy for her part as Fiona Gallagher. As per her victory, Rossum is also expected to receive a portion of back pay for her long-running contributions to the show.
For the moment, there is no official word as to whether or not SHAMELESS will continue without Fiona beyond its Season 9 finale. As a long-time fan of the show, I think SHAMELESS would be fighting an uphill battle without her. Let me put it this way, if the entire Gallagher family is the ship of that series, than Fiona is most definitely the anchor. Without a commitment to the show, Rossum will be available to pursue any project she desires, and after becoming a Swiss-army-knife of talent over the years, I'm sure we can expect great things. We wish her the very best of luck, as well as her SHAMELESS castmates.
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