When and why did Fiona Gallagher leave Emmy Rossum?

When it comes to knowing why Emmy Rossum left the series, it’s tempting not to read between the lines of what some of the “Shameless” cast and crew members have said in the years since. There are rumors that Rossum was as well Hard to work with behind the scenes, which was given even more validity when Emma Kenny, who played Debbie in the series, referred to them in a 2021 interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast (via Delivery time). “I remember before she left, some days I would go into the act and I would be so anxious about having a scene with her because if she had a bad day, she would make it a bad day for everyone else,” Kenny recalls.

The official reason for Rossum’s departure was simply that she wanted to work on other projects, and not due to any tensions with the staff. “I can say with certainty that this cast and crew, who I have truly had the honor of working with, are world class,” she wrote in a message. Facebook post at the time. “I am proud and full of gratitude.”

Another potential factor in Rossum’s departure was her salary dispute with Showtime in 2016. I mentioned At the time, “Rossum was demanding equal pay with (William H.) Macy, after seven seasons of being paid less than him,” according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter earlier today. A source told Variety that she was in fact being offered “lower pay.” Equal, but she is demanding a higher salary than Messi to compensate for previous seasons where she was paid much less than him.”

I think Rossum had a good argument to make. Although Macy was the biggest name associated with the series, by 2016 it had long been clear that Rossum, Jeremy Allen White, and Cameron Monaghan were all doing much more work than it with more interesting material. Fiona, in particular, was the heart of Shameless and the obvious main character; Of course Rossum should be the highest paid. Showtime ended up agreeing to Rossum’s terms fairly quickly, and although some fans often speculate that the dispute factored into Rossum’s decision to leave, her own comments on the situation meant no such thing.

“The bottom line for me is, I had to make a very unemotional and very practical decision,” she said. He told The Daily Beast After that happened. “It’s their responsibility to make as much profit as possible, which means getting the best talent for the role at the cheapest price possible. Everyone likes to have something to sell. It’s our responsibility to get as much as we can, and these are our agents. And lawyers’ responsibility is ultimately a business.”