‘Shameless’ Star Jeremy Allen White Talks Emmy Rossum’s Exit

Shameless star Jeremy Allen White broke his silence on the exit of his on-screen co-star/sister Emmy Rossum from the Showtime series after nine seasons.

The actor, who plays Lip Gallagher on the long-running dramedy series, opened up about the news of Rossum’s departure for the first time at the premiere of his new series, Homecoming.

“It’s very sad,” White told Variety. “I mean, nine years we’ve all grown up together. It’s gonna be hard.”

Despite the difficult goodbye, there’s no bad blood between the two actors.

“I can’t fault Emmy,” he added. “I think she’s ready to leave. They’ll never be able to find actors that can fill her shows, so we’ll just have to keep trying.”

Rossum, who played Fiona Gallagher on the series since episode one, announced her exit from Shameless in late August in a heartfelt post on her Facebook page.

“The opportunity to play Fiona has been a gift. There are few characters — female or otherwise — as layered and dynamic. She is a mother lion, fierce, flawed and sexually liberated,” she also said. “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 will always be rooting for my family,” she added. “Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block.”

Showrunner John Wells commented on the exit shortly after Rossum’s announcement, assuring fans Fiona would get a proper ending to her character in the season nine finale. However, the door will always be open for her to return.

Series lead William H. Macy also commented on Rossum’s exit, saying he was not surprised by the news.

“We’ve been expecting it,” he told Entertainment Weekly last week. “I tell you, when you get to season 9 and you think of [whether] to keep going, it’s daunting.”

“It’s hard not to think of: ‘What would my life be post-Shameless?’ And part of it is very frightening and part of it is very exciting,” he said. “She’s young and I think she’s made the right choice.

“She’s got another show that she’s an executive producer on, so she’s going right into something and she wants to branch out. Plus, she just got married. I wish her well. I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do next,” he added.

Shameless returns for it ninth season Sunday, Sept. 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.