‘Shameless’ Star Jeremy Allen White Says Emmy Rossum ‘Will Never Be Replaced’

Shameless star Jeremy Allen White recently spoke out about Emmy Rossum’ exit from the show, saying that the actress “will never be replaced.”

White — who plays Rossum’s brother Phillip “Lip” Gallagher on the series — spoke to Variety about how the show will move forward, assuring fans that they will not be introducing a new Fiona, Rossum’s character.

“She’s never going to be replaced; we’re just gonna have to figure out how to work it without her. As sad as I am to lose Emmy as an acting partner, it’s kind of exciting because it’s gonna be a different show; it’ll mix things up,” he said. “It’ll be pretty crazy to see how Lip copes without her and how the Gallaghers survive without their matriarch.”

The pair’s TV dad William H. Macy — who stars as the perpetually unlikable Frank Gallagher — also spoke about Rossum’s departure, saying, he “was completely behind her decisions.”

“But but I’m going to miss her,” he admitted. “Emmy has serious acting chops. You can’t buy ’em, you can’t learn ’em, you’ve got to have ’em. It’s going to be brand new territory without her; who knows where it’s going to go?”

“I think Emmy will come back and make a guest appearance before this thing sets sail. She better, otherwise I’m gonna grab her by the ear and bring her back,” Macy later joked.

Rossum announced her exit from Shameless in August,just before the premiere of the series’ ninth season. She took to Facebook to make the announcement, writing in a post that “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 continued. “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.”

More recently, Rossum opened up about the decision to leave the show — which she has starred on since 2011 — confessing, “The way I look at it is that the end of one thing is the beginning of something else. I couldn’t be more thrilled to spend time writing, directing, and seeing what other characters I want to play. It’s both scary and wonderful.”

Rossum’s final episode of Shameless will air Sunday, March 10 at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime. This will also be the Season 9 finale.