‘Shameless’ Actors Reach out to Cameron Monaghan After His Unexpected Exit

Cameron Monaghan’s Shameless co-stars have been reaching out to him, following the announcement that he is leaving the show.

After the actor — who plays Ian Gallagher on the Showtime series — shared that he is leaving the series in an Instagram post, both Emma Kenney and Isidora Goreshter commented.

Kenney — who stars as Ian’s sister Debbie on Shameless — simply posted a lone heart, and former series actress Goreshter expressed her “love” for Monaghan.

Actress Sasha B. Lane also commented — though she is not a star in the show — calling Monaghan her “heart.”

The actor began his exit announcement by sharing that he has “been a series regular on this show for roughly ten years,” adding, “I was the tender age of 15 when we shot the pilot, and I came of age in so many ways, both legally and personally.”

“I was very lucky to mature and grow with this show,” he added. “Experiencing so many firsts, maturing as an actor, a professional, and a human. In the process gaining friends, family, and the best coworkers a very lucky actor could ask for, and for this I can be nothing but gracious.”

Monaghan then said that “all good things come to an end,” and continued, “An old cliché, but one that rings true with a sincerity and clarity especially in moments like these. Everything ends.”

“The next episode will be my last. I have known since last year, but I didn’t want to give it away too early as I wanted this season to be a surprise for the audience, allowing them to experience Ian’s unsure journey with his character,” he went on to reveal. “This role has been a joy to inhabit, a wild and special ride, and I’d like to thank Shameless as well as you, the viewers, for being there with him. Goodbye, Ian Clayton Gallagher. We’ll meet again?”

Monaghan is not the first cast member to exit the show this season, as both Goreshter and series star Emmy Rossum also announced departures.

In a statement shared through her Facebook page in August, Rossum said that although she is leaving Shameless, “the last eight years have been the best of my life.”

“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,”the actress added. “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 knew it the second I read the pilot script, this was different, this was special. I tirelessly prepped the audition with my coach Terry Knickerbocker. I walked to the appointment in the rain so I looked disheveled,” Rossum went on to say, speaking about when she initially accepted the part. “During my third audition, when I got the part IN the room, I literally jumped up and down screaming in joyous relief and disbelief.”

Monaghan’s final episode of Shameless is scheduled to air on Sunday, Oct, 14.

Photo Credit: Shameless