‘Shameless:’ Frank Gallagher’s Most Ruthless Moments

Frank Gallagher is the patriarch of everyone’s favorite dysfunctional family on Shameless, and the character has been known to do some pretty ruthless things.

Portrayed by Emmy-winning actor William H. Macy, Frank is a drug-using, beer-chugging, crime-committing parent who does less than the bare minimum. Frankly, the Gallagher kids have really raised themselves, and they know it.

That’s not to say that Frank hasn’t had his “heart of gold” moments, but they are extremely rare, and are still often buried beneath a mess that Frank caused in the first place.

The Richest put together a list of all of Frank’s worst moments, and we have adapted that list below.

Scroll down to read about some of the most ruthless and shameless things that Frank Gallagher has done, and lets us know in the comments what your pick for the worst is.

Strung Out Bath

Frank has had so many low moments that narrowing them down is no easy task, but the time he got so strung out on heroin that his girlfriend Sheila and his son Carl had to literally bathe him while he was covered in his own filth.

It’s tough not see some value ion how Lip responds to the situation, saying that Frank should be kicked “out of the house.”

“Dump him on the street, if need be, and let him die,” Lip goes on to say. “It’s what he deserves, it’s what he brought upon himself, not because he’s an addict, but because he strives to be an addict, and to be the very best degenerate in Chicago.”

Frank Gallagher: CANCER CONCIERGE

For a very short period of time, Frank had a love interest named Biana who was dying of cancer and wanted Frank to show her what life was like on the other side of the tracks.

He did just that, but once she passed away the Frank came back out in all his shameless glory.

Frank headed back to where Bianca was receiving treatment and referred to himself as a “cancer concierge” in an attempt to find someone who brought back the feeling he had when he was with her.

Surprise, surprise, in turned out that exploiting people’s misery was fruitless for Frank. Well, this time at least.

Liam Used as Bet-Collateral

Of all of Frank’s children, Liam may be the only one who is perpetually loyal to his father.

Unfortunately, Liam’s devotion has only fueled his father’s reckless parenthood, with the poor kid frequently ending up in sketchy situations.

Possibly the worst, though, was the time Frank lost Liam on bet — which wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t use his own child as collateral — and the other kids had to buy Liam back.

Holy Matrimony

Frank is no stranger to causing dissent amidst his family members, but picking a fight with Fiona’s fiance Sean.

The two of them threw punches until the brawl was broken up and Frank was kicked out of the house. Frank sort of had the last laugh, as it were, since the fist-fight he picked with his daughter’s beau led to Fiona and Sean having a verbal bout later.

Oh, and also Frank snuck back into the house later and did unspeakable things with Sean’s toothbrush and urinated in his shoes.

Frank’s Long Lost Daughter

Not content with just ruining the lives of the kids he claims, Frank also once tried to pull one over on his estranged daughter, Sammi.

When Frank discovers that he needs a liver transplant or he will die, he tracks Sammie down but does not immediately tell her that he is her father.

It isn’t until after she reveals the she is not a donor match for him that he reveals his identity, which is only just barely after she admits to having romantic feelings for him.

Maybe the one silver-lining of this particular situation is that at least we found out there is one line Frank won’t cross.

Carl’s “Cancer”

Not content with only exploiting the cancer diagnosis os strangers, Frank also once convinced his son Carl that he was afflicted with the illness.

Hoping to get an autographed Chicago Bulls basketball that he can turn a profit for, Frank shaves Carl’s head and tells him that he has cancer.

To really drive his scam home and make it seem real, Frank even has Carl sent to a camp for kids with cancer.

This is by far one of the hardest things to defend when it comes to the ruthless acts of Frank Gallagher.

Frank (kind of) Kills A Woman

So, technically speaking, Frank did not commit murder, but he was intentionally negligent with a woman who had a heart condition, leading to her death.

The woman even had a chance at getting a transplant, but Frank messed that up for her — without her knowing — and then she died while they were having sex.

Afterwards, Frank even took the wedding ring off her finger. He’s sunk low before, but this was a new depth of depravity.

The Lowest Blow

We’ve discussed many terrible, ruthless, shameless things that Frank has done, but none of them come close to the worst one.

Frank, in a moment of selfish anger, once called Child protective Services on his own children, resulting in them being taken out of their home and place in state custody and foster homes.

After a hard-fought battle of proving she was capable and more qualified than Frank to be her sibling’s legal guardian, Fiona finally was award custody of them.

It’s hard to argue that any of Frank’s other scams, lies, and outright reckless moments sunk lower than this.