Emmy Rossum announces that Shameless season 9 will be her farewell to the Gallaghers

Emmy Rossum posted a heartfelt farewell letter to the Gallaghers and the Shameless family announcing her departure. What does this mean for Shameless season 9?

Ahead of the Shameless season 9 premiere on Showtime September 9th, Emmy Rossum took to social media this morning to write a truly heart-wrenching letter to fans. Fiona Gallagher, the fearless leader of the Gallagher clan (sorry, Frank), has been at the head of the chaotic, absurd and fierce family television show since day one, and we’ve loved watching Fiona take adulthood by the horns, stopping at nothing to protect her family (except you, Frank).

In Emmy Rossum’s mind, the fans of Shameless aren’t just a loyal audience, but part of the Gallagher family. “We have made over 100 hours of television,” she wrote. “There’s a new study that says it takes 100 hours to become friends with someone. The Gallaghers have been in people’s living rooms for 100 hours. So, it makes sense. We can feel your connection to us, to these characters.”

In the last sentences of her letter, Rossum announced that Shameless season 9 would be the final time we’d see Fiona Gallagher on screen, but we’re not entirely sure of the specifics here.

Does this mean there will be a Shameless season 10?

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At the conclusion of her letter, Rossum revealed that Fiona Gallagher would not return to the series, but the way she phrased the announcement hinted at more episodes without her character. Does this mean there will be a Shameless season 10 or a spin-off focusing on other characters? “I know you will continue on without me, for now. There is much more Gallagher story to be told,” she wrote. “I will always be rooting for my family. Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block.”

Another possibility though — and we hope it’s not the case — is that Emmy Rossum could be telling us Fiona Gallagher will not be in the second half of Shameless season 9. This year, the show will be split in two, with the second half of episodes airing in January 2019.

Read her full Shameless season 9 departure letter here:

It’s hard thing to put into words, feelings. But I’m going to try.This business is always an adventure, full of travel…

Posted by Emmy Rossum on Thursday, August 30, 2018

Would you still watch Shameless without the infamous Fiona Gallagher? Or if there was a spin-off focusing on the other Gallaghers, what kind of story would you want to see? Let us know on Twitter @HiddenRemote! Shameless season 9 premieres September 9 on Showtime.