What Happened To The Shameless Cast?

Showtime's hit dramedy series "Shameless" — an adaptation of Paul Abbott's British show of the same name — ended in 2021 after 11 seasons. Following the life of the Gallagher family (and their close friends) in South Side, Chicago, the show featured many actors during that time. Most of the primary characters were around until the final season and were played by the same set of actors. We saw many of them grow up and gradually become better performers in front of our eyes.

For most of the main cast, "Shameless" was their big break. It thrust them into the spotlight, and the experience they got during these years will likely be extremely valuable in the future. Some have already taken great roles in movies and other TV shows, while others are still looking for their next big role in Hollywood. Here's what they've been up to since "Shameless" wrapped.

William H. Macy's Frank Gallagher is among the most selfish and negligent parents in TV history. Over 11 memorable seasons, Frank never failed to prove that whatever we thought of him before, he could always get worse when it came to his family — to somehow make everything about himself regardless of the circumstances. Despite his many flaws and his borderline immoral behavior, Macy's exceptional delivery made the character a big fan favorite. Given Macy's many accomplishments throughout his fruitful career, it's not surprising that he pulled it off perfectly. What's he been up to since leaving this career-defining role behind?

In 2022, Macy debuted as Richard Fuisz — a real-life inventor, physician, and entrepreneur — in the critically acclaimed Hulu miniseries "The Dropout." It tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried), the disgraced biotechnology entrepreneur who got found guilty of massive fraud. Holmes told investors that she could revolutionize blood testing with machines that didn't work as advertised. According to Deadline, her company was worth $9 billion at one stage. She is now facing decades behind bars, The New York Times reports.

"The Dropout" is about her rise and fall, in which Fuisz played an essential part. He became determined to expose the truth about her "invention" after discovering that it didn't actually work. Macy was perfect for the part: Time magazine called him "amusingly peevish" in the role, while RogerEbert.com called him the show's "standout" performer.

Phillip "Lip" Gallagher was one of those characters that didn't win over "Shameless" viewers right away. He gradually grew on audiences as the plot progressed, becoming more intriguing and relatable. By the end of the show, he was the most responsible adult in the Gallagher clan. Actor Jeremy Allen White played Lip with a mixture of vulnerability and charm that proved he was capable of taking on complex and delicate parts — he appeared in critically acclaimed films like "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," "After Everything," and "The Rental" during his time on the show.

A few months after "Shameless" came to an end in 2021, White appeared in the film "The Birthday Cake," which didn't impress the critics. Despite a stacked cast that included the likes of Ewan McGregor and Val Kilmer, the mobster flick was a total bust, scoring a disappointing 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. Allen will get the chance to prove himself again when he returns to TV in FX's half-hour restaurant comedy "The Bear," scheduled to drop sometime in 2022. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he's starring as a young chef who takes over his family's Chicago restaurant.

Ethan Cutkosky was only ten years old when he was cast as Carl Gallagher. He was the black sheep of the family (no mean feat when you're a Gallagher), going further than the rest of his siblings with his delinquent behavior. Over the years, Carl ran scams, dealt drugs, went to juvie, and even witnessed a murder. His transformation was fascinating to watch, and Cutkosky deserves as much credit as the writers, growing with the character and improving as an actor.

During his time on "Shameless," Cutkosky appeared in an episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" as a teenage dog killer named Henry Mesner. He tried to kill his sister and Danny Pino's Detective Nick Amaro before being caught. Shortly after "Shameless" wrapped in 2021, he reprised the role of Mesner in the episode "Post-Graduate Psychopath." The news was welcomed by "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" fans, who loved the character when he debuted back in 2013. "We saw the reaction from people throughout the years, which was unexpected and very lovely to hear about," Cutkosky told TV Insider. "It was a nice challenge coming from playing Carl Gallagher for the past 11 years."

Later in 2021, Cutkosky appeared in his first film as an adult, popping up in the indie flick "Alex/October." It premiered to positive reviews at the Dances With Films festival.

Like Ethan Cutkosky, Emma Kenney was just ten years old when she landed her "Shameless" role. She starred as Debbie Gallagher, a shy, innocent, and awkward kid who became a decisive and strong woman over the course of 11 seasons. The character underwent significant changes: She became a teen mom, re-discovered her sexuality, and fought for workers' rights in an environment that was quite hard to imagine her in. Kenney was around until the bittersweet end, becoming a vital part of the "Shameless" family.

Kenney was already playing another TV character when "Shameless" wrapped. She debuted as Harris Conner-Healy in "Roseanne" spinoff "The Connors" in 2018, and she is still playing the eldest child of Darlene Conner and David Healy at the time of this writing in 2022. Kenney is also continuing to develop her career as a movie actor. She was in America Young's romantic comedy "Back to Lyla," which screened at the Sante Fe Film Festival in February 2022, and she's appearing in the upcoming Western "Murder at Emigrant Gulch," set in 1880s Montana. According to Deadline, it's the story of a former slave (Isaiah Mustafa) who gets accused of killing a prospector soon after arriving in the town of Gulch.

Cameron Monaghan is best known for playing twins Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska in "Gotham" and Ian Gallagher in "Shameless," a role he briefly gave up after his contract ended. Monaghan was brought back into the fold after Emmy Rossum left the show, just four months after he stepped away. "I took some time away and talked to showrunner John Wells about possible things we could do with the character in the future, and we go to a place both creatively and financially where I felt comfortable coming back," he said (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Monaghan was fantastic as the openly gay and bipolar middle child of the Gallagher clan, but his next big role was a real letdown. He starred in Luis Prieto's thriller "Shattered," which bombed at the box office and became an early contender for the worst film of 2022. He'll get the chance to right that wrong in Anna Gutto's "Paradise Highway," an upcoming crime drama featuring the likes of Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo, and Juliette Binoche. According to Deadline, Binoche leads the line as a truck driver who turns to the smuggling game to save her brother from gangsters.

One of the saddest goodbyes in the history of "Shameless," Emmy Rossum (Fiona Gallagher) left the show after Season 9. According to reports (via Collider), she fell out with the network when execs refused to sign off on a pay rise. Rossum wanted the same salary as her onscreen father William H. Macy and had apparently asked for back payments to make up for years of disparity. When they refused, she called it quits.

"The opportunity to play Fiona has been a gift," she said in a Facebook post that has since been deleted. "I know you will continue on without me, for now. There is much more Gallagher story to be told. 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."

Since her departure, Rossum hasn't done as much acting as one might have expected. She guest-starred in an episode of her husband's (Sam Esmail) frenetic and mind-bending TV show "Mr. Robot," but she seemed to fall off the radar after that. In May 2021, the reason for her absence became apparent — she gave birth to her first child. She got back in the saddle after welcoming her daughter, taking on the title role in Peacock's "Angelyne," a limited series about the woman who became the talk of Los Angeles after appearing on billboards all over town in the 1980s.

Noel Fisher played Mickey Milkovich on "Shameless," a feisty and foul-mouthed character who often clashed with the law. His turbulent yet sincere romance with Ian was one of the highlights of the series, striking a chord with viewers. His character arc wasn't always subtle, but Mickey's dangerous lifestyle and impulsive decisions certainly added some spice to the show — and Fisher totally nailed the part.

Towards the end of his time on "Shameless," Fisher guest-starred in three episodes of "The Conners," joining his former co-star Emma Kenney. He's still weighing up his options in terms of where to take his career next. In an interview with ET Canada, the actor said that he doesn't know what his next role is going to be, and he's just enjoying some downtime after shooting during the coronavirus pandemic. "Filming during COVID was a sort of unique experience, so I'm just taking a little bit of time to breathe," he said. He added that he's looking for a part that resonates with him as much as the role of Mickey did, although he'd like to play a different kind of character this time around.

Shanola Hampton portrayed Veronica "V" Fisher in "Shameless," the best friend and neighbor of Fiona and the Gallagher family. Her relationship with Kevin Ball (Steve Howey) added some truly unique and hilarious moments to the show, especially in the last few seasons. V was a loyal and caring friend to the Gallaghers, always trying to help them in any way she could, even after Fiona's departure.

Although Hampton appeared in several films and TV shows before "Shameless," Veronica was her breakout role. Since "Shameless" wrapped, Hampton has worked on two television pilots at NBC. One of them is called "Dangerous Moms," a dark dramedy about four very different mothers who accidentally kill the queen bee of their school's PTA (per Deadline). The other show is a drama titled "Found." Hampton stars as Gabi Mosley, who runs a crisis management team on the lookout for missing people (per Variety).

Joan Cusack was only in the first five seasons of "Shameless," but she made a lasting impression as Sheila Jackson, the agoraphobic, antisocial, and often paranoid mother of Karen (Laura Slade Wiggins). Sheila was introduced as a love interest of Frank, and their romance was an interesting one, to say the least. At first, Cusack played Sheila with fragile vulnerability, but she showed why she's great in comedies as the character developed, becoming a dominant lover. Her transformation was just as significant and entertaining as any of the Gallagher family.

William H. Macy aside, Cusack was the biggest name on "Shameless" in the early days. She had already been nominated for two Oscars when she joined the cast. After leaving the series in 2015, she continued to turn in memorable performances, both on the small screen and the big one. She played Justice Strauss in Netflix's critically acclaimed adaptation of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" and appeared as Francine Bunda in the Julia Roberts-led Amazon series "Homecoming." She was in "Unicorn Store" (Brie Larson's directorial debut), the hit comedy "Instant Family," and she reprised the role of Jessie in "Toy Story 4," a character she's been voicing since "Toy Story 2" back in 1999.

Scott Michael Campbell appeared as Bradley "Brad" Young in the latter half of "Shameless," debuting in Season 7. Brad is a motorcycle mechanic and recovering alcoholic who serves as a sponsor to Lip Gallagher when he goes to rehab and attends an Alcoholics Anonymous group in Chicago. He's a great pal to Lip on his road to sobriety until he slips and relapses from the stress of becoming a father. After that, Lip becomes his sponsor, and the two develop a friendship that lasts until the very end.

After "Shameless" ended, Campbell popped up in writer-director Matt Berman's comedy "The Baby Pact," which follows a pregnant woman who moves back to her hometown after her husband dies. More notably, Campbell plays the role of Alex Rossi in Apple TV's sci-fi series "For All Mankind," which depicts an alternate version of the Moon landing in 1969. He joined the cast for Season 2, which has a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jim Hoffmaster's Kermit was one of the frequent barflies in The Alibi Room. He was among those unfortunate individuals who had to listen to Frank's constant ramblings, scheming plans, and obsessions, even when he'd rather have sipped his drink in peace. Although Kermit wasn't a primary character, he regularly popped up during all 11 seasons, and he was also present in the finale to say goodbye to viewers alongside the rest of the cast.

After his "Shameless" days, Hoffmaster teamed up with writer-director Jane Rosemont to make a documentary about his life, titled "Acting Like Nothing is Wrong." According to the documentary's website, Hoffmaster (who has appeared in the likes of "Brooklyn 99," "Better Call Saul," and "Mad Men") had an unbelievably tough childhood. The movie will "explore his process of navigating life without a stable upbringing, using survival skills and optimistic perseverance. The film poses universal questions and illuminates mental health issues people experience on a daily basis."

Michael Patrick McGill portrayed Tommy on "Shameless," a regular at The Alibi Room and a close confidante to his drinking buddy, Kermit. Tommy was also among those unfortunate people who often had to listen to Frank's conspiracy theories and his general ramblings on the latest cultural and political topics. McGill made his debut in Season 2 and went on to appear in 91 episodes during the show's run, including the series finale, "Father Frank, Full of Grace."

After "Shameless" ended, McGill played Father Michael in Sebastian Siegel's biopic "Grace and Grit," based on the life of the American philosopher and writer Ken Wilber. He also guest-starred on Amazon's critically acclaimed cop drama "Bosch" and the ABC crime drama "The Rookie." McGill also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a voice role in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?," playing General Ross in two episodes of the hit show.