Monaghan Departing Showtime’s “Shameless”

First it was Emmy Rossum, now another original star of Showtime’s hit series “Shameless” is set to exit with Cameron Monaghan and his Ian Gallagher character slated to depart the series after the next episode of the current ninth season.

Monaghan, who was fifteen when they shot the pilot ten years ago, made the announcement via Instagram and revealed he has known about his exit since last year, but kept it quiet in order to preserve the integrity of the storyline for fans.

Monaghan’s middle child Ian character has struggled with bipolar disorder and reached self-acceptance of his homosexuality across the run of the show. The actor himself meanwhile has had a notable role in recent years as Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska in FOX’s “Gotham”.

View this post on Instagram

I have been a series regular on this show for roughly ten years. I was the tender age of fifteen 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. 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. All good things come to an end. An old cliche, 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. 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?

A post shared by Cameron Monaghan (@cameronmonaghan) on Oct 8, 2018 at 1:24pm PDT