Whatever Happened To Emmy Rossum After Shameless?

NYC native Emmy Rossum has been performing professionally since the age of seven, starting her career as a member of the children's chorus at the Metropolitan Opera. She made her screen debut just a few years later, in a 1997 episode of "Law & Order." As she grew older, her roles grew larger; at 16, she was cast in the film "Mystic River," and then in "The Day After Tomorrow." That led to a starring role in the 2004 movie adaptation of the iconic musical "The Phantom of the Opera," which shone the spotlight on her talents as both an actor and a singer. The latter, in fact, was on display in the two albums she released: her 2007 debut, "Inside Out," and 2013's "Sentimental Journey." 

In 2011, she was cast in the role that would come to define her: Fiona Gallagher, eldest of six unruly kids (and de facto mother of her siblings) in the wildly dysfunctional family at the heart of "Shameless," a hit comedy that aired on Showtime until ending its 11-season run in 2021. Rossum, however, exited the series at the end of the ninth season, making her final appearance on the show in 2019.

Since then, she's been keeping busy, both personally and professionally. For an in-depth exploration of what she's been up to, read on to find out whatever happened to Emmy Rossum after "Shameless."

During her years on "Shameless," Emmy Rossum expanded her skill set by stepping behind the camera to direct two episodes, one in 2016, another the following year. Also in 2017, she directed an episode of the crime drama "Animal Kingdom." As Rossum told The Hollywood Reporter, she took her directing aspirations seriously. "I actually went to NYU and got a teacher and learned a little bit about cinematography and felt like I knew more of what I was talking about and then said legitimately that that was something I wanted to do," she said. "And then I didn't totally f*** it up, so I got another opportunity to do it."

After leaving "Shameless," Rossum returned to the director's chair for an episode of "Modern Love," an anthology series that streamed on Amazon's Prime Video in 2019. That episode — titled "So He Looked Like Dad. It Was Just Dinner, Right?" — tells the story of a young woman named Maddy (played by actor Julia Garner) whose distant relationship with her recently deceased father underlies her affair with an older man (Shea Whigham). The episode sparked controversy, however, with a Decider review describing it as "explicitly creepy." 

Rossum, however, defended the plot, telling People that she found it highly relatable. "It was a subject matter that was close to my heart, my father having not been in my life for the majority of it," she said, revealing she had actually expected backlash. "I think when art gets an intense reaction, that's a good thing," she added. "And people have had wildly different opinions of the episode."

Emmy Rossum's showbiz aspirations have not only included acting, singing, and directing, but she's also ventured into producing. Shortly after launching her own production company in 2019, Composition 8, Rossum signed a first-look deal with Universal Content Productions to produce film and TV projects for the studio. "The opportunity to tell stories is a gift and there has been no greater time than now for women to lead the charge," Rossum wrote in a post she shared via Facebook. "I am thrilled to be partnering with UCP to create opportunity for new and diverse voices."

Not coincidentally, Rossum's husband, Sam Esmail — best known as producer and creator of hit TV series "Mr. Robot" — had also partnered with UCP. "Emmy is an amazing talent and a force of nature," UCP president Dawn Olmstead said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

For Rossum, becoming a producer allowed her to create projects she could star in, allowing her to take control of her career beyond simply being an actor for hire. Through Composition 8, she also had the ability to tackle passion projects. That was the case when she served as executive producer of the audio podcast "Alligator Candy," which was honored at the 2021 New York Festivals Radio Awards.

Emmy Rossum's relationship with Sam Esmail began in 2014, with the couple tying the knot in 2017. A few years later, in May 2021, they welcomed their first child, a baby girl. "On a sunny Monday morning, at 8:13 AM, we welcomed our daughter into the world," she wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, reported at the time by People. 

She shared details of her baby's birth when she co-hosted "Live with Kelly and Ryan," telling veteran TV personality Ryan Seacrest that she'd gone into full-on labor while racing to the hospital in an Uber. "My worst nightmare would be, I had this [mental] picture of my holding on [handle above the door] in the car with the baby coming out in the Uber," she recalled, via People. 

As it turned out, that scenario was a lot closer to playing out than she realized at the time, and Rossum nearly experienced her nightmare scenario while giving birth. "We were driving and we were a couple of minutes away from the hospital and I was fully in contractions and I didn't realize I was actually nine centimeters dilated at that point, so real close," she added. "I was basically 10 minutes away from having a child."

Prior to signing her deal with Universal Content Production, Emmy Rossum partnered with UCP as exec producer and star of "Angelyne." The series, based on an actual Los Angeles woman who attained dubious celebrity via advertising herself on billboards, was picked up by the Peacock streaming service (which, not coincidentally, shares the same parent company as UCP). Her husband, Sam Esmail, also served as an executive producer on the project.

"I, like many people in Los Angeles, was driving the streets for years seeing these billboards and was just so drawn to this iconic image and wondering who is this woman?" Rossum told The Hollywood Reporter of how she first became interested in telling the story of Angelyne, a figure who was simultaneously ubiquitous in L.A. for decades while also remaining shrouded in mystery (her true identity didn't emerge until 2017, in a Hollywood Reporter exposé that formed the basis of the series). "The more that I learned about her, the more mystery there was with her and I just thought, wow, what a conundrum — how can you be so known and yet so unknown at the same time?" 

Playing the role was not easy, requiring a staggering seven hours in the makeup chair. While on her "Today" appearance, Rossum shared gnarly details about her grueling character transformation into Angelyne. "Being in this hair and makeup, on some moments, I had so much latex and PVC piping up my nose, and there were moments where I was like this is physically and emotionally harder than my 26-hour medicated labor," she said.

Emmy Rossum's project was entirely behind the camera, serving as a producer on "Three Women." She'd been involved since 2019, when Showtime won a hotly contested bidding war for the TV rights to Lisa Taddeo's bestselling book of the same name.

The series was given a straight-to-series order, meaning that a pilot didn't need to be produced before a decision was made to proceed. Two years later, more details emerged, with "Big Little Lies" star Shailene Woodley announced as the series' star. As casting continued, the series' other stars included Betty Gilpin, DeWanda Wise, and Gabrielle Creevy, with production slated to begin in the fall of 2021. 

In early 2023, the series, which had been completed, was dumped by the network shortly before it had been scheduled to premiere. As Deadline reported, the decision came as Showtime content was being integrated with the Paramount+ streaming service. With the series ready to air, Rossum and her fellow producers quickly found a new home for "Three Women" when Starz swooped in, rescuing the show. "Three Women" finally premiered on Starz — eventually, with the show's premiere delayed until September 2024.

Emmy Rossum and husband Sam Esmail expanded their family in April of 2023 with the arrival of their second baby. This time, they welcomed a baby boy. "On a foggy Wednesday morning, our son was born," she wrote in an Instagram post, accompanying a photo of her newborn's footprints. 

As was the case with her first child, Rossum's announcement proved surprising for fans. That was because she'd once again managed to go through her entire pregnancy in secrecy, managing to avoid the media reporting on it. 

During a 2024 appearance on "Today," she gushed about how much she was enjoying the experience of motherhood. "I love it, it's incredible," she said. "It's such a journey ... a responsibility of figuring out what kind of world do we want to leave for our children. How do we help shape them and give them the tools to survive on their own? To be confident and to embrace their uniqueness?"

Emmy Rossum discovered she was pregnant with her second child while filming a TV series: "The Crowded Room," a thriller that premiered on Apple TV+ in the summer of 2023. Interestingly, she was not a producer on this project, but part of an impressive ensemble cast that included "Spider-Man" star Tom Holland and "Mean Girls" alum Amanda Seyfried. 

Rossum offered up a description of the show during an interview with Collider. "I would say 'The Crowded Room' is a psychological thriller that unfolds through a series of interviews with Amanda Seyfried's character as she is tasked with uncovering the mysterious past of a young man, played by Tom Holland, who is arrested after a shooting in 1979," she explained. "And as the mystery unfolds, we learn more and more about his childhood and his past, and what might have led to this crime."

In the series, Rossum plays the mother of Holland's character. As she told "Entertainment Tonight," as the mother of a young child — and learning she was pregnant with a second while filming the series' final few episodes — the experience of portraying a very imperfect mother brought up a lot of emotions for her. "I think the show has a lot to say about love and empathy and understanding of those who are different than we are," she observed.

It's often been said that it takes a village to raise a child, and for Emmy Rossum, that village included Amanda Seyfried, with whom she'd co-starred in the series "The Crowded Room." As Rossum revealed in an interview with E! News, Seyfried, who is also the mother of two, was a key resource for the new mom.

"I'm so lucky to be supported by other moms and have friendships — not only with my own mom, but with women like Amanda Seyfried, who is literally about to hold my hand on FaceTime through potty training," Rossum said. "So, I feel really lucky to be supported by a mom tribe around me." Seyfried confirmed her role, and while admitting she wouldn't consider herself a "potty whisperer," she had successfully taken both her kids through the process to move them beyond the diaper phase.

For Rossum, being the mother of two young children who were born less than two years apart was an overwhelming experience, bringing her to experience a wide range of emotions. "It's amazing," she added. "It's challenging every day. It's just so filled with infinite laughter and infinite challenge and infinite worry."

Each year, the Eurovision Song Contest brings together member nations of the European Broadcasting Union for a competition like no other, the most-watched live music event in the world. Truly, Eurovision is a big deal; among those whose careers were launched by the broadcast are Céline Dion, Italian rockers Måneskin, and, most famously, Swedish hitmakers ABBA.

Ahead of the 2024 edition, however, a movement emerged calling to ban Israel from the competition. Emmy Rossum was one of 400 entertainment figures to sign an open letter insisting that Israel would be included. "We believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music," the letter, produced by the organization Creative Community For Peace, stated, as reported by Variety. "Those who are calling for Israel's exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics."

Rossum's name stood in solidarity with numerous other beloved stars. Those names included Helen Mirren, KISS bassist Gene Simmons, "Big Bang Theory" alum Mayim Bialik, Julianna Margulies, and Sharon Osbourne.

Born and raised in New York City, Emmy Rossum continues to call the Big Apple Home. Not surprisingly, she's built up a wealth of knowledge about the city, which she helpfully shared with the popular Michelin Guide in late 2024. Naturally, this included info on her favorite restaurants, an expansive list that spans from the wildly glitzy (Four Twenty Five, a Jean-Georges Restaurant), to her preferred ceviche spot (Mission Ceviche), to the more modest EJ's Luncheonette, to a cash-only burger joint, JG Melon.

In addition, she revealed a hidden gem, the enclosed garden within the Cooper Hewitt design museum. "The garden at the Cooper Hewitt is open to the public and it's a lovely place to stroll with your stroller while an infant naps, read a book, do your crossword puzzle and sip an iced tea from Eli's or Bluestone Lane," she said.

She also shared some of her favorite places to go with her kids, a list that includes the American Museum of Natural History. "Our kids love to run around, explore new parts of the museum, including the live butterfly pavilion, which is so tranquil," she added. 

After the birth of her second child, Emmy Rossum took some time off to focus on raising her two youngsters. In late 2024, Rossum made a return to the stage, starring alongside Zoë Winters in an Off-Broadway production of "Walden," held at New York's Second Stage Theater. The two portrayed estranged twin sisters, both NASA scientists, with one an astronaut who's just returned to Earth after a mission to the moon. 

Interviewed by The Bare Magazine, Rossum described being back onstage in New York as something of a homecoming, a throwback to her childhood working with the Metropolitan Opera. "I grew up in the theater, so I'm very comfortable and I feel a great deal of belonging being part of a company," she said. "There's nothing more challenging or invigorating than live theater. It's a high wire act every time."

During the course of the show's eight-week run, Rossum prepared for each performance by warming up with 15 minutes of yoga and 15 minutes of vocal exercises. Another pre-show ritual was chowing down on a small steak, just a few hours before the curtain rose. "I know other actors have light meals, but I'm eating a steak with butternut squash, pretzels, and then chocolate for dessert," she said. "I'm not that gluttonous in my normal life, but I guess I need that level of protein and amino acids or something to get juiced to do live performance."

In March 2025, The Hollywood Reporter reported on the next chapter in Emmy Rossum's career. According to the outlet, she'd just signed on to produce and potentially star in a new series for the Hulu streaming service.

The series, which had yet to be given an official title, was based on the 1987 big-screen thriller "Black Widow," in which an FBI agent (played by Debra Winger) hunts a gold-digging murderer (Theresa Russell) who entices wealthy men to marry her, only to kill them in order to inherit their fortunes. At the time of the announcement, Rossum was in talks to play the FBI agent. For the project — produced by Rossum's Composition 8 — she partnered with writer and producer Liz Meriwether, creator of TV sitcom "New Girl." 

A few months later, the series began shaping up further. In June, Variety confirmed that Rossum would star, while Lola Pettigrew had been cast as the antagonist. In addition, Scoot McNairy was cast as an NYPD homicide detective.