Emma Kenney Was Never The Same After Shameless

The following includes references to substance use.

For a decade-plus — from 2011 to 2021 — "Shameless" was appointment viewing on the Showtime network. Like "The Office" and "Ghosts," the John Wells-developed drama-black comedy series took the baton from an original British production and carved out its own niche on new shores while chronicling the exploits of the dysfunctional and degenerate Gallagher family. The show cemented William H. Macy's status as a master thespian and bona fide A-lister, while younger actors like Emmy Rossum and Jeremy Allen White ascended to a higher tier among their Hollywood contemporaries. However, they were hardly the only actors whose talents blossomed on the stage that "Shameless" provided.

Emma Kenney was just 10 years old and attending Park Middle School in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, when she was cast as Debbie Gallagher — a middle daughter of Macy's Frank Gallagher — in "Shameless." The young actor already had stars in her eyes before joining the show, having written and directed dozens of her own projects before her casting, one of which was a finalist at the New Jersey International Film Festival hosted by Rutgers University. However, Kenney's turn as Debbie on one of Showtime's best-ever shows opened some incredible doors for her professionally and personally. While it hasn't always been smooth sailing for the young star since her "Shameless" breakout, here are some of the myriad ways her life has changed since joining the show.

While the way in which we define what a normal childhood is changes with the times — and it's changing now faster than ever, thanks to things like advancing tech, an increasingly pervasive internet, and the proliferation of social media platforms — Emma Kenney's childhood probably doesn't fit the current definition. She spent her preteen and teen years, as well as her early 20s, serving as a key cog in the machine that was a massively successful cable television drama series. In 2014, Kenney told TV Addict that balancing her education and budding stardom was "kind of difficult" because of her desire to excel at both, but maintained, "It's really the best of both worlds," due to her love of filming and travel.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Kenney expressed gratitude for how ordinary her life was when she wasn't busy pursuing her Hollywood dreams. "I'm fortunate that I got to experience half of a normal childhood because, the day I would wrap the season of 'Shameless,' I would fly back east, go to New Jersey, and, literally, if it was a Monday or Tuesday, be in real school the next day," she said during an appearance on the "Hot Smart Rich" podcast.

As if landing a key role on a prestige drama like "Shameless" wasn't enough, Emma Kenney was further catapulted up the Hollywood hierarchy when it was revealed six years later, in 2017, that she would be joining the cast of the legendary ABC sitcom "Roseanne" for its 10th season reboot the following year. Kenney played Harris Conner-Healy on the show, the daughter of Sara Gilbert's Darlene Conner and granddaughter of the titular Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr). In doing so, she joined a cast that included vaunted performers like Barr, Gilbert, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Johnny Galecki (some of whom experienced real-life tragedy).

Following the announcement of her casting, Kenney revealed that she binge-watched "Roseanne" in order to prepare for her role as Harris and joked about the funky timeline of the revived series (later seasons of the original were retconned to accommodate its return) during an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America." "It's kind of an interesting experience because, literally, the show ended in 1997 and I was born in '99, so it's kind of funny, my character was technically born two years before I was even born, but she's supposed to be 16, two years younger than me," Kenney said at the time.

While the "Roseanne" reboot was an incredible success right out of the gate, it wasn't long before Emma Kenney and her castmates found themselves dealing with a news-making controversy due to the actions of Roseanne Barr. Mere weeks after the show returned with a premiere episode drawing a whopping 18.2 million viewers, the always-outspoken Barr found herself in hot water after posting a tweet that was later condemned for having racist undertones. Responding to a tweet about Valerie Jarrett, who was once a senior advisor to President Barack Obama, Barr joked that Jarrett was the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and "Planet of the Apes," per ABC News. Although Barr later attributed the tweet to Ambien usage and deleted it, the backlash was so severe that she was fired from the show, leaving its future in doubt.

For her part, Kenney sought to quit the show in the aftermath of the incident, following the lead of her co-star Wanda Sykes. "As I called my manager to quit working on 'Roseanne,' I was told it was cancelled," she tweeted in May 2018. "I feel so empowered by [Sykes], Channing Dungey and anyone at ABC standing up for morals and abuse of power. Bullies will NEVER win." Kenney added that she was "hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed" by Barr's tweets. Despite the controversy, the show returned sans Barr as "The Conners," and Kenney continued in her role, playing Harris Conner-Healy for seven more seasons until the show's 2025 finale.

A recurring theme throughout the 11-season run of "Shameless" was addiction and the incredible negative impact it can have on individuals and families. In real life, Emma Kenney experienced her own struggle with substance use while still working on both "Shameless" and "Roseanne," eventually seeking professional help to navigate her misuse of an unspecified substance. "I'm going to be seeking treatment for my battles," she told InTouch in 2018. "I'm going to work through it. I'm going to get help and make better choices."

Kenney added that she had been "running with a really fast crowd" while "being naive and very immature." Although she maintained her acting work was unaffected by her behavior at the time, she expressed a desire to rectify issues in her personal life. Two months later, she noted a marked improvement after undergoing treatment, telling Us Weekly, "Everything has been so positive and happy, and I'm so excited to be back to filming and back to the old routine." Meanwhile, Kenney's "Roseanne"/"The Conners" co-star and TV mom, Sara Gilbert — who has undergone a stunning transformation herself over the years — praised the young star for having the maturity to be proactive with her own wellness, saying on an episode of "The Talk" (via Deadline), "We all have demons — it takes a lot of courage to face them, particularly at eighteen. I envy you." 

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

While Emma Kenney was an actual child when she signed on to play Debbie Gallagher on "Shameless," her TV big sister, Emmy Rossum (who portrayed Fiona Gallagher on the show) was also finding her way as an entertainer and in life as a 20-something actor, her early success with films like 2003's "Mystic River" and 2004's "The Day After Tomorrow" notwithstanding. According to Kenney, their mutual inexperience and sisterly rivalry made for an occasionally problematic dynamic between the two over the years. "We were both so young; I was obviously a lot younger. There were times where she would try to be a good influence, and then there were times where she would be blatantly giving me not the best advice," Kenney said on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast in 2021.

Kenney didn't hold back when probed for her thoughts on Rossum's "Shameless" exit following the show's ninth season, either. "I remember pre-her leaving, I'd go to set some days, and I'd be very anxious about having a scene with her because if she had a bad day, she made it a bad day for everybody," she revealed. Still, Kenney said she had "a lot of love" for Rossum, despite not having spoken to her in years at the time of the interview, and wished her happiness.

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the entertainment industry, leaving performers of all types without a place to ply their trade. For the cast of "Shameless," the timing of the pandemic was particularly problematic, as production was just getting underway on the series' final season when things came to a head in 2020. "We were three days away from shooting when everything went to hell in March. We rewrote the entire season over Zoom," showrunner John Wells explained to The Hollywood Reporter in December 2020. Wells added that larger and important scenes involving Emma Kenney's Debbie Gallagher, her daughter Franny, and Liam Gallagher (Christian Isaiah) had to be altered to comply with COVID-era work protocols, and new storylines addressing the pandemic were added.

Consequently, the series' final season didn't connect with some fans/critics in quite the same way that previous seasons had. Still, it marked the end of an era for Kenney and her castmates, and in the greater realm of television dramas as well. Of "Shameless" reaching its endpoint in 2021, Kenney told Entertainment Weekly, "Eleven years is a really long time, and we are so grateful and lucky that we had that. Nothing lasts forever. We obviously had no idea that the show would keep going on for that long, so, I think we'd wrap and be like, 'Okay, guys, bye." Just kidding, times 11!'"

Make no mistake, Emma Kenney has reached rarefied air in the world of television with major roles on two successful and critically regarded television series in "Shameless" and "The Conners," but her ascent is still ongoing. In Season 1, Episode 10 of the NBC sitcom "Happy's Place," Kenney made a guest appearance as Gracie, the daughter of the series' protagonist, Bobbie (country star-actor Reba McEntire). In the episode, Gracie — who has been on a military deployment in the Middle East — returns home and has a long overdue heart-to-heart with her mother about the loss of her father/Bobbie's husband. 

For Kenney, being able to appear on the show in such a prominent role, while acting alongside McEntire, was nothing short of a thrill. "I had such a wonderful experience with the entire cast and crew," Kenney told Screen Rant in a 2025 interview. "It really is a great environment. I went into it as a newbie. They really made me feel included and a part of something special. I was very honored to be there, and I would love to do more in the future." The show's producers seemingly reacted similarly, with showrunner Kevin Abbott hinting to the outlet that certain guest characters would have a larger presence during Season 2 (and specifically namechecking Gracie).

While Emma Kenney is clearly passionate about her career and acting in general, she also puts a significant amount of energy into being an advocate for animals via animal rescue and her support of companion-animal adoption, regularly using the #AdoptDontShop hashtag on social media posts. As a teenager, she even shot a video for PETA encouraging people to adopt homeless dogs from their local animal shelters instead of getting them from pet stores or shady breeders. However, Kenney isn't just using her words to be a champion for animals; she's taking it to the streets, too. In 2022, she co-founded Yogi's House — a foster-based dog rescue program based in Los Angeles — alongside fellow actor and "Bates Motel" star Nicola Peltz-Beckham.

In a 2024 Instagram story, Kenney shared footage of a dog that she and her organization rescued, reportedly doing so mere minutes before the animal was scheduled to be euthanized. "I've always connected with animals ever since I was young," she told Modern Wellness Guide. "I grew up with three cats and a sweet dog. Now, as an adult, I have adopted two pups of my own. The animal advocacy just kind of happened naturally out of my love for animals and my belief in protecting and standing up for beings that can't stand up for themselves."

As is the case with just about every popular entertainer, Emma Kenney has been the subject of speculation regarding who she's dating, who she's not, and where her love life is headed. She practically broke the internet on Christmas Day 2024 when she posted a snap of herself getting cozy with Conrad Hilton, the younger brother of Paris Hilton and Nikki Hilton, to Instagram. Moreover, multiple members of the Hilton clan shouted her out in the comment section, including Conrad, who wrote, "I love you!" With that, the pair was Instagram official.

Kenney spoke about their relationship and work together at Yogi's House during a 2025 Us Weekly interview, saying, "My boyfriend and I have always been huge animal lovers. That's something we bonded over years ago when we first started dating. When I started Yogi's House, he definitely wanted to get involved and I'm so grateful for his help." Fans were also given a peek into their relationship on a 2025 episode of Peacock's "Love Island: Beyond the Villa," during which JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez decided to foster a dog together. Kenney and Conrad appeared on the episode  and helped facilitate the adoption. Conrad may have a troubled past, but with Kenney, the future is looking bright.

Now that production has wrapped on both "Shameless" and "The Conners," Emma Kenney is free to tackle her next big project. In addition to her Season 2 appearances on "Happy's Place," she ended 2025 with a few other upcoming projects listed on her IMDB page. However, her career ambitions clearly go beyond taking on new acting roles; according to Kenney, she also has designs on getting behind the camera, as she did during her fledgling days as an entertainer. "I definitely want to further pursue directing. I haven't in a long time since pre-'Shameless!' I was young," Kenney told Glitter in 2021. "But my biggest passion is photography, and that's something I am really enjoying lately. I strictly shoot on film."

That's not to say, though, that she doesn't have other genres she hopes to explore as an actor. "I have always wanted to do an action movie, preferably an 'end of the world' one," she told the outlet.

Nearly five years after "Shameless" came to an end, Emma Kenney remained incredibly attached to the show, its characters, and the cast and crew she worked with to bring it to the masses. "I miss working with them all. It is always a sad and maybe nostalgic feeling when you wrap a show that you've done for years because it's most likely never going to be the exact same casting crew," she told Us Weekly in January 2025, prior to her "Happy's Place" guest spot. More than that, though, Kenney seems open to the idea of getting the proverbial band back together.

To that end, Kenney said that the success of "The Conners" gave her hope that the Gallaghers could make a similar return to the small screen. "I've been really fortunate to work with such wonderful people that I've really formed strong bonds with. I'd love to get on the set with any of them again," she told the outlet. Kenney added that she'd relish the opportunity to work with Steve Howey (who played Kevin Ball on the show) once more, referring to him as an "uncle figure" and revealing that she called him for advice on working with Reba McEntire on "Happy's Place" (on which he previously guested).