Here’s Why Cameron Monaghan Is Returning To ‘Shameless’

The Gallagher family in the Showtime hit series Shameless has been falling apart this season to the point that many fans were concerned the network wasn’t going to pick the show up for another season. Fortunately, news broke last week that not only had the series been renewed for another reason, but Cameron Monaghan made the decision to revive his role as Ian Gallagher.

For die-hard fans that have been following Shameless news as Season 9 continues to move forward, learning Cameron decided to return so soon after announcing his departure from the series came as a bit of a shock. Naturally, many fans began to wonder why Monaghan had made the decision to return to the series so shortly after leaving.

Why did Cameron Monaghan decide to return?

The potential storyline for Ian Gallagher in Season 10 is so great that the young actor couldn’t resist the opportunity to come back into the cast and see the plot line out, the Hollywood Reporter explains.

“I took some time away and talked to show runner 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. Much of that had to do with what we are going to do with the story. I’m excited to go back and do that,” the Shameless star revealed during the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour earlier this week.

Why did he decide to leave in the first place?

During the press tour, Cameron also explained his decision to leave stemmed from a place of wanting to take a step back from the show for both creative and business reasons.

“Which many other actors had done on the show years earlier,” he added.

As fans of the Showtime series know, Cameron is far from the only regular cast member to walk away from the show. He also wouldn’t be the first cast member to reappear after leaving the show.

Monaghan has blossomed from a teenager to an adult while playing the middle role of the Gallagher family since the Showtime series first kicked off. The actor announced his decision to leave just days before his final episode.

Cameron’s character headed to jail during his final episode and producers found a way to do a real fan service to followers of the show by featuring Noel Fisher as Ian’s former flame (Mickey) to say goodbye to the character.

At this time, it is currently unclear whether Noel is considering returning to Shameless as well. While Monaghan had made it clear he was open and interested in continuing to explore the fan-favorite relationship, the ball is ultimately in the producer’s and Fisher’s court regarding whether Mickey returns.

Cameron, however, has also dished that he is interested in seeing Ian continue to grow as a person without navigating a romantic relationship.