Emmy Rossum Exits 'Shameless': Most Devastating Twitter Reactions

By now you've heard, the world is ending, in a way: Emmy Rossum is leaving Shameless after nine seasons.

The actress, who held down the fort as household matriarch Fiona Gallagher in the dysfunctional family dramedy, announced her departure from the series in an impassioned Facebook post on Thursday (August 29).

"It’s a hard thing to put into words, feelings. But I’m going to try," the 31-year-old writes, "Until 'Shameless' came into my life 8 years ago, I led that kind of transient wonderful life of an actor. And I never realized how much I  actually craved the kind of continuity that this show has given me."

"This kind of stability, this family, has nurtured me and made feel safe enough to stretch and grow creatively," she continued. "The opportunity to play Fiona has been a gift. There are few characters —  female or otherwise — as layered and dynamic. She is a mother lion, fierce, flawed and sexually liberated. She is injured, vulnerable, but will never give up."

Rossum signed off her emotional message with a reassuring sentiment, writing, "I know you will continue on without me, for now ... Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block."

Reasonably expected, fans of the Showtime series and Rossum's endearing big sister persona particularly — who goes as far as dropping out of school to care for her younger siblings while her drug-addled parents remain out of the picture — were in shambles over the news.

See the most crushing tweets in reaction to Emmy's leave, below:

 For some, the news was the beginning of a bad day.

Others were ticked off Emmy never received, well, an Emmy.

This one is basically us, times 100.

What's this?

Oh, just visual proof that there will never be another like EMMY.

How are you recovering from Emmy's exit? Share your coping strategies in the comments!

Photo: Getty Images