The 25-year-old actor, who stars as Ian Gallagher on the Showtime dramedy, announced Monday that he is departing the series, which he began at the age of 15.
“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,” he began his Instagram post.
“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,” said Monaghan.
He continued, “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.”
Monaghan also revealed that “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.”
He added, “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?”
His departure comes more than a month after series star Emmy Rossum announced at the end of August that she was leaving the show.
Rossum, who plays scrappy Chicago native Fiona Gallagher, announced her departure in a lengthy Facebook post, writing, “It’s hard thing to put into words, feelings. But I’m going to try. This business is always an adventure, full of travel and opportunities to tell stories. Usually as an actor, every few months, you travel to a new place, start a new project, build a new character, learn new rhythms, new inside jokes with your crew, make new friends.”
“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. And given all of us in the crew. Season after season I’m amazed that our same crew comes back. And it’s not just because it’s a wonderfully written, wonderfully layered show. There are these real connections, real friendships that bring us back season after season after season,” she added. “See, in real life, unlike Fiona, I’m an only child. I never had a big family. Being ensconced in that messy Gallagher family love is something I’d always dreamed of. But even off set, it feels real. We’ve watched the kids grow up into the strong, talented, independent human beings that they are.”
She also praised her character: “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. She is living in an economic depression, but refuses to be depressed. She is resourceful. She is loyal. She is brave. I knew it the second I read the pilot script, this was different, this was special.”
“I know you will continue on without me, for now,” she concluded. “There is much more Gallagher story to be told. I will always be rooting for my family. Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block.”
A day after Rossum announced her exit after nine seasons, Shameless‘ William H. Macy opened up about her decision to leave.
“We’ve been expecting it,” Macy, 68, said during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I tell you, when you get to season 9 and you think of [whether] to keep going, it’s daunting.”
“It’s hard not to think of: ‘What would my life be post-Shameless?’ And part of it is very frightening and part of it is very exciting,” Macy told the outlet.
“She’s young and I think she’s made the right choice. She’s got another show that she’s an executive producer on, so she’s going right into something and she wants to branch out. Plus, she just got married,” Macy said in reference to Emmy’s husband, Sam Esmail.
Shameless airs Sundays (9 p.m. ET) on Showtime.
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.
