equal pay

William H. Macy Supports Emmy Rossum’s Shameless Equal Pay Fight: ‘She Deserves Everything’

Showtime Celebrates All-New Seasons Of
Like a good TV dad should. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images

If it seemed like Emmy Rossum’s fight to be fairly compensated for her years of work on Shameless might cause behind-the-scenes tension with her better-paid TV dad, William H. Macy, think again. Macy has now come out in support of his longtime co-star, telling TMZ it’s “about fucking time” that Rossum — and all women in the workplace, for that matter — gets her worth. Rossum was reportedly recently offered equal pay by the studio that produces the hit Showtime series after demanding it in contract negotiations that could preclude a season eight renewal, but is said to have turned down the offer unless she’s paid more than Macy. She’s now asking for the highest salary as a means of retroactively making up for seven years of getting paid “significantly less.” Turns out, Macy has no qualms about his younger co-star surpassing his pay grade. “She works as hard as I do. She deserves everything,” Macy says, from his lips to hopefully the Hollywood studio gods’ ears. Though, of course, his backing doesn’t come without at least one Frank Gallagher–style dig: “The only thing I’ve got over Emmy Rossum is I’m better looking.” Shameless!

William H. Macy: Rossum ‘Deserves Everything’