Shameless: 10 worst lying characters told on the show

Showtime’s shameless it was a rampant display of debauchery, corruption and moral bankruptcy. All members of the Gallagher family and their associates were prone to choose lies over truth, and some of their inventions were too outrageous and the worst. They could also be very damaging, with lasting consequences.

The truth is that everyone lied shameless. Lies came most naturally to Frank, followed by Debbie, Fiona, Lip and Ian. Even the non-Gallagher characters on the show had the same penchant for making things up as the main family, which led to some serious crossover wires and less-than-ideal results.

Sean’s lie about being clean

Fiona’s wedding was supposed to be their happy ending, but in reality, it was one of those times shameless went completely off the rails. Frank revealed that Sean had lied about how he used to be addicted to heroin because he was actually still using it while hiding it from Fiona.

This was a crucial detail to omit while marrying someone. Sean had already shown that he could be a danger to himself and others while under the influence, as he mentioned that he had killed someone while high in the past. It was incredibly duplicitous of her to marry someone while hiding this huge secret.

Jimmy’s double identity

Steve was considered a welcome change to Fiona’s hectic life in the Gallagher household, but he had another identity that he hid from her. Jimmy was involved in a shady life of crime that he paid for every day, and he thought he could date Fiona under a false name while he had another woman and a life on the side.

His lying was damaging to his psyche and trust issues, and also to the family as he had become a father figure to the children. Jimmy should have stayed out of their lives if he wanted to mess it up that much.

Frank’s lie about Dottie’s heart

The worst thing Frank did was definitely lie about Dottie’s heart transplant. He wanted to speed up the money he would get from her by denying her the heart transplant he miraculously received, and his plan didn’t even work.

Dottie didn’t leave him a single dollar when she died, and the money went to her estranged daughter. Frank could have told her the truth and let the lady live a better and healthier life for longer since he didn’t even know what was in her will. His selfish lie led to a very pointless death.

Debbie’s Fib about being on the pill

Catching Derek was never a good idea, and it all started with Debbie’s lie to him about birth control. In an attempt to get a better life and the family she barely had, she made Derek sleep with her without any contraception while lying to him about the pill which predictably resulted in a pregnancy.

Franny was a beautiful baby, but Debbie was a bad mother. She neglected her needs and was too selfish and young to care for another human. Deb was an understated villain shameless for the cruelty he did with his own life and that of his daughter. He went through hell because of his decision and took Franny along for the ride.

Ian’s lip spoof

Ian was known for his impulsiveness and brazen actions, but one bad thing about Ian that fans mostly ignored was how he used the name Lip to get into the army. He stole the identity of his brother, who was struggling to get into college and make a name for himself at the time, and stole a government helicopter while doing it.

This was unfair because Lip had to bear the consequences of Ian’s thoughtless actions, and was even arrested by the military police when they thought they had gotten the right “lip” instead of Ian. Identity theft could have had very adverse results.

Frank omits his identity from Sammi

As usual, Frank’s schemes went a little too far, and his encounter with Sammi veered too far into the realm of the weird. When he first approached her with the intention of getting her liver for a transplant, he didn’t tell her he was her father, instead choosing to date her instead.

There’s no doubting how absolutely disgusting his actions were (even though he didn’t like being Sammi’s boyfriend either) and he also put his daughter in an embarrassing situation. I would have had better luck being honest with her anyway.

Fiona lying about cheating

There were so many setbacks in Fiona’s life that fans expected her to at least try to simplify her own life, but she rarely did. When she achieved good, healthy relationships with both Mike and Gus, so much so that marriage was involved, she decided to be unfaithful to them.

He cheated on Mike with his brother Robbie, which was an unforgivable lie, as Mike was essentially a very nice guy. It was an impulsive decision by Gus, but Fiona also lied to him when he cheated on Jimmy. Her dishonesty ruined some of the best relationships she was in, which only sent her spiraling down into a dark place.

Debbie falsely accusing Patrick

The younger Gallagher clearly inherited the betrayal gene from the family, because she found ways to keep going through the worst solutions. When Cousin Patrick was draining them to live in his house, Debbie lied that he bugged her so he could take her away so they could live in peace.

This was especially subtle of her since she was so young, but it was also a very corrosive lie: Patrick worried about them, but she turned him into a sex offender for life. There were other ways to deal with the situation, instead of accusing him of pedophilia that would ruin his life.

Mandy’s fake text to Karen

This lie was part of Mandy’s elaborate plot to murder Karen, which didn’t quite work, but it did significant damage. Mandy faked a text message from Lip’s phone to Karen, promising a meeting, but all she got was an SUV running over her.

Karen didn’t die as Mandy expected, but she suffered brain injuries that changed the course of her life. This deception by Mandy left behind devastating consequences for Karen.

Frank’s made up cancer

Pushing boundaries was Frank’s specialty, and he went one step further when he made up a whole story about Carl having cancer and made the boy believe he was sick too. Frank would do anything for money, but the prank left a lasting impression on Carl, who wasn’t even a teenager at the time.

Carl thought he was going to die young because of the elaborate scam Frank was running, which couldn’t have been nice for him. Nothing was too much for Frank Gallagher.

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