The 15 Most Shameless Moments That Have Ever Happened On 'Shameless'

Collin Flatt
Updated May 2, 2024 27.3K views 15 items
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Vote up the wildest things the Gallaghers have done.

While it often seems like Frank Gallagher and his family are out to be the most loathsome individuals on TV, they do have their charming moments. Even Frank. But there's a reason the show is called Shameless. There are some great moments from Shameless that stand out among the rest, a best-of roundup of awful behavior that leaves viewers' jaws on the floor.

The Gallaghers are the family you love to hate and hate to love, but Shameless is certainly one of the best shows on TV - if you love it as much as we do, you can also check out other shows like Shameless to get obsessed with. The showrunners have tried to spread out the dreadful antics of Frank and co. throughout the series, and, luckily the very best Shameless scenes aren't all front loaded in the first few seasons. And Frank isn't the only offender. Whether it's Fiona cheating on the only nice guy she's ever dated, Carl selling firearms at school to students and teachers, or Debbie stealing strollers to feed her kid, there's plenty to unpack from these dysfunctional Chicago Southsiders.

  • 1
    248 VOTES

    Karen Seduces Frank And Posts The Evidence Online

    Karen Seduces Frank And Posts The Evidence Online

    After Karen's father Eddie embarrasses her at the Purity Ball, she hatches a plan to get back at him. That means getting Frank Gallagher drunk(er) and then having sex with him on camera while broadcasting it on her blog called Daddyz Girl.

    248 votes
  • 2
    214 VOTES

    Frank Calls DFS On Fiona

    Frank Calls DFS On Fiona

    After one too many drunken episodes, the Gallagher kids band together and officially throw Frank out for good. Of course Frank would never just go away quietly, but to call DFS on his own family is low for even him.

    When DFS visits, Mickey shows up shot and bleeding, the makeshift daycare has run amok, and all hell breaks loose. The kids are all then sent to different foster families and group homes.

    214 votes
  • 3
    257 VOTES

    Frank Screws "Butterface" To Death

    Frank Screws "Butterface" To Death

    Frank is at his absolute worst (which is probably the worst in human history) when he doesn't tell "Butterface" Dottie that she won the heart transplant lottery. Yes, he lets a heart transplant patient die in the hopes that he's in her will (he isn't). Then, they have one last roll in the hay that ends her life.

    257 votes
  • 4
    162 VOTES

    Frank Trades Liam As Collateral To Pay Off A Gambling Debt

    Frank Trades Liam As Collateral To Pay Off A Gambling Debt

    Frank is always looking for ways to make a quick buck, and making insane bar bets is par for the course. So, it's no surprise that Frank stupidly bets some guy in the bar $10,000 that he can't stay awake after two stuns from a taser gun. Of course Frank loses, and has to come up with the coin in short order.

    Frank uses little Liam as a prop for a panhandling scheme, and ultimately ends up being kidnapped (along with Liam) by the guy he owes money to. The crooks keep Liam as collateral while Frank tries to scrape up the rest of the cash.

    162 votes
  • 5
    168 VOTES

    Debbie Gets Pregnant In An Attempt To Keep Her Boyfriend

    Debbie Gets Pregnant In An Attempt To Keep Her Boyfriend

    Debbie starts off as the least shameless of the bunch, but quickly ramps up her game and becomes one of the most egregious offenders in the family. In one of her worst moments, she decides to stop taking her birth control in an effort to force her way into her 16-year-old boyfriend's life. It works, until it doesn't – Debbie ends up pregnant, but her boyfriend skips town with the help of his family to avoid being held responsible. Oof.

    168 votes
  • 6
    202 VOTES

    Mandy Tries To Murder Karen And Ends Up Handicapping Her For Life

    Mandy Tries To Murder Karen And Ends Up Handicapping Her For Life

    Mandy Milkovich has been in love with Lip Gallagher since Season 1, and can't handle seeing Karen burn down whatever good is left in him. Karen hangs a pregnancy on Lip that isn't his, has sex with Lip's father on camera, and hatches a plan to sell her special needs baby to the highest bidder.

    Karen returns to Lip's world after a brief hiatus with Jody, her fellow Sex Addicts Anonymous, um, lover, to find Lip dating Mandy. Karen manipulates Lip, who dumps Mandy. Mandy then runs Karen down in her truck in hopes of killing her. She doesn't die, but is left mentally and physically handicapped for life.

    202 votes
  • 7
    176 VOTES

    Frank Almost Sleeps With His Daughter And Asks For Her Liver

    Frank Almost Sleeps With His Daughter And Asks For Her Liver

    After Frank discovers that his lifetime of drinking has turned his liver into cancer-ridden mush, he thinks the best course of action is to track down his estranged daughter, Sammi. But, instead of telling her who he is, he pretends to be a sober guy looking for love and a little piece of her liver. They don't have sex, but they do get terribly close.

    Ultimately, viewers find out Sammi's liver isn't a match for Frank, but she still stays by him when the truth about their relationship comes out.

    176 votes
  • 8
    162 VOTES

    Frank Masturbates On Bianca's Grave

    Frank Masturbates On Bianca's Grave

    Bianca, the ER doctor who treats Frank after Sammi shoots him, is dying from pancreatic cancer. She decides to live out the rest of her days with Frank, because he's the unsafe spiritual guide she needs at the moment. After an unlikely adventure where she heads to Costa Rica with Frank, she ends the trip by committing suicide by drowning herself in the ocean.

    Frank finds himself missing Bianca, and visits her grave one last time. To masturbate on it. Ick.

    162 votes
  • 9
    178 VOTES

    Kevin Impregnates Veronica's Mother. On Purpose.

    Kevin Impregnates Veronica's Mother. On Purpose.

    Kevin and Veronica, the owners of the Alibi and the Gallaghers' closest friends, are often the comic relief in a show full of cringe-worthy (and sometimes horrifying) moments. Well, they had their own shameless moment. After trying and failing to conceive, they decide Kevin should impregnate Veronica's mother Carol and keep it in the family. They first use a turkey baster, but then decide on doing it the old fashioned way, resulting in Carol falling for Kevin in a short-lived crush.

    178 votes
  • 10
    137 VOTES

    Fiona Sleeps With Mike's Brother. Twice.

    Fiona Sleeps With Mike's Brother. Twice.

    When Fiona starts working in an office, she finds love with her dreamy boss Mike. Mike is kind, smart, and considerate, on top of being Hollywood pretty. Of course, he has a ne'er-do-well brother, Robbie, who is a dangerous addict. Fiona sleeps with him. And, after the secret comes out at a family dinner, causing a fist fight, she finds the time to sleep with Robbie again.

    137 votes
  • 11
    122 VOTES

    Monica Kidnaps Liam From His Family

    Monica Kidnaps Liam From His Family

    Believe it or not, Monica, the mother of the Gallagher kids, is much worse than Frank. She is absent for most of the series, but, when she does show up, it's always a doozy of an episode.

    She shows up late in the first season to "mend fences" with the kids and show off her new companion, Roberta, the lesbian truck river. Monica then reveals her plan to take poor Liam with her when she leaves, because she feels the damage has already been done with the rest of the kids, and she wants one with a "fresh start." Frank is getting to let it happen, but Fiona and the kids ultimately put the kibosh on Monica's plan.

    122 votes
  • 12
    108 VOTES

    Frank Crams Sean's Toothbrush Where The Sun Doesn't Shine

    Frank Crams Sean's Toothbrush Where The Sun Doesn't Shine

    Frank is never the alpha male in any situation, but he sure thinks he is. But, instead of dealing with people face-to-face, Frank takes the cowardly way out and does something dickish. Case in point: after getting into a fight with Fiona's new beau Sean, Frank steals Sean's cash and credit cards, then follows that up by sticking Sean's toothbrush up his rear and then pisses in his boots. Disgusting.

    108 votes
  • 13
    134 VOTES

    The Kids Try To Kill Frank By Throwing Him Off A Bridge

    The Kids Try To Kill Frank By Throwing Him Off A Bridge

    It's baffling that the kids waited until the end of Season 6 to try to kill Frank. But, Frank is especially odious when he makes it a point to set fire to Fiona's relationship with Sean and announce that he's back on smack during their wedding. The Gallagher kids decide to take Frank to the bridge and throw him off. Frank, displaying the resilience and likability of a cockroach, survives the attempted murder. Because evil never dies.

    134 votes
  • 14
    132 VOTES

    The Gallaghers Kidnap An Alzheimer's Patient To Play A Dead Relative

    The Gallaghers Kidnap An Alzheimer's Patient To Play A Dead Relative

    Frank Gallagher buries Great Aunt Ginger in the backyard when she dies. Then he cashes her social security checks for the next decade. Once the feds get wind of the fraudulent situation, the Gallagher clan has to come up with a new Great Aunt Ginger.

    Luckily, Veronica works at a nursing home and has access to plenty of Alzheimer's patients with inattentive families. Yes, the Gallaghers steal a nursing home patient to be part of the grift to keep Frank out of prison. Then they take pics with her (including Christmas photos) to hang around the house to help sell the scam to the investigators.

    132 votes
  • 15
    128 VOTES

    Debbie Lies About Being Molested To Save Their House

    Debbie Lies About Being Molested To Save Their House

    Being a complete insufferable assh*le isn't relegated to the immediate members of the Frank Gallagher clan. Cousin Patrick tries to steal Frank and Fiona's home right out from under them with a forged will from Great Aunt Ginger. But, Deb quickly intervenes and earns her first Gallagher stripes by hinting to the authorities that cousin Patrick might have been a little too close to her. They end up paying less rent than before.

    128 votes