In 2018, Emma Kenney had fans worried after a drastic weight loss. 

Kenney rose to fame as Debbie Gallagher in Showtime’s drama, Shameless, in which she began starring at only ten years old.

The show was based on the dysfunctional Gallagher family and explored themes that were not suitable for kids. 

Her parents, the cast, and the crew did their best to protect her on set. As a result, she did not feel like the show forced her to grow up fast.

But even then, the severe pressures of the early fame and its consequences meant that even Kenney was not protected from becoming another child star who fell victim to erratic behavior. 

So when Kenney was looking visibly slim, her fans expressed their concern.

They even speculated that it had something to do with her “bad behavior,” which she talked about during her interview with In Touch Weekly.

Emma Kenney’s Drastic Weight Loss

In April 2018, Kenney uploaded photos of her outfit on Instagram.

Immediately after, fans noticed that she looked visibly slim and expressed their thoughts in the comments section about her weight loss.

One user wrote, “all guys so freaked out about her weight loss. I suppose the reason had to be so important for her to get skinnier.”

Another wrote, “way too skinny.. put some meat back on u.. seriously.”

Emma Kenney After Weight Loss

Emma Kenney After Weight Loss (Source: Emma Kenney's Instagram)

In another similar photo, fans again commented about her weight loss and how thin she had become. 

Just one month after the actress posted these photos, she admitted to In Touch that she was seeking treatment for her “bad behavior.”

She did not delve into what these behaviors were, but stated that she was stepping away from the limelight to “get help and make better choices.”

According to her statement, the reason for seeking the treatment stemmed from “getting caught up in the wrong crowd and dealing with her stress the wrong way.”

I was doing things I should not be doing because it was illegal, and I’m not 21. It was just a slippery slope that I did not want to go down. And I knew that I needed to stop it.

However, she clarified that her issues did not affect her work, and that she was taking a “break from the Hollywood scene.”

Emma Kenney Post Treatment 

After the treatment, Kenney opened up about her well-being to Us Weekly. She revealed that she felt good in a way she had never felt before.

She also wanted her fans to know that it was okay to seek help when you needed it. 

She also wished to spread positivity and realness with her fame.

In an interview with Medium, she stated that she loved being on shows like Shameless, where they didn’t have to get their hair blown out or have a full face of makeup on. 

It made her character much more real and allowed young people to look up to her.