Phillip 'lip' Ronan Gallagher

Phillip Ronan "Lip" Gallagher is a main character. He is the second-eldest Gallagher child and the most academic. He is a straight-A student with a 4.6 GPA. While he possesses above average intelligence and excellent mechanical skills, he deliberately wastes time acting like the rest of the people in his town. He uses his intelligence to make money for his family, such as taking the SAT for other students or avoiding the cops when selling beer and marijuana from an ice cream truck. Despite his apparent genius, he has terrible judgement and is frequently shown smoking cigarettes and weed, having unprotected sex with multiple women, and drinking copious amounts of alcohol.

Lip has a juvenile prison record. Ian was his accomplice several times, but Lip covers for him because Ian wants to enter the Marines. Lip has a cynical personality and is unrestrained in his criticism, which often gets him into trouble. He also has a string of unstable relationships: two years of off-again-on-again dysfunction with Karen Jackson, a little over a year with Mandy Milkovich (where she pulled most of the weight and the two fought over Karen.)

Lip often gets into fights, including brawls staged for cash, but generally doesn't care if he wins or loses. He is not as physically fit as Ian, and his provocative attitude frequently gets him beaten up. Lip is protective of his younger siblings, but his pessimistic worldview and apathy toward almost everything causes him to clash with Fiona in her attempt to better their lives. All the same, Lip is grateful to his older sister for the years she spent raising him and his siblings. Lip and Ian, who is later revealed to be Lip's half-brother and cousin, are particularly close and often give each other relationship or career advice, though on two occasions, this resulted in a fist fight between the two.

Lip is extraordinarily intelligent for his age, boasting a high GPA and a genius IQ. Despite his remarkable intelligence, Lip can be extremely irresponsible and self-sabotaging. Other than Carl, he is the only other member of the family to have a juvenile record, and he often gets into trouble just for the sake of causing mayhem. He is a loner and doesn't have close friends.

Lip is self-destructive, a common symptom of being an adult child of an alcoholic. Part of Lip's emotional problems are due to the high expectations his family places on him in their hopes that he will make something of his life and help them in turn. Lip rebels against social norms, repeatedly refusing to apply to college or even finish high school, which leads to major problems, like graduating late, floundering in his first semester of college.

Lip is loyal to his family and protective of his younger siblings, as seen when he took over as guardian after Fiona's incident in Season 4. Lip's caretaking abilities rivalled Fiona's at this time, as he handled the responsibility well and had no problems tending to the needs of his family. He often clashes with his father, Frank, and his estranged mother, Monica, in response to their neglect for years, though he shows that he does care for and love his parents on occasions when they acknowledge their faults. This was seen when he was forgave his father for sleeping with Karen by urinating on him as his way of atoning for it. He was surprised Frank took the fall for Carl's crime when questioning him after his release, Lip was pleased with Frank's answer for doing that for family. He spent the day with Frank after he learned he graduated from school. Lip was also surprised by Frank's change in Season 8 when he defended the family from a meth head and threatened him with death if he did. Lip realized from watching Frank that Frank always held back from his attacks on Lip. Lip was even grateful to the latter giving him helpful advice with women and his own child. Though his opinion of Frank was once again low by the final season, Lip was shocked and upset over Frank’s diagnosis of alcoholic dementia, showing that he does love him in his own way.

His playful side shines through in his interactions with Liam and other children. Whenever Fiona struggles, Lip keeps everything from falling apart. Despite this, Lip isn't always wise: a number of people remark that he is the "dumbest smart person" they've ever met. For example, he likes to break into cars, steal science equipment, and smash windows. Lip was also caught doing carjacking schemes with Steve/Jimmy to buy Florence + the Machine concert tickets for his girlfriend.

Lip is also shown to be "dickish" (his words), combative, and pugnacious. He's unafraid to back down from anyone who challenges him, and he vents his frustration by getting into fights and destroying property. He also uses his smarts to pull off lucrative cash schemes. Despite all his arrogance and bravado, Lip is a deeply sensitive person who has trouble being vulnerable, and his issues with women point to fragile self-esteem.

Lip has abandonment issues that make him drawn to dysfunctional relationships; part of Karen's appeal is how she keeps Lip at arm's length. Even though Karen has sex with Frank in "Daddyz Girls" and broadcasts their hook-up online to get revenge on her own father, Lip keeps going back to her. After she leaves, he hooks up with Mandy who is emotionally worse than Karen but shows him genuine love. Once Karen returns, he ignores her attempts to reconcile but went to sleep with her when he and Mandy had problems. However, he turns away from her after he and Mandy make up, though apologizes for leading a hurt Karen on.

Lip Gallagher is a young man of average build who stands 5 feet 7 inches tall. He has a lean, athletic frame, wavy brown hair, and blue eyes. His signature style is laid-back and scruffy, reflecting his South Side Chicago roots. Clothing Style: He wears fitted, layered clothes. His staple items include slim-fit jeans, worn-in graphic tees, hoodies, unbuttoned flannels, and a denim or leather jacket. He often cuffs his pants or tucks them into worn boots. Grooming: His hair is often messy, curly, and a bit unkempt. He generally sports a casual, lived-in look without trying too hard. Accessories: Lip is almost always seen with a cigarette hanging from his lips or in his hand. Expression: He has an intense, focused stare. He often carries a flippant, "don't care" attitude that shows in his confident, slouchy posture.