Two-time Oscar-nominated actress Joan Cusack made a rare public appearance at the London premiere of her new movie Toy Story 5, marking her return to the red carpet after 11 years (September 2015). She has reprised her voice role as cowgirl toy Jessie in Disney and Pixar’s latest animated spin-off.Cusack, 63, was seen posing on the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in a white button-up shirt tucked into a long and flowy high-waisted black skirt. She paired her look with a silver watch, black glasses, and a bob haircut, with bangs parted down the middle.Joan Cusack took a long hiatus from acting, seemingly to focus on her family and raising her two sons, Dylan, 28, and Miles, 25. She shares them with her attorney husband of 30 years, Richard Burke. However, in 2023, her brother and actor John Cusack indirectly hinted that Joan exited her most famous project, the Showtime comedy-drama series Shameless, after five seasons, due to gender pay disparity.John, Joan, and their actress-singer sister Ann are the children of late documentarian, playwright, and actor Dick Cusack. They have two other siblings, Susie and Bill.Exploring Joan Cusack’s Hollywood disappearanceJoan Cusack joined the cast of Shameless as Sheila Jackson in 2010. When she took the role, she was told that it was not a recurring one. However, after the first season’s success, the showrunners made her a regular. She exited after the fifth season in 2015 and briefly worked on the ABC sitcom Mr Sunshine.During her time on Shameless, Cusack earned five Primetime Emmy nominations, winning once in 2015 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Despite the honor, she moved on, but never really cited a reason behind her departure.During a 2019 Salt Lake Comic Con panel, Joan Cusack was asked whether she would ever reprise the role of Sheila Jackson. While she didn’t exactly say no, she noted her priority was motherhood and taking care of her teenage sons."I'm trying to be a good mom in my role, my most important role."Meanwhile, in July 2023, John Cusack went on X and wrote:“I know someone – very close to me actually – that was on a hit cable show – ran seven years – (it could still be going). She was paid 1/7th of the male lead – she was nominated for multiple Emmys and won – (nominated for at least 3 recall) no other person behind or in front of camera was ever nominated.”John was seemingly referring to the male lead, William H. Macy, making more money than his sister. He continued:“The rich a** studio rolling money – would NOT give her a raise – after underpaying her horribly and made her take cable guest star money – which was not 4 thousand a week in cable – but still viciously underpaid her for a long-running show – whose performance was nominated for multiple Emmys – as she was everyone’s favorite character – and clearly the most popular character on the show."Joan Cusack’s brother noted how she “hated” the executives who gaslighted her and were so mean that she decided to quit the business, calling out their “toxic” treatment. John ended his tweet by saying they did it because they could “get away” with it.It is noteworthy that another regular on Shameless, actress Emmy Rossum, was also reported to have left the show due to poor payment.Today, Joan lives in Chicago with her husband and sons. She also owns a house in Three Oaks Township, Michigan. For the past 15 years, she has run a gift shop in the Old Town neighborhood called Judy Maxwell Home.While Joan Cusack did move away from the spotlight, she didn’t entirely stop acting. Cusack made cameos in the movie Snatched (2017) and voiced Jessie in Toy Story 4 (2019). The SNL alum was also part of the Netflix projects, as Justice Strauss in A Series of Unfortunate Events and as Mysterious Tin Foil Lady in Let It Snow, in 2017 and 2019, respectively. In 2020, Joan Cusack was seen in three episodes of the psychological thriller TV show Homecoming. She has also lent her voice to several video games in recent years, including Disney’s “Magic Kingdoms” and “Speedstorm.”Toy Story 5, directed by Andrew Stanton and produced by Lindsey Collins, hits the theaters for a global audience on June 19. On the red carpet, Ms Cusack posed with her co-stars Tom Hanks, Greta Lee, and Tim Allen, who play Woody and Buzz. Joan’s husband and Envoy CEO Richard Burke also accompanied her to the London premiere.