Few tales in Hollywood are about transformation, rebellion, and self-discovery the way Taylor Momsen's life is. From being the stylish, scheming Jenny Humphrey whom millions loved on the hit CW series Gossip Girl, Momsen chose a bold, different route. What started out as a promising acting career in one of the most iconic television teen dramas gave way to the raw, unapologetic voice of a rock musician who follows her own compass.
The Pretty Reckless frontwoman recently gave a candid interview with Call Her Daddy and opened her heart about how Gossip Girl took an emotional toll on her young life and how getting away from that world was the only way for her to really live. Her revelation is one of those few honest insights into the pressures of fame, the value of creative freedom, and the cost of saying no to success in order to find yourself.
The Rise of a Young Star
Taylor Michel Momsen was born on July 26, 1993, in St. Louis, Missouri. Acting came early for her-at three years old, she appeared in a national commercial for Shake ‘N Bake. By the time she was seven, Momsen had already achieved high acclaim in her role as Cindy Lou Who in the film How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), where she showed the world her wide-eyed charm and innocence.
Her acting career continued through childhood with appearances in films like Spy Kids 2 and Underdog. But it was in 2007, at only 14, that she landed her most defining television role — that of Jenny Humphrey in Gossip Girl. The CW series, based on Cecily von Ziegesar’s best-selling novels, became an instant cultural phenomenon, shaping the style and language of late-2000s youth culture.
As Jenny, Momsen played the ambitious younger sister of Dan Humphrey, portrayed by Penn Badgley, who works his way through the glamorous yet cutthroat world of Manhattan's Upper East Side. Her portrayal was convincing and nuanced, far beyond her years. She quickly became one of the standout characters of the first three seasons.
But behind this shiny world of Gossip Girl, Momsen was fighting her private battle with herself, a tug-of-war between what everybody expected her to be and what she really wanted to become.
“It Was Killing Me”: Inside Taylor’s Breaking Point
During an interview with Call Her Daddy in November of 2025, Momsen reflected on the tumultuous period that saw her suddenly leave Gossip Girl mid-season back in 2010. She remembered how she had reached a moment when she just couldn't fake living someone else's dream anymore.
“It started with, ‘I don’t wanna do this anymore,’ but you’re in a lock-and-key contract with CW, Warner Brothers — all of that stuff,” she said, explaining how being stuck in one particular role and within one specific industry that she no longer related to made her feel powerless. “It was a very long battle of me arguing with everyone and going, ‘Get me outta this. I can’t do this anymore. This is killing me. I have something else I want to do with my life and it has nothing to do with this.’”
By 16, Momsen had formed her band, The Pretty Reckless, and had completely fallen in love with the music. The acting, she found, was no longer feeding her; it was draining her. But it's not easy to convince a major television network to let go of a contractually bound young star of a hit show.
"You're called ungrateful," she recalled, "and you're called all the things that come along with, 'How dare you turn your back on something that's been so successful for you.'"
But Momsen wasn't rebelling out of arrogance-she was trying to survive. Her words painted the picture of a young woman desperate for autonomy, stuck in a system that prioritized ratings over well-being.
From Jenny Humphrey to Rock Frontwoman
During her time on Gossip Girl, Taylor used any free moments to write and record music in her studio. She had always considered music to be her calling, in which she could be more herself than in the acting world. Her life began to change the moment she met her future Pretty Reckless bandmates. "Meeting my band changed everything," she said. "I knew I had to leave, but at the same time leaving a career that is so prosperous was not easy."
It wasn't an overnight decision. It was months of debates and negotiations, and a lot of personal struggle. Then came an unlikely lifeline: Gossip Girl's creators, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Instead of forcing her to stay, they empathized and wrote her character out to give her the freedom to tour.
"I really have to credit them for doing that for me because they did not have to," Momsen said. "They wrote me out of the show so I could go on tour and be in a band."
Her departure was quiet — perhaps intentionally so. "I kind of just Irish dipped," she laughed. "I just wasn't in the script the next week. They all knew I was making music; they all knew I had a band."
Momsen left Jenny Humphrey behind without fanfare — but the moment marked the birth of something far greater.
Finding Herself in The Pretty Reckless
Freedom came with risk, as leaving one of the most successful franchises in TV to start a rock band could have easily been a failure. Yet, for Momsen, the move was liberating. With The Pretty Reckless, she put her heart into songwriting and performing. Her debut single, "Make Me Wanna Die," released in 2010, had that same dark, gritty energy that would define her music.
Light Me Up, the debut album in 2010, became an unexpected hit and mixed post-grunge and hard rock elements with haunting lyrics that showed her maturity and pain. Momsen had reinvented herself; she wasn't a celebrity trying to be a singer but an artist who literally breathed and lived for the craft.
Over the years, The Pretty Reckless released critically acclaimed albums like Going to Hell in 2014, Who You Selling For in 2016, and Death by Rock and Roll in 2021. Songs such as "Heaven Knows" and "Death by Rock and Roll" showed her to have moved from teenage angst to strong introspection. Critics who once wrote her off as just another fallen teen star grew to respect her craft, her persistence, and her sincerity.
Living Life on Her Own Terms
Momsen's story isn't about just walking away but walking toward something more meaningful. She gave up fame, security, and even fortune to pursue a creative truth. The move wasn't without its pain: in interviews, she has spoken openly about isolation, depression, and rebuilding herself after personal loss. But she also speaks with pride and peace, knowing she made the right choice for her soul.
Her journey is a lesson in courage and self-trust. For most young actors, success in Hollywood means keeping at it no matter what. For Momsen, fulfillment lay well outside the spotlight.
Over a decade since Jenny Humphrey last appeared on screen, Momsen stands tall today not as some former teen star but as a respected rock icon. Her band has toured the world, headlined festivals, and earned multiple chart-topping albums. More importantly, she did it her way, raw, loud, and fearless.
Beyond Gossip Girl: The Power of Reinvention
The story of Taylor Momsen is compelling because it truly defies the conventional script Hollywood often writes for its young stars. She didn’t implode under pressure or fade into obscurity after leaving the show. Instead, she reinvented herself through art — trading luxury sets for smoky stages, and character lines for gut-punching lyrics she wrote herself.
While many viewers still remember her as Little J, Momsen has long since shed that skin. She rarely watches her old work, admitting she never followed the show much at all after she left it. What she carried from that experience isn't nostalgia but knowledge-the understanding that success means little if it costs your happiness.
A Life Dedicated to Music At 32,
Taylor Momsen is the lead singer of The Pretty Reckless. Her voice — husky, soulful, and electric — anchors her identity. She has filled a unique place in the modern rock scene that commands respect from legends such as Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. In 2022, her band made history by becoming the first female-fronted act to top Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart five times in a row.
In a lot of ways, the pain she endured on Gossip Girl was a rebirth she needed. It forced her to confront what she didn't want, guiding her toward what she really needed. "It was an easy decision for me," she said. "To actually get out of a contract was not easy, but knowing I needed to leave was simple."
Momsen's story is at once a cautionary tale and a celebration-proof that one doesn't necessarily have to be in the spotlight, and true success lies in owning your path, no matter how improbable it may seem.
Image Credit: Instagram