Gossip Girl’s Taylor Momsen revealed why she left her acting days behind. In a recent interview, the former actress shared her honest opinion about the reasoning behind her decision to leave Hollywood.
Here’s what Momsen said about her acting career and the reason behind leaving it.
Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen explains leaving acting behind
Taylor Momsen is popular for her roles as Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl.
Momsen left Gossip Girl in its fourth season to focus on her music career. She co-founded the rock band, The Pretty Reckless, and is currently its lead singer.
While at the 2025 MTV VMAs, Momsen spoke about leaving acting in an interview with Parade.
The interviewer asked if she was interested in a sequel or a reboot. Momsen replied, “Interesting… I kind of think I’ve left acting behind.”
The 32-year-old singer continued to talk about her experience as a child actor. “I think it was a childhood thing for me, but it was an experience that I cherish and is part of who I am,” she explained.
“The Grinch, I think, in particular, holds an incredibly special place in my heart and always will, so that’s something that comes around every year,” Momsen shared. “And I finally realized that I am Cindy Lou Who, if that makes sense, so that’s something that has been incredibly special and always will be.”
The Gossip Girl actor had also spoken about her decision to leave acting during the podcast, Podcrushed, in 2023.
She revealed, “[Acting] was a childhood thing that I got put into at 2 years old. I wasn’t making my own choices then.”
“Literally, as soon as I got to an age where I could make my own decisions, it was like a click,” Momsen continued. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but it’s like I woke up one morning and went, ‘Wait a second. I don’t have to do this other job? And I can just play in my band, tour, and write songs?”
“The answer was yes, like, you can.” She continued, “It was like a light bulb went off and I uprooted and changed my whole life kind of overnight.”
Momsen concludes by appreciating the Gossip Girl showrunners, who wrote her out of the show. This made it possible for her to pursue her music career easily.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on ComingSoon.net.
