If you’re a teen drama fan, then you know how iconicness that was Gossip Girl. From 2007 to 2012, The CW series kept us fed with endless scandals, lies, and rich kids behaving badly. It was truly THE definition of messy TV.
Taylor Momsen — who played Dan’s younger sister Jenny — had a dramatic exit in the Season 3 finale, then appeared as a recurring character for part of Season 4 before leaving completely.
Well Upper East Siders, we finally have our answer. On a new episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, the Pretty Reckless singer opened up about why she decided to say goodbye to Jenny Humphrey, and it honestly makes a lot of sense.
Momsen, who was just 13 years old when the Gossip Girl pilot was filmed, shared that the “sudden, intense” fame and attention she received threw her into an “identity crisis.”
Taylor explained that as she got older, she became far more interested in pursuing a music career with her band.
“I knew I had to leave, but at the same time, leaving a career that is so prosperous was not easy,” she continued.
The actor eventually went to Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, who agreed to write her out of the series. “I really have to credit them for doing that for me, because they did not have to,” she said. “They wrote me out of the show so I could go on tour and be in a band.”
However, Momsen didn’t quite say goodbye to Jenny Humphrey for good. She returned as a guest for the series finale, briefly appearing at Dan and Serena’s wedding.