Taylor Momsen Says Gossip Girl Was “Killing” Her Before Shock Exit

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One person who knew she didn’t love Gossip Girl? Taylor Momsen.

The actress best known for her role as Jenny Humphrey on the popular CW show has recently explained why she left during the fourth season in 2010. She also confessed she never actually watched the series, so she’s a little fuzzy on the exact details of when it happened.

Taylor explained that she initially told them, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ but she was bound by a contract with CW Warner Brothers. She described a difficult struggle where she repeatedly argued with everyone involved, desperately trying to get out of the agreement. She felt it was harming her well-being and preventing her from pursuing other goals, stating she needed to move on with her life and couldn’t remain in that situation.

Taylor had started her band, The Pretty Reckless, and decided she’d rather focus on music than acting. But despite her changing goals, those in charge weren’t convinced.

She remembered being told she was ungrateful and facing criticism for not continuing with something that had already brought her a lot of success. People questioned her decision to step away.

For Taylor, who was still a teenager, meeting the other members of her band was a turning point. It confirmed that pursuing music was the right path for her career.

She explained that while she knew she needed to move on, leaving such a successful career wasn’t simple. Making the decision itself felt right, but fulfilling the terms of her contract to leave proved to be quite difficult.

The “Makes Me Want to Die” singer remembered being “very defensive” of what she wanted to do at the time, especially after she said studio staff tried to keep her in her contract.

To resolve the situation, she spoke with the writers of Gossip Girl, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. They supported her goal and agreed to remove her character from the show.

She explained that she was very grateful for their support, saying they went above and beyond for her. They even wrote her character off the show, allowing her to pursue her dream of touring with a band.

Taylor Swift said she didn’t warn her “Gossip Girl” costars – Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Penn Badgley, who played her on-screen brother – that she was leaving the show.

I was unexpectedly let go, actually,” she explained, laughing. “They simply didn’t include my character in the script the following week. Everyone was aware I was pursuing music and that I had a band.”

Keep reading for more secrets about Gossip Girl…

Spotted: Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick delivering major chemistry. 

Seeing the last scene of the first episode—where Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf watched Serena van der Woodsen leave a party with Dan and Jenny Humphrey—inspired the show’s creators, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, to develop the famous pairing of Chuck and Blair.

Josh described an instant connection between them, saying it was immediately obvious and enjoyable. He felt that’s when their relationship truly began to take shape.

Watching it felt like a real discovery,” Stephanie said. “It reminded me of Dangerous Liaisons – the dynamic between Valmont and Merteuil. They have this intense connection, loving and hating each other at the same time, and they’re always plotting things together. It’s just a really compelling story to explore.

Yes, Ed was well aware that there was something there with Chair. 

He told Jessica Szohr on her Gossip Girl rewatch podcast, XOXO with Jessica Szohr, that he really enjoyed working with Leighton Meester. He also noted that audiences loved their on-screen relationship, and he found it heartwarming how much it meant to fans.

He described his connection with Leighton Meester to Jessica Szohr, who played Vanessa Abrams, saying she was a very talented actress and that he genuinely missed working with her. He explained they had great chemistry, often made each other laugh, and he felt a strong desire to look out for her. He added that she helped him become a better actor.

Ed and his co-star, Chace Crawford—who played his character’s best friend, the wealthy Nate Archibald—became very close because they shared a house for the first two years of filming.

Ed shared on XOXO that he and Chace decided to be roommates when they started working on the pilot. Chace simply asked if Ed wanted to live together, and Ed, who hadn’t lived on his own before, readily agreed.

The actor described how a friend sent him bizarre photos of potential living spaces – things like just a corner of the ceiling and a small piece of the floor. He jokingly recalled responding with something like, ‘Okay, sure, whatever,’ and they ended up living together for two years.

Believe it or not, Jennifer Lawrence actually tried out for the role of Serena on the show, but Blake Lively ended up getting the part.

I was so surprised to learn this recently! Apparently, Jennifer Lawrence really wanted the role of Serena and actually auditioned for it. A co-creator told Vulture a while back that they heard she was pretty disappointed when she didn’t get the part. It’s wild to think about her wanting that role!

I remember when Penn Badgley first auditioned for the role of Dan Humphrey – he had this really long hair, almost like a snowboarder’s! It was quite a look. But then, on his very first day of filming, he surprised everyone – the crew and even the network people – by cutting off most of it. It was a total shock, but I guess he wanted to fully transform into the character.

Josh remembered everyone being shocked when he shaved his head, exclaiming, ‘What’s going on?!’ But once they saw his new haircut, they all agreed it looked great.

It’s surprising to learn that Lily Collins almost played Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl – a role that ultimately went to Taylor Momsen. The Emily in Paris star revealed she auditioned for the part and really wanted it, telling Glamour how much she desired the role.

David Rapaport, who cast actors for Gossip Girl, told Jessica about a planned Gossip Girl spin-off focusing on Serena van der Woodsen’s mother, Lily (played by Kelly Rutherford). The pilot episode featured Brittany Snow and Krysten Ritter.

I recall a lot of now-famous actresses auditioning, like Dakota Johnson and Rooney Mara, but they weren’t as well-known then. Actually, Nina Dobrev – I think you know her – gave one of the best readings I’ve ever witnessed, and it was perfect for that particular role. I remember being really impressed with her audition.

David said he called the network and told them, “She is a super star.”

He remembered discussing on the podcast that the actress didn’t resemble Kelly Rutherford, which was a problem because the role called for someone who looked like a younger version of her.

She repeatedly told the network they needed to keep an eye on the Degrassi: The Next Generation actress, urging them to find a role for her. He remembered thinking she was exceptionally talented and that he’d regret not working with her in the future, saying he knew he’d look back and realize what a missed opportunity it would have been.

In a 2022 interview on the XOXO podcast, Ed revealed that Chuck Bass wasn’t originally intended to be a major character—he was only meant to appear in a few episodes.

The actor expressed his gratitude that the producer became more involved with the show. He also explained that his audition process was somewhat simplified; he only had to do two auditions and a screen test, and didn’t need to audition for the network executives like the main cast members did.

Did a chance encounter lead to a perfect casting decision? The creators of Gossip Girl, Josh and Stephanie, were searching for the right actress to play Vanessa. They found her when Adam Brody, who they’d previously worked with on The O.C., brought the actress as his guest to a Fourth of July party. They immediately knew she was perfect for the role.

On her show XOXO, Stephanie explained that she and Josh quickly checked online—this was before everyone had smartphones—to see if Jessica was an actress.

Josh said that casting Ed was complicated. He originally auditioned for the role of Nate, and almost didn’t end up playing Chuck either.

I remember Josh talking about this on the XOXO with Jessica Szohr podcast – it was so frustrating! Apparently, they found the perfect guy, cast him as Chuck, but then he couldn’t get his visa sorted out in time to film here in the States because he was from the U.K. The network was really pushing Josh to find someone else fast, which must have been incredibly stressful.

Josh recalled being told right before the pilot began, ‘You need to have a second choice for the role of Chuck, because we don’t think the current actor will succeed.’ But they responded, ‘There is no other Chuck – it’s Ed, and that’s final.’

Because Josh and Stephanie were determined to have Ed play the role of Chuck, the network held off until his visa was approved.

Stephanie, the executive producer, revealed that while Kristen Bell ultimately voiced Gossip Girl, Christina Ricci and Selma Blair were also seriously considered for the role.

Kristen landed the role after her show, Veronica Mars—where she also did the voiceover work for the main character—ended after three seasons.

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2025-11-05 21:19