Taylor Momsen Shares Rare Insight into Her Dating Life

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Taylor Momsen is looking for a love that can save her now.

Taylor Momsen, the lead singer of The Pretty Reckless, recently opened up about the challenges of dating while constantly on tour and trying to find a compatible partner.

Taylor explained on the November 5th episode of Call Her Daddy that she’s both very trusting and very cautious. Because of this, she feels a strong connection with anyone she allows into her life, no matter what kind of relationship it is.

The 32-year-old shared that she doesn’t want to waste time on short-term connections. She’s seeking meaningful relationships that truly fulfill her needs.

Even with her public life, Taylor feels surprisingly down-to-earth and normal.

Okay, so like, she totally said she’s a ‘bro,’ a super bro, which is amazing! She travels around with her band – all guys! – and she keeps saying it’s not at all what you’d expect. No fancy parties or anything. She actually thinks she’s super down-to-earth and normal, which honestly just makes me love her even more! It’s so refreshing to hear, you know? She’s just
 one of the guys, but like, a really cool one.

The actress who played in How the Grinch Stole Christmas is looking for a partner who is intelligent, compassionate, and has a good sense of humor. She emphasizes the importance of laughter, saying, “They absolutely have to be funny and make me laugh.”

Above all else, it’s crucial that we share the same taste in music. If we don’t, things just won’t work out.

She also knows what she doesn’t want in a partner: someone who isn’t genuinely interested in getting to know her. She explains she used to date people who were only interested in what she could do for them, particularly around the time she was on Gossip Girl.

Taylor explained she was referring to people who were working in the industry back then but didn’t achieve the same level of success, and who were trying to benefit from her name and accomplishments rather than focusing on their own work.

She didn’t just talk about her relationships; the singer also explained why she left the show Gossip Girl during its fourth season in 2010 to focus on her music career.

It began with me telling them, ‘I can’t continue with this,’ but I was under contract with CW Warner Brothers, which complicated things,” Taylor said. “It took a lot of convincing – I kept explaining that I needed to get out, that it was really harming me, and that I had other goals I wanted to pursue. I just didn’t want to be stuck there anymore.

But at the end of the day, she’s glad she made the decision she did, despite how hard it was.

She explained that while she knew she needed to move on, leaving such a successful career wasn’t simple. “Deciding to leave was easy,” she said, “but actually getting out of my contract proved to be difficult.”

For a deep dive into more Gossip Girl behind the scenes secrets, keep reading.

Spotted: Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick delivering major chemistry. 

Seeing the last scene of the first episode—where Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) watched Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) leave a party with Dan (Penn Badgley) and Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen)—inspired the show’s creators, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, to develop the famous couple we all know.

Josh described an instant connection between them, saying it was immediately obvious and enjoyable. He felt that was when their relationship really 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 complicated relationship where they both love and despise each other, and they’re always plotting things together. It was 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 viewers loved their characters’ relationship, which he found ‘cute and funny’ to see resonate with so many people.

He shared with Jessica, who played Vanessa Abrams, that he and Leighton had amazing chemistry. He really misses working with her, saying they always made each other laugh and he often felt protective of her. He believes she helped him become a better actor.

As someone who’s always fascinated by on-set dynamics, I found it so interesting to learn that Ed and his co-star, Chace Crawford – you probably know him as Nate Archibald from the show – actually became really close because they lived together for the first two years of filming! It really created a natural bond, and I think that chemistry definitely showed on screen.

Ed shared on XOXO that he and Chace decided to be roommates when they started working on the pilot. According to Ed, Chace simply asked if he wanted to live together. Ed, who had never 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 a casual, ‘Okay, sounds good!’ 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, but apparently Jennifer Lawrence really wanted the role of Serena and actually auditioned! A co-creator told Vulture a while back that they heard she was disappointed when she didn’t get the part. It’s amazing to think about what could have been!

When Penn auditioned for the role of Dan, the character known as “Lonely Boy” from Brooklyn, he had long hair, which Josh and Stephanie described as resembling a snowboarder’s. He surprised everyone on set – including the network executives – by cutting off most of his hair on the very first day of filming.

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 hard to imagine Gossip Girl without Taylor Momsen, which makes it surprising to learn that Lily Collins almost played Jenny Humphrey, Dan’s younger sister. The Emily in Paris star recently told Glamour she really wanted the role and went through all the auditions.

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 (Kelly Rutherford). A pilot episode was filmed with Brittany Snow and Krysten Ritter.

I recall that Dakota Johnson and Rooney Mara auditioned, along with many other actresses who have since become well-known, but weren’t famous at the time. And you know who really stood out? Nina Dobrev – she gave one of the best readings I’ve ever seen, and it was perfect for that role. I mention this because I know you’re friends with her.

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

He remembered explaining on the podcast that the problem was the actress didn’t resemble a young Kelly Rutherford, which was what the role called for.

I seriously told everyone at the network they had to keep an eye on this Degrassi: The Next Generation actress. I practically begged them to find something, anything, for her! I just had this feeling, you know? I knew if we didn’t grab her then, I’d be kicking myself for years. She was just
 unbelievably talented! I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, I’m going to regret this if we let her go!’ She was that special.

In a 2022 interview on the XOXO podcast, Ed revealed that Chuck Bass wasn’t originally intended to be a major character. He explained the role was only meant for a few appearances.

The actor expressed his gratitude that the show’s producer became more involved, and explained that he had a simpler audition process than the main cast. He only did two auditions and a screen test, skipping the additional network testing typically required for series regulars.

Was this how a classic movie romance begins? 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 her as his guest to a Fourth of July party.

On the show XOXO, Stephanie shared that she and Josh quickly checked online – this was before iPhones were common – to see if Jessica was an actress.

Josh said that casting Ed was complicated. He originally auditioned for the role of Nate, and someone else almost played Chuck instead.

Josh shared on the XOXO with Jessica Szohr podcast that an actor originally cast as Chuck wasn’t able to travel to the U.S. to film because of visa issues – he was from the U.K. The network then urged Josh to find someone else for the role.

Josh recalled people telling them as the pilot neared launch, ‘You need to identify a second option for Chuck, because we don’t believe this will succeed.’ Their response was simply, ‘Ed is our only choice. There is no one else.’

Josh and Stephanie were determined to have Ed play the role of Chuck, so the network held off on filming 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 strongly considered for the role.

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

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2025-11-05 23:18