Summary

Based on the book by Cecily von Ziegesar, Gossip Girl aired for six seasons from 2007 to 2012 on The CW. Several young stars -- such as Kristen Bell, Blake Lively and Taylor Momsen -- got their breakout roles on the show. Momsen starred as Jenny Humphrey and was a series regular for three seasons before being put on “indefinite hiatus” during Season 4.

Taylor Momsen's sudden disappearance -- and the fact that she never returned for more than a few guest spots -- led fans to wonder why Jenny Humphrey left Gossip Girl. She was a crucial character in the early years of the show. But Momsen had a varied, successful career that ultimately pulled her in too many directions.

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Who Was Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl?

Jenny Humphrey, played by Taylor Momsen, standing in front of a crowd on Gossip Girl

At the start of Gossip Girl, Jenny Humphrey was a freshman at the exclusive private school Constance Billard, attended by Manhattan’s elite, including Blair Waldorf and Serena Van der Woodsen. Jenny and her older brother Dan, played by Penn Badgley, struggled to fit in with the wealthier, popular crowd while residing in Brooklyn. Audiences saw innocent, fresh-faced Jenny desperate to fit in and worshiping Blair, but regularly getting rejected by her and her popular friends.

Jenny later took up the post of Queen Bee following her idol’s graduation and her father’s marriage to Serena’s mother. She eventually moved to Hudson, New York to live with her mother after Blair publicly cast her out for sleeping with Blair's on-again, off-again boyfriend Chuck Bass and in Season 5, was said to have moved again to London. Jenny returned to the Upper East Side for the series finale, which revealed Dan as Gossip Girl.

Taylor Momsen landed the role of Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl in 2007 when she was 14, but she was acting and singing from a very young age. She became a full-fledged star in 2000 at the age of seven, playing Cindy Lou Who opposite Jim Carrey in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The movie gave her the opportunity to record her first song “Where Are You Christmas?”. Her career really blossomed after being cast as Jenny in Gossip Girl. Momsen branched out into modeling and became the face of Madonna’s 2010 “Material Girl” fashion line. She also performed lead vocals for her band Pretty Reckless, who signed a record deal in 2009 with Interscope Records.

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Why Did Taylor Momsen Leave Gossip Girl?

Taylor Momsen as Jenny Humphrey in Gossip Girl

Momsen’s competing priorities began to take their toll and even influence her Gossip Girl character Jenny. In an interview with Vulture, producer Joshua Safran recalled having to write Jenny’s character around Momsen’s real-life Pretty Reckless persona: “Taylor wanted her hair a certain way because she was in the band and that was who she was, so we couldn’t dye Taylor’s hair to be Jenny every day, especially when she had events where she had to be Taylor for the weekend. So Jenny had to change. I would say Jenny’s transformation to a darker character wouldn’t have happened had Taylor wanted to be Jenny.”

The actor's behavior on set began to make headlines, most notably when Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame called out her “diva” antics in an interview with E! Online. He didn’t hold back his disapproval when discussing his guest appearance for Gossip Girl. "She was pathetic, she couldn't remember her lines, and she didn't even have that many. I thought to myself, 'Why are we all being held hostage by this brat?’" Not long after Gunn's biting interview, Momsen took her "indefinite hiatus," starting in Gossip Girl Season 4 -- only resurfacing for a few brief appearances, including the series finale.

Momsen ultimately expressed gratitude for the move in an interview with The Daily Beast in 2014. “I’m very lucky that the producers were nice enough to write me out, allow me to tour, and pursue my passion.” Gossip Girl co-creator Stephanie Savage also reflected on Momsen’s career change in the same Vulture article. “She just felt like she didn’t want to be an actress anymore," she said, "which, considering how young she was when she started on the show, was something that we felt like we had to be respectful of.” While her time as Jenny Humphrey helped make her a star, Momsen pivoted to fronting her band Pretty Reckless full-time. Taylor Momsen leaving Gossip Girl was met with a lot of media attention, but her departure was essentially a mutual decision and boiled down to creative differences.