The multitalented Taylor Momsen has long proven she’s an all-round entertainer. Throughout her decades-long career, she has earned credits as a model, actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. Although she walked away from acting, Momsen has had a successful career as a musician.
Taylor Momsen might not be a familiar face to a newer generation of television and film audiences, but she was one of Hollywood’s rising child stars of the 2000s. Since the late 2000s, Taylor Momsen has led The Pretty Reckless rock band as its lead vocals. Here’s a timeline of Taylor Momsen’s life and career.
1993: Taylor Momsen Was Born In Missouri
Momsen was born Taylor Michel Momsen in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 26, 1993. She is the first child of her parents, Michael Momsen and Collette Momsen. Taylor Momsen’s younger sister is Sloane Momsen, who starred in We Were Soldiers (2002) and in a 2004 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Taylor Momsen is part Russian and German from her maternal grandparents. Momsen was raised Catholic and attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and Herbert Hoover Middle School.
1995–1996: Taylor Momsen Signed With Ford Models
Taylor Momsen’s career began at an early age. Momsen signed with the reputable Ford Models at age 2. This move, endorsed by her parents, kickstarted her journey into the entertainment industry. However, while the deal was lucrative at the time, in retrospect, Taylor Momsen believed she had her childhood taken away from her too early. Momsen says, “My parents signed me up with Ford at the age of two. No two-year-old wants to be working, but I had no choice. My whole life, I was in and out of school. I didn’t have friends. I was working constantly, and I didn’t have a real life.”
1997: She Made Her Screen Debut in a TV Commercial
Life happened quickly for Taylor Momsen. As a Ford Model, Momsen landed a TV commercial gig for Shake ‘n Bake. The commercial was popular throughout the ‘60s to the 1990s. Taylor Momsen was one of a few child actors who appeared in TV commercials for Shake ‘n Bake. Momsen’s Shake ‘n Bake commercial was popular at the time.
1998: Taylor Momsen’s Acting Debut
With back-to-back projects, Taylor Momsen stayed busy as a child. She made her screen acting debut on television in the late 1990s. Momsen starred in an uncredited role as Allie in the 1998 episode (“Minor Miracle”) of CBS’s fantasy comedy-drama Early Edition. She starred as Honey Bee Swan in the 2000 crime-drama thriller The Prophet’s Game.
2000: Taylor Momsen Starred in Her Breakthrough Role
In 2000, Taylor Momsen landed her breakout role as Cindy Lou Who in Ron Howard’s Christmas fantasy comedy How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The movie was adapted from Dr. Seuss’s 1957 children’s book. However, although the Cindy Lou Who character was “no more than two” in the book, Taylor Momsen portrayed the character as a six-year-old. Although critical reviews were mixed, How the Grinch Stole Christmas was a Box Office success.
With a production budget of $123 million, the movie grossed $346.5 million. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, actor Jim Carrey portrayed the iconic Grinch. For her performance, Taylor Momsen received nominations from the Young Artist Awards, Saturn Awards, and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.
2002: Taylor Momsen Had Her Most Busy Year at the Movies
Taylor Momsen starred in three films in 2002. She began the year joining the Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams cast. However, she appeared in a minor role as Alexandra Anami, the daughter of the President of the United States (played by Christopher McDonald). Spy Kids 2 was another success, grossing $119.7 million against a $38 million budget. Taylor Momsen landed her first lead role portraying Gretel in Gary J. Tunnicliffe’s 2002 fantasy comedy Hansel and Gretel. Momsen, who was 9 when the movie was released, co-starred alongside then-eight-year-old Dakota Fanning.
2007: Taylor Momsen Was Cast in Gossip Girl
The CW teen drama series Gossip Girl remains Taylor Momsen’s biggest television project before retirement. Momsen was cast as Jennifer “Jenny” Humphrey, Daniel “Dan” Humphrey’s (Penn Badgley) younger sister. Jenny is a student at Constance Billard who was initially a part of Blair Waldorf’s (Leighton Meester) minions. Jenny remained part of the main cast from seasons 1 to 4.
Although she did not appear in season 5, Taylor Momsen returned as a guest star in season 6. Appearing in 88 episodes, Taylor Momsen was part of the show from 2007 to 2010, returning as a guest in 2012. After her guest appearance in 2012, Gossip Girl became Taylor Momsen’s last acting role. While Gossip Girl was well-received in 2007, Taylor Momsen also starred in the superhero comedy Underdog. In 2008, she played Madison Kramer in the comedy-drama Spy School, with Forrest Landis and AnnaSophia Robb as the film’s leads.
Taylor Momsen Musical Career
Having worked non-stop since she was two, Taylor Momsen wanted to take control of her life. According to Momsen, “Literally, as soon as I got to an age where I could make my own decisions, it was like a click… I woke up one morning and went, ‘Wait a second. I don’t have to do this? I don’t have to do this other job? I can just play in my band and tour and write songs? I can just do that?’ Granted, a little more complicated to get out of a television show than that, but the answer was yes. They went, ‘Well, we can’t let you out of your deal, but we can write you out of the show so you can go on tour.’ They really allowed me to follow my dream, and I’m forever grateful and thankful to them for that.”
Since then, Taylor Momsen has focused entirely on her music career. However, music wasn’t something she discovered at a later age. Momsen recorded the How the Grinch Stole Christmas soundtrack “Where Are You Christmas.” Taylor Momsen’s musical influences include Kurt Cobain, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Chris Cornell. Momsen formed The Pretty Reckless rock band in 2009. The band includes Ben Phillips (lead guitar), Mark Damon (bass), and Jamie Perkins (drums).
The Pretty Reckless have released four studio albums, with their first album, Light Me Up, released on August 27, 2010. Death by Rock and Roll was The Pretty Reckless’ fourth album and was released on February 12, 2021. However, the band has been touring since 2021, headlining shows and performing at music festivals. Besides Taylor Momsen, actor Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel, is another child actor who disappeared from the spotlight.
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