“It was an easy decision for me”: Taylor Momsen opens up about her exit from Gossip Girl in Season 4

Gossip Girl fans were left shocked when Jenny Humphrey, played by Taylor Momsen, abruptly left the show during Season 4. Taylor’s portrayal of a scheming high schooler who knew how to climb the social ladder was loved by all.

So when Jenny decided to give it all up and move to London, the plot did not go down well with the fans. Since then, Taylor has gone on to become an accomplished singer and songwriter, but viewers are still wondering why she left Gossip Girl all of a sudden in 2010.

Now, 15 years later, the singer and former actress has finally opened up about her decision. During an appearance on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast, Taylor Momsen revealed that she wanted to pursue a full-time music career and hence, chose to step away from acting. However, it was not easy for her to leave the show as she was bound by a contract:

“It was an easy decision for me [to leave the show]. To actually get [out of] a contract was not easy.”

Taylor Momsen talks about why she left Gossip Girl

During the conversation, Taylor Momsen added that even her co-stars were blind sided and had no idea that she would leave Gossip Girl abruptly in Season 4. However, she was certain that she wanted to make a name in the music industry, which is why she departed the series:

“I kind of just Irish-dipped. I just wasn’t on the script the next week. They all knew I was making music. They all knew I had a band. I would play them stuff because I was working on the first record while I was on the show. I would come in and play songs … but I don’t think anyone knew how serious I was at that stage.”

Despite her firm decision, letting go of the series was not easy for Taylor Momsen, as she was bound by a contract with the network The CW and the production company Warner Bros. Television. After a lot of arguments with the executives, Taylor reached out to Gossip Girl writers, who agreed to write her character, Jenny, off the show.

As per the contract, Taylor could not appear in any other show or film at that time, but it did not affect her, as she wanted to shift her focus to singing anyway. Recalling the situation, the singer said:

“I'm like, ‘That's perfectly fine. I'm trying to get out. It's not what I wanna do anyway.’ So I really have to credit them for doing that for me 'cause they did not have to, and they wrote me out of the show so I could go on tour and be in a band.”

And Taylor stayed true to her word, as she has not starred in any project since her departure from Gossip Girl. However, she did make a guest appearance in the series finale to mark the conclusion of the teen drama. Addressing why she chose to return in the finale despite her tussle with the network and the studio, Taylor stated:

“As a fan of television and a fan of the shows, I love when you have the full cast together again. You want to full-circle that and round it out.”

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Gossip Girl revolved around a group of elite teenagers who attend a renowned school. Their lives turned upside down when a mysterious blogger started to expose their private lives and secrets. Apart from Taylor, the series starred Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Kelly Rutherford, Ed Westwick, Jessica Szohr, and Matthew Settle.

For more news and updates about Gossip Girl, keep following Soap Central.

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