Recommended for you
You might have started Gilmore Girls for the millionth time, but the start of September means that it's time for MY Gossip Girl season 1 rewatch. I'm still convinced the first episode is one of the best television pilots of the 21st century, and it does a remarkable job of showing every single character's personality in an hour of TV.
It's undeniable that Jenny Humphrey (played by Taylor Momsen) had the most transformative journey on the series, morphing from Blair Waldorf's darling prodigy to the reigning edgy teen queen. Well, Taylor just stepped out at the 2025 VMAs red carpet and her look is totally giving Jenny Humphrey.
Keep reading to see Taylor Momsen's Jenny Humphrey-approved VMA's look.
'Gossip Girl' star Taylor Momsen "cherishes" her acting career.
Noam Galai/Getty Images for MTV
At the 2025 VMAs, Taylor Momsen rocked black leather pants and a bralette alongside a chunky belt and layered silver necklaces. Her iconic blonde hair was tousled, which, TBH, is the perfect complement to her nude lipstick and dark black smoky eye.
But even though Gossip Girl fans might see similarities between Taylor's IRL style and Jenny (who was influenced by Taylor, FYI), she says "I kind of think I’ve left acting behind.”
“I think it was a childhood thing for me, but it was an experience that I cherish and is part of who I am," she tells Parade. "The Grinch I think, in particular, holds an incredibly special place in my heart and always will, so that’s something that comes around every year. And I finally realized that I am Cindy Lou Who, if that makes sense, so that’s something that has been incredibly special and always will be.”
Why did Taylor Momsen quit acting?
The CW/YouTube
Taylor Momsen, who exited Gossip Girl after season 3, explained on Penn Badgley's Podcrushed why GG was such a challenging project the longer she stayed on the show.
"It was weird for me suddenly overnight being tabloid famous, which is a different kind of famous," she said in 2023. "They would photograph me on set [on the streets of New York City]...as my character and put it in the tabloids as 'Taylor Momsen'...and that started to really bug me because my identity was getting kind of taken over...People had this perception of me that wasn't me and I became really hyper-aware of how I carried myself."
And when she realized she wanted to record music and perform instead of act, the Gossip Girl team was able to write Jenny off the show. Well, at least until the series finale.
“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,'” she continues. “They really allowed me to follow my dream, and I’m forever grateful and thankful to them for that.”
How old was Taylor Momsen when she kissed Chace Crawford?
One interesting choice in Gossip Girl is when Jenny begins a romance with Chace Crawford's Nate. It was never my favorite storyline and it gets even weirder when you remember Taylor was 15 and Chace was 23. Yeah...
Check out 17 Celebrity Cameos On Gossip Girl You Probably Forgot About when you rewatch the series, too!
