Gossip Girl Star, Taylor Momsen Opens Up About Being Bullied For Starring in The Grinch

Taylor Momsen rose to fame at a young age for her stellar portrayal of Cindy Lou Who in the beloved Dr. Seuss adaptation How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring opposite Jim Carrey. However, the actress recently opened up about facing harsh bullying from other kids for her role in the film.

In a recent appearance on the SiriusXM podcast Podcrushed, the 34-year-old rocker got candid about the social challenges she experienced in school after the 2000 movie’s release. “Making friends was always challenging for me,” Momsen said, explaining that she frequently changed schools due to her busy work schedule.

“First of all, ‘The Grinch’ changed my life in a multitude of ways — one of them being I was made fun of relentlessly,” she revealed. According to Momsen, other children would torment her by only referring to her as “Grinch girl,” completely disregarding her actual name. “Every time I would start a new school or go somewhere else, I don’t even think the kids knew my name. I was just ‘Grinch girl,’” she shared.

While dealing with such ridicule at a young age was understandably alienating for Momsen, she acknowledges that the experience ultimately pushed her towards her true passion – music. The actress had her first taste of recording music for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, singing the song “Where Are You Christmas?”.

“That moment… was really important to me. I was already writing songs… and that’s where I went, ‘Oh, I want to make music. I want to make records,’” Momsen reflected on finding her calling. She is now the lead singer of the rock band The Pretty Reckless.

While her time working on How the Grinch Stole Christmas opened doors for Momsen’s future as a musician, it came at the temporary cost of her childhood innocence. But looking back, the actress has come to terms with the bullying, recognizing it as an unfortunate part of pursuing her dreams at a young age in the public eye. Now with a successful music career well underway, it seems Momsen emerged even stronger from the adversity she faced all those years ago.