Taylor Momsen Opens Up on ‘Call Her Daddy’: From Child Star to Rock Survivor

Taylor Momsen’s appearance on Call Her Daddy gave fans a raw and unfiltered look at her journey from Hollywood actress to rock frontwoman. Known first for her role as Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl, Momsen walked away from acting at the height of her fame to chase a dream many doubted—fronting her own rock band, The Pretty Reckless. The move was met with skepticism, as audiences struggled to take her seriously as a musician rather than a teen TV star.

Momsen recalled how the industry’s judgment and pressure weighed on her early years as a performer. While her band’s breakout success proved her artistic credibility, the transition came with heavy personal costs. She found herself constantly fighting to be seen beyond her past, all while carrying the burden of expectation that came with fame at such a young age.

During her talk with Alex Cooper, Momsen opened up about how those years shaped her—teaching her resilience but also exposing the fragility beneath her confident exterior. Fame, she said, magnified her internal struggles and left her battling a growing sense of emptiness, even as her career advanced.

Losing Her Heroes and Losing Herself

Things took a devastating turn in 2017 and 2018 when two major losses shattered her world. The deaths of her idol Chris Cornell and her longtime producer and friend Kato Khandwala pushed her into one of the darkest periods of her life. “That was the nail in the coffin for me,” she admitted, describing how the grief sent her spiraling into substance abuse and deep depression.

She described the pain as an unbearable fog that separated her from everything she loved—including music. Songs that once inspired her became unbearable reminders of loss. She couldn’t listen to Soundgarden without breaking down, and even The Beatles, a lifelong comfort, became too painful to bear.

For a time, Momsen said she shut everyone out. The shame and guilt of her downward spiral left her isolated and hopeless. “I had to make a very conscious choice,” she revealed. “Either live and change—or die.” That moment of reckoning became the turning point that eventually saved her.

Finding Light in the Music Again

It wasn’t an instant recovery. Momsen explained that it took time—and a deliberate effort—to reconnect with what made her love music in the first place. “Eventually I got to a place where I could start listening to records again,” she said. To heal, she revisited her roots, starting from The Beatles and slowly working her way back to Soundgarden.

Through that process, she rediscovered not only her love for rock but also her purpose as an artist. Those emotions poured into Death By Rock and Roll, The Pretty Reckless’ fourth studio album—a project born from loss but filled with defiance and hope. It became both a tribute to her late friends and a declaration of survival.

Momsen noted that the album mirrors her own emotional arc: beginning in darkness and ending with light. “There is light at the end of this tunnel that seems impossible and never-ending,” she reflected. The record was her catharsis, a creative exorcism that helped her find herself again.

Moving Forward with Strength

Now, Taylor Momsen stands as a survivor—someone who’s been through the extremes of fame, loss, and recovery. Her message to those facing similar battles is simple but heartfelt: it takes time, but it does get better. “When people say that to you and you’re in it, you want to punch them in the face,” she said with a laugh, “but it’s true.”

That mix of humor and honesty has become her trademark, both in interviews and in her songwriting. With The Pretty Reckless gearing up to open for AC/DC on their 2026 tour, Momsen’s story continues not as a cautionary tale but as proof that redemption is possible—even after the darkest chapters.

She also teased that new music is on the horizon, including her holiday project Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas and their latest single “For I Am Death.” For a woman once on the brink, it’s a comeback defined not by fame, but by survival—and by the enduring power of rock and roll.

Watch the full episode below.