It’s been a full quarter-century since audiences first met little Cindy Lou Who — the bright-eyed girl who melted The Grinch’s icy heart in the 2000 Christmas classic. Now, actress-turned-rockstar Taylor Momsen has reunited with her former co-star Jim Carrey for the first time in 25 years, and fans are losing their minds over how far she’s come since her Whoville days.
The emotional reunion took place during a special 25th anniversary celebration of *How the Grinch Stole Christmas*, where Carrey and Momsen embraced on stage to thunderous applause. The moment, captured by Entertainment Tonight and shared across X and TikTok, has already gone viral — with fans calling it “pure Christmas nostalgia.”
“When I saw him again, it felt like no time had passed,” Momsen told People in an exclusive interview. “He looked at me and said, ‘Cindy Lou Who!’ and I just started crying. That movie changed both of our lives.”
“Taylor Momsen and Jim Carrey reunited for the first time in 25 years — and it’s the most wholesome thing you’ll see all season.” @PopBase
Now 31, Momsen has come a long way from the adorable six-year-old who won hearts worldwide. After her breakout role as the inquisitive Whoville child, she transitioned into teen stardom as Jenny Humphrey in *Gossip Girl*, before shocking fans by quitting acting altogether to pursue music full-time. “I needed to find my own voice — literally,” she told Rolling Stone.
Today, she fronts the chart-topping rock band The Pretty Reckless, known for hits like *Heaven Knows* and *Death By Rock and Roll*. Her voice, once soft and sweet on-screen, has become one of the most recognizable in modern rock. “It’s wild,” she said. “People still come up to me and say, ‘You’re Cindy Lou Who,’ and I’m like — no, I’m on stage screaming in fishnets now.”
Carrey, now 63, was visibly emotional seeing his former co-star all grown up. “She was a little angel back then,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “And now she’s a rock goddess. I couldn’t be prouder.”
“From Cindy Lou Who to rock goddess — Taylor Momsen’s transformation is blowing fans’ minds after her reunion with Jim Carrey.” @etnow
The reunion special — hosted in Los Angeles — included cast members, behind-the-scenes footage, and never-before-seen photos from the original set. One image showed Carrey in full green makeup helping young Taylor rehearse her lines, while another captured her sitting on his lap between takes. “He was so patient with me,” Momsen recalled. “He made the set feel magical, not scary. I was six, and he treated me like a little professional.”
In the years since, Momsen has spoken openly about the challenges of growing up in Hollywood. After leaving *Gossip Girl* in 2011, she faced intense public scrutiny and media criticism for her edgy image. “People thought I was rebelling,” she said in her Independent interview. “But I was just finally being myself.”
Her band’s success proved her instincts right. The Pretty Reckless became the first female-fronted group to top Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart five times — a feat that cemented Momsen as one of rock’s most powerful voices. “I had to build my identity from scratch,” she said. “And I think that’s what Cindy Lou would’ve done too — she’d grow up and fight for herself.”
As for Carrey, who’s largely retired from acting, the reunion gave him a rare chance to reflect on one of his most demanding roles. “The Grinch nearly broke me,” he admitted to NBC News. “But seeing Taylor makes me remember why it was worth it. That movie meant something — it still does.”
“‘She made my small heart grow three sizes again.’ — Jim Carrey on reuniting with Taylor Momsen 25 years later 💚🎄” @netflix
Fans have been flooding social media with side-by-side photos of Momsen as a child and today — her blonde curls replaced by jet-black hair and smoky eyeliner. “She grew from Whoville’s sweetheart into a total icon,” one fan wrote on Instagram. Another posted, “The Grinch gave us Christmas, but Taylor gave us rock.”
Even Momsen’s bandmates couldn’t resist poking fun at the reunion. “We told her she should come on stage dressed as Cindy Lou for Christmas,” guitarist Ben Phillips joked to Billboard. “She just said, ‘Only if Jim plays guitar.’”
Since the event, Taylor has been trending under the hashtag #CindyLouWho, with thousands of fans sharing memories of watching the film as kids. “She defined my childhood,” one user wrote on Facebook. “Now she’s defining my playlist.”
In a post on her own Instagram, Momsen shared a photo of her and Carrey embracing, captioned simply: *“25 years later. My heart grew three sizes.”* Within hours, the post had racked up over two million likes and comments from celebrities and fans alike. “This photo healed something in me,” one person wrote. “It’s the reunion we didn’t know we needed.”
And while Taylor says she’s not returning to acting anytime soon, she admitted the reunion made her nostalgic. “It reminded me of the magic of storytelling,” she told Vanity Fair. “I might not live in Whoville anymore, but that part of me is always there.”
Jim Carrey summed it up best during the event: “She was the heart of that movie — and she still is.”
