Taylor Momsen Confesses She Had a 'Dark Period' Filled With 'Heavy' Substance Abuse and Depression After Friends' Deaths

Taylor Momsen opened up about a time in her life that made her spiral into a deep depression and a world of substance abuse.

The Gossip Girl alum, 32, chatted with "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Alex Cooper in a rare interview released on November 5 about how she went through a "dark period" after the passings of two of her good friends.

“I got very heavy into substance abuse and this cloud of depression that I couldn’t shake,” Momsen confessed.

“Something that I was teetering with before really took on a life of its own where I essentially gave up. I gave up on life," she went on. “Everything I love is dead. What’s the f------- point?”

The Pretty Reckless frontwoman then went on to say how the death of Soundgarden band member Chris Cornell’s death in May 2017 was the first fork in the road, leading to the “start of a downward spiral."

Soundgarden and the Pretty Reckless were on tour together at the time, and the "traumatic" news of Cornell's death at the age of 52 got to Momsen the next day.

“I couldn’t process it at first. I was confused,” the rock star said. “That turned into sinking, which turned into the biggest pit in my stomach of devastation and the just the worst feeling in the world. I fell the f--- apart.”

After the tragedy, she continued the tour, however, it all became too much for her and she decided to take a step back. In April 2018, Momsen suffered another loss when her best friend Kato Khandwala perished in a motorcycle accident at the age of 48.

Momsen went on: “It floored me. It was a giant one-two punch and because they were not that far apart from each other. And I just went off the rails. I didn’t handle that well, to say the least.”

It was at this time that Momsen felt like she had “given up” on everything and didn't know how to handle life.

“I had to make a very conscious choice at a point. I was either going to live or I was going to die,” the CW star divulged. “I had to either stop everything I was doing and get my life together or this was going to kill me.”

Momsen poured all her energy into penning her 2021 song "Death by Rock and Roll." The experience was both cathartic and therapeutic, as it helped her heal.

“The writing of that record was something that I had to do for me,” she noted. “I think by getting it out, that was the first step of me starting to be able to turn the corner.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or mental health, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to connect with trained counselors who can provide free, confidential support 24/7.