In a heartwarming Hollywood reunion that spanned a quarter of a century, Jim Carrey and his former child co-star Taylor Momsen came together for the first time since filming How The Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000.
An Unexpected Reunion at Music's Biggest Night
The emotional meeting occurred at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on November 8, 2025, where both were participating in honouring Seattle grunge pioneers Soundgarden. The 63-year-old comedy legend delivered a hilarious opening speech to induct the band, while 32-year-old Momsen, now frontwoman of The Pretty Reckless, performed alongside the musical icons.
Speaking to reporters on the red carpet while posing together, Carrey remarked "We haven't seen each other since The Grinch," to which Momsen immediately responded with "25 years!" The genuine warmth between the former co-stars was palpable as they caught up before the evening's proceedings.
Memories from Whoville: A Lasting Bond
Momsen, who played the iconic Cindy Lou Who to Carrey's green-faced Grinch, shared touching memories of their time working together. "I just love that he was very protective of me. He was always very kind," she told People magazine. "The entire experience of filming Grinch and getting to know him so well, even in all the makeup, was just wonderful."
The former child actress revealed how watching Carrey's dedication to his craft left a powerful, lasting impact on her development as an artist. "As a young person watching an artist at work and taking their craft so seriously, that left a really powerful, lasting impact on me as an adult now," Momsen explained. "And I'm excited to be able to tell him that as a grownup."
The Man Behind the Makeup
In a surprising revelation from a recent Call Her Daddy podcast episode, Momsen disclosed that she never actually saw Carrey's real face during the entire Grinch filming process. Due to the extensive prosthetic makeup that took hours to apply each day, the young actress only knew her co-star in his green, grumpy disguise.
"To me, he was always Jim and he was always in makeup," she remembered. "But the funny thing is I never knew what Jim Carrey looked like because I never saw him because he was there way early doing the prosthetics." Momsen didn't recognize Carrey until the film's premiere, when someone had to point him out to her.
The evening also featured Carrey's passionate speech honouring Soundgarden, a band he specifically requested as musical guest when he hosted Saturday Night Live back in 1996. "When the Seattle music scene exploded, it resurrected rock and roll for me," the actor declared. "When I heard Soundgarden for the first time, I wanted to put a flannel shirt on and run into the streets screaming, 'My mother smoked during pregnancy!'"
The ceremony saw Momsen and her band The Pretty Reckless join Soundgarden onstage to perform classics "Rusty Cage" and "Black Hole Sun," alongside other special guests including Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell. The collaboration held special significance as The Pretty Reckless had supported Soundgarden's tour prior to lead singer Chris Cornell's tragic death in 2017.
Other notable inductees into the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class included US rap duo Outkast, English rockers Bad Company, Salt-N-Pepa, The White Stripes, and Cyndi Lauper, who was inducted by rising star Chappell Roan.
