General Hospital: Kirsten Storms & Brandon Barash Relationship Timeline
General Hospital star Kirsten Storms (Maxie) and Brandon Barash (ex-Johnny) shared nearly two decades of history as co-stars, friends, spouses and co-parents before recent legal developments thrust their relationship back into the spotlight. In the wake of news that Barash filed for a restraining order against his former wife, here’s a look back at the pair’s relationship timeline — from their early days at GH to where things stand today.
From Friends to Lovers
The actors first crossed paths in 2007, when Barash joined the GH cast as Johnny Zacchara. Their storylines overlapped as Johnny hooked up with Lulu Spencer (then-Julie Marie Berman), the best friend of Storms’s character, Maxie Jones. In 2008, Johnny, Maxie and Lulu became roommates, and the following year, Johnny became Maxie’s official escort at Crimson events. An attraction blossomed, which both Maxie and Johnny tried to fight off, but they did succumb to a few kisses.
Off camera, Barash and Storms became fast friends. Their relationship remained platonic until after his 2012 split from All My Children alum Natalie Hall (ex-Colby). Storms later told Soap Opera Digest that their longtime friendship laid the foundation for the romance, explaining that because they had known each other for years before dating, “There was no putting on this fake front of me trying to be on my best behavior around him. He has already seen me at my worst behavior… And he still wanted to be around me. He had me smitten.”
The duo let their co-workers know about their burgeoning romance a few months into dating. “We joke now that the Christmas party that we had in December [of 2012] was our coming out party because nobody knew that we were together and we showed up there together,” Storms shared with Digest. “We were making out with each other the entire time. So that kind of clued everybody in [laughs].”
In 2013, the pair discovered that they were expecting a baby girl, having conceived on a trip to Amsterdam to visit co-star Anthony Geary (ex-Luke). Barash wrapped his run as Johnny in May, and on June 16, he and Storms tied the knot at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. “We were walking home from our doctor’s appointment, our first ultrasound, and Brandon’s dad was in Vegas doing a poker tournament,” Storms recalled to Digest. “We just kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Should we go to Vegas and get married?’ We had kind of tossed the idea around in conversation a couple of times before that, but we were on such a high from seeing her ultrasound and her heartbeat that we packed up the car and drove in my MINI Cooper to Vegas.”
In August, the newlyweds confirmed both the pregnancy and their recent marriage to People. Barash beamed, “It’s been the most amazing couple of months of our lives.”
Storms and Barash welcomed their daughter on January 7, 2014, with co-stars like Kelly Monaco (ex-Sam) and Chad Duell (ex-Michael) among the first to meet the new addition. The actress marveled to Digest later that year, “It’s kind of funny that we have a baby. We just talk about it all the time: ‘You know, we just used to hang out with each other in our dressing rooms at work and now we have a baby!'”
Storms’s pregnancy was written into Maxie’s storyline, and in 2015, her real-life daughter even briefly stepped into the role of Maxie’s infant, Georgie Spinelli.
Split Decision
In April 2016, Barash and Storms confirmed their breakup exclusively to Digest. “We are splitting due to the cliché irreconcilable differences, but we’re splitting amicably,” he said, stressing that their priority was their daughter. “We have every intention of remaining a family through this and successfully co-parenting our kid and retaining a friendship in the efforts of raising her in a healthy environment.”
Barash also noted that deciding to divorce “was not a hasty decision; a lot of thought and therapy went into this,” and Storms assured, “We are getting along, and I would say enjoying each other’s company more now that we don’t have the pressure of what comes with a relationship added on to that. I think Brandon and I are really looking forward to getting our friendship with each other back.”
A month after their announcement, Storms took a short-term break from GH due to a stress-induced skin condition. After reporting back to work, she opened up to Digest about the toll the divorce had taken on her. “I hadn’t given myself time to process everything that was going on,” she admitted. “I’d thrown myself into work, really, when Brandon and I made this decision about our relationship, just to distract myself from what was going on. Even though we both agreed on it and knew it was what was best for us, it’s still hard to process your relationship ending and moving on with your life.” But, she added, “I’m feeling at peace with the choices Brandon and I have made, and we certainly bond well as friends and he’s a great dad.”
Separate Lives
Barash, who appeared on Days of Our Lives in the roles of Stefan and Jake DiMera between 2019 and 2024, got remarried to wife Isabella (who had been his daughter’s summer camp Spanish teacher) in 2022. He and wife Isabella welcomed their first son in 2023 and are expecting a second baby boy soon. The Barashes moved to Nashville, TN in 2025, and last July, Storms took to social media to reveal that she was also relocating to Nashville and would be taking an extended hiatus from playing Maxie as a result.
In October 2025, the actress, who had undergone brain surgery in 2021 to drain and remove noncancerous cysts, shared that recent scans had revealed an aneurysm on the right side of her brain and that she would be undergoing another operation. She added that health concerns had played a role in her move to Nashville, noting, “The biggest reason for the move was [my daughter], but a lot of it was for my physical and mental health. And my overall happiness.”
According to Entertainment Weekly, Brandon filed his petition for a restraining order against Storms in December 2025, alleging that his former wife had a history of mental health issues and that things had recently taken “a turn for the worse.” He also alleged that “instability with housing has been a recurring theme” for Storms. EW verified that the actress is “currently involved in a legal battle against her apartment complex” in Nashville.
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