General Hospital’s Kirsten Storms Breaks Her Silence About Future As Maxie
General Hospital star Kirsten Storms (Maxie) has taken to social media to address her future with the show. The actress has been absent from Port Charles as Maxie since mid-March, not long after she returned to the show following a six-month hiatus from the role, which she began playing in 2005.
Storms Addresses GH Status
Storms posted several screenshots of text on her Instagram, which she described as a “GH/work and life update…. 💕.” The statement marked her first public comments since TMZ reported in April that her ex-husband, Brandon Barash (ex-Johnny, GH; ex-Stefan/Jake, Days of Our Lives), had filed an emergency restraining order against her. The former couple share a 12-year-old daughter.
In the court documents obtained by TMZ and other outlets, Barash had expressed “great concern [for her] ability to adequately care for the minor child” they share and questioned the validity of Storms’ claims about her home being broken into.
Storms — who had taken her hiatus from GH in 2025 to facilitate her move to Nashville, TN, where Barash had also relocated — had begun posting in February about hackers gaining access to her home computer network and break-ins at her apartment in Nashville. Her post began, “I’m sure some of you guys have read the stories online regarding a situation involving something my ex-husband is currently trying to claim.” She went on to clarify the timeline of the police report she had filed in response to the alleged break-in, noting, “the break-in happened and was reported to the building and Franklin PD before [Barash] filed anything in court.”
During her time away from GH, Storms had also revealed on social media that she had been diagnosed with an aneurysm and that her decision to step away from the role of Maxie had been prompted in part by the need to focus on her health. In her latest post, she reiterated, “Choosing to take time off from work (for my own personal reasons) was a ‘leap of faith’ kind of moment for myself. Seeking a ‘quality [of] life’ kinda thing.”
Storms continued, “Moving to Tennessee, as a single mom who lives alone 50% of the time, with a newly discovered brain aneurysm….well, I don’t think I need to explain how upsetting this entire situation has been for me. Realizing that not only was my apartment/space/privacy being violated, but this person also gained access to my WiFi and cellphone while in my apartment (the Franklin PD has received evidence on all of this – resulting in an investigation).”
The actress went on to note, “I haven’t been online much because of how the circumstances have been twisted into something that it shouldn’t be. This has been a very serious thing for me to go through.”
She also voiced her gratitude for the support she had received from her followers, writing, “Thank you for the encouraging DM’s and good vibes being sent my way. I have no doubt this will be handled in the correct way and I will feel comfortable remaining in Tennessee.”
Storms closed her post with comments about GH, suggesting that her returning to the show is not likely, at least not in the near future. She wrote, “As for what is in my future, where GH is concerned…. Given what’s been going on, I can’t say I will feel comfortable heading back to Los Angeles and returning to work.”
Calling her ordeal “an eye opening experience about the downside of my profession,” Storms declared, “My daughter is my entire life, she is (and always will be) my first priority. 💕”
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