Kirsten Storms rose to fame as Disney Channel’s Zenon in the ‘90s, but her time on General Hospital has cemented her as a soap star.
Storms began playing Maxie Jones on the beloved soap opera in May 2005. Her casting followed a series of child actors and Robyn Richards, who portrayed the character from 1993 to 2004.
In the two decades since, Storms has become a fan-favorite for her portrayal of Frisco Jones (Jack Wagner) and Felicia Cummings’ (Kristina Wagner) daughter. Her time on screen, however, hasn’t been without its ups and downs — much of which was affected by off-camera struggles.
Storms has taken several hiatuses from General Hospital for various health reasons. In July 2025, she announced a prolonged break while relocating from California to Tennessee.
“It’s possible I will be back in December, maybe November,” Storms said via Instagram at the time. “I promise you the story line they have going on until my return to Port Charles is kind of incredible. You guys are gonna freak out actually.”
Scroll down to see Storms history on General Hospital from day 1:
May 2005
Kirsten Storms and Jason Cook. Everett Collection
Storms made her General Hospital debut as Maxie. She became a series regular in January 2006.
September 2011
While Storms was battling endometriosis, she took a break from the show and was replaced by Jen Lilley.
September 2012
Heather Olson, Aaron Van Wagner, Jay Kenneth Johnson, Nadia Bjorlin, Jason Cook, Kirsten Storms, Kyle Lowder and Farah Fath. Everett Collection
After returning to the soap, Storms confessed she was surprised that Lilley had replaced her in her absence.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say that I was taken aback a bit by it,” she told Soap Opera Digest following her return. “I would prefer that someone play Maxie and be playing Maxie well to keep the character relevant and in the soap world still because it doesn’t take much for a character to die off and for somebody else to come in and be in a front-burner story line.”
Storms added: “I was very excited just to know that she was still going to be in Port Charles and doing lots of things.”
January 2014
The Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century star took maternity leave from General Hospital after welcoming her daughter, Harper, with then-husband Brandon Barash. Storms returned to the set in April 2014. (Storms and Barash, who is also part of the General Hospital family, called it quits in 2016.)
May 2016
Storms announced via Twitter that she was taking a leave of absence due to skin issues. She was temporarily replaced by Molly Burnett, who filmed for two months as Maxie. Storms returned to set in July of that year and fans saw her back on screen that August.
March 2017
The actress’ rep confirms to ABC Soaps In Depth that Storms was taking time off for personal reasons. In May 2017, Storms addressed her absence via Instagram, writing, “I try to keep my personal life private, however, I recently mentioned on my twitter that I suffer from SEVERE depression.”
According to the post, shared by Soap Opera Digest, Storms explained, “If you or someone you know has dealt with it then you know it can be a difficult time in life. I’m doing much better of late and look forward to returning to work soon.” She was back filming by June.
June 2018
When Storms was sidelined with the flu, Burnett once again stepped in.
June 2021
Storms revealed via Instagram that she underwent brain surgery and had to wear a neck brace to support the “lower portion of my brain.” She shared it was not cancer but said, “I had a very large cyst that had split into two, and the doctor said it was, like, so full the pressure was very noticeable when they opened up my skull. [It] sounds so weird.”
As a result of surgery, Storms said she would be “on the mend for the next several weeks” but would eventually return to work. During her recovery, Maxie was written out of the show, taking an extended trip to Texas.
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December 2023
Nicole Paggi took over the role of Maxie for one episode when Storms was otherwise unavailable. Paggi also played the character on a January 2024 episode.
May 2025
Greg Vaughan and Kirsten Storms. Scott Garfield/ABC/Everett Collection
After two decades on the series, Storms got real about Maxie’s romance with Lucky Spencer (Greg Vaughan) after knowing the actor since she was 14 or 15. “Back then, he was a grown-up. So, that was a very interesting experience,” Storms told Swoon in an interview, calling the on-screen connection “weird.”
Storms and Vaughan’s 10-year age gap threw the actress for a loop, even though their story lines began years prior. “Of course, I always thought Greg was a gorgeous guy, but that was a little strange for me,” she said. “And the story line was rough because of all the things Maxie was doing just to get him. So, that was a crazy time, and questionable choices were made.”
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century zoom-zoom-zoomed into our hearts in 1999, and we’ve been saying “cetus-lupeedus” ever since. The movie follows the story of teen Zenon Karr, played by Kirsten Storms, who lives on the space station in 2049. After getting into some trouble with the space station’s commander, Zenon is sent down to […]
After Maxie’s tumultuous relationship with Lucky, she romanced several other men, including Johnny, who was played by Storms’ now-ex husband Barash. Storms, however, wouldn’t change their on-screen romance for anything because it led to an off-screen relationship.
“I remember being super excited to have a make out scene with him. We were good buddies. Even still, our banter is unlike anything else in my life, and we always had that,” Storms recalled to Swoon of working with Barash. “If someone had told me then that I was going to have the most amazing, kind and beautiful girl [daughter, Harper] with him, I would have been like, ‘Shut up. No way that’s happening. Brandon? Really?’ I never would have guessed, and if I’m thankful for anything that came out of GH, obviously, it’s that I got Harper.”
July 2025
Jane Elliot and Kirsten Storms. Disney/Christine Bartolucci
Storms surprised fans when she announced via Instagram that she was relocating from Los Angeles to Nashville with her and Borash’s daughter, Harper.
“I had a conversation with him about my reasons for wanting to move and my desire to not leave the show,” Storms said, explaining that producer Frank Valentini knew about the move in March 2025. “When you approach a job like this, they can always be like, ‘Forget it, I will let you out of your contract if you’re going to leave the state.’ GH did not do that, which was kind of amazing because I also asked for some time off.”
The actress noted that she already had her “final taping day for the year” and fans would continue to see her story play out starting in August 2025. (Maxie will briefly be played by Paggi from July to August 2025.)
“I’m very excited to be making Tennessee my home! I can’t wait to return to GH, once Harper and I are settled in our new town,” Storms added, hinting that her time as Maxie is not done.
