SAD NEWS! ‘Kirsten Storms Announces Break from General Hospital, Teases ‘Incredible’ Storyline During Her Absence
‘General Hospital’ star Kirsten Storms taking leave of absence from show after nearly 20 years; Maxie is maxed out.
Kirsten Storms is taking an extended break from “General Hospital” after nearly 20 years. The actress made the announcement in an Instagram video on July 7.
Storms, 41, has already filmed her final scenes — for now. Amid her absence, she is moving from Los Angeles to Nashville with her daughter, Harper, 11, whom she shares with her ex-husband and fellow soap actor, Brandon Borash.
“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,” she wrote. “I plan on documenting as much of this new journey on my social media as I can. It’s always been a dream of mine to move to a place like this, it’s hard to believe it’s really happening.”
Kirsten Storms and Jackie Zeman on “General Hospital.”ABC via Getty Images
The “General Hospital” vet approached executive producer Frank Valentini in March about her plans to travel cross-country.
“I had a conversation with him about my reasons for wanting to move and my desire to not leave the show,” she said in the clip. “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.”
Storms has played Maxie Jones since 2005. The series debuted in April 1986 on ABC.
The actress will return later in the year.
“It’s possible I will be back in December, maybe November,” she said.
“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.”
When it comes to rumors that this brief exit is permanent, she quipped to fans: “Take it with a grain of salt.”
Other actors have taken on the role of Maxie in Storms’ absence. “Days of Our Lives” star Molly Burnett has stepped in and Nicole Paggi briefly replaced her in 2023; she will appear again as Maxie in episodes on July 30 and Aug. 13.
In 2011, Jen Lilley came onboard when Storms took medical leave after being diagnosed with endometriosis.
Storms, who returned one year later, admitted she was surprised that her character was recast.
Kirsten Storms is stepping away from General Hospital — but she’ll be back!
The 41-year-old actress, who celebrated 20 years of playing Maxie Jones on the long-running soap opera earlier this year, opened up about her departure from the show in an Instagram video posted on Tuesday, July 8.
Along with her 11-year-old daughter Harper, Storms is moving to Tennessee, which makes starring in General Hospital (the show shoots in Los Angeles) a bit complicated, the Zenon alum said. So, hoping to keep her spot on the beloved ABC soap opera amid the move, she spoke to executive producer Frank Valentini in March.
“I had a conversation with him about my reasons for wanting to move, and my desire to not leave the show,” Storms said in the video. “Now, when you approach a job like this, they can always be like, ‘Forget it, we’ll let you out of your contract if you’re going to leave the state.’”
Thankfully for Storms, the General Hospital producer “did not do that,” she said, “which was kind of amazing, because I also asked for some time off.” In the meantime, her absence on the show will be filled with an “incredible” story, the actress teased.
Related Stories
“I promise you the storyline they have going on until my return to Port Charles is kind of incredible — you guys are going to freak out, actually,” the star said, adding that she “can‘t wait to see the comments online about that.”
Clarifying the timeline of her break, Storms said she had her “final taping day” for the series in June, and told fans it’s “possible” she will be back later this year, in November or December.
The General Hospital fixture concluded the video by thanking the showrunners and network executives for allowing her to take this time off, and warned fans not to take any rumors about her break seriously.
“If you don’t read about it or watch a video on it from my page, take it with a grain of salt,” Storms said. “People like to say a whole bunch of stuff.”
Actress Nicole Paggi — who previously stepped in for Storms back in 2023 — will reportedly fill in in her absence, according to Entertainment Weekly.
In the caption of her new post, the Zenon alum added that she is “very excited to be making Tennessee my home,” but “can’t wait to return to GH” once she and her daughter are “settled.” Plus, Storms teased, she will be giving fans plenty of glimpses as she embarks on this new chapter.
“I plan on documenting as much of this new journey on my social media as I can,” Storms wrote. “It’s always been a dream of mine to move to a place like this, it’s hard to believe it’s really happening. 🥰.”
