Longtime General Hospital star Kirsten Storms has been written out of the daytime soap after more than two decades playing fan-favorite troublemaker Maxie Jones.
Viewers learned during Thursday’s episode that Maxie is leaving Port Charles and moving to Australia with Damien Spinelli, played by Bradford Anderson, and their children, Georgie, Bailey and James. The storyline was introduced after Spinelli accepted a new job overseas.
Storms, 42, has portrayed Maxie for 21 years, making her sudden departure an emotional blow for longtime fans of the ABC series.
Her exit follows a turbulent period that has included brain surgery, an extended break from filming and an increasingly bitter legal dispute with her ex-husband, fellow soap actor Brandon Barash.
Last summer, Storms announced that she was taking six months away from General Hospital to undergo brain surgery. She later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, with the former couple’s 12-year-old daughter, Harper Rose.
Storms’ absence led writers to place Maxie in a prolonged coma. Although the character finally woke up in February, Storms appeared in only a small number of episodes before being written off again.
The actress announced in June that she expected to take additional time away while dealing with legal issues involving Barash.
“Given what’s been going on, I can’t say I will feel comfortable heading back to Los Angeles and returning to work,” Storms wrote on Instagram. “This has been an eye-opening experience about the downside of my profession.”
Storms and Barash married in 2013 after meeting while working on General Hospital. They announced their divorce in 2016 and have continued co-parenting their daughter.
Their relationship recently became the subject of court proceedings after Barash was granted an emergency restraining order against Storms in April.
According to court documents cited by Page Six, Barash alleged that Storms was experiencing a mental health crisis and raised concerns about her housing, finances and ability to safely care for their daughter. He also claimed she may have been struggling with substance abuse.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and Storms has publicly described the situation as a disagreement between two divorced parents.
Barash alleged that Storms had been sued for eviction in Nashville and had experienced recurring housing instability. He claimed she did not have a permanent residence between September 2024 and June 2025 and frequently stayed with friends or in hotels.
According to the filing, Storms sometimes changed hotel rooms because she feared that people were following her and their daughter.
Barash also alleged that Storms’ vehicle was in danger of being repossessed and said he loaned her $5,000 to help resolve the problem.
The actor further claimed that Storms began experiencing delusions and hallucinations in May 2025 and told him she did not believe she should have their daughter during her scheduled parenting time.
Storms was reportedly taken to a hospital that month, placed on a psychiatric hold and later released.
Barash also cited a claim from one of Storms’ friends who allegedly believed the actress was abusing Adderall. He asked the court to order Storms to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Storms responded to the controversy in a July 19 Instagram statement, acknowledging the legal dispute while urging fans not to speculate about her health or private life.
“I will briefly acknowledge that there is an ongoing situation with Brandon that will be getting sorted out, soon hopefully,” she wrote.
Storms said there was nothing “larger going on” beyond two former spouses dealing with a disagreement that she expected would eventually be resolved.
She also asked people to remember that the dispute involves a child who is now old enough to search for stories about herself online.
“I appreciate the supportive comments, but now that my daughter is of the age where she will Google her name while riding the bus to school, I’m asking that the speculation on this issue please stop,” Storms wrote.
Representatives for Storms and General Hospital have not publicly commented on whether the actress’ departure is permanent.
Fans were divided over the decision to send Maxie to Australia. Some said the show should leave the door open for Storms to return, while others suggested the role could eventually be recast.
One viewer said it was sad to see both Maxie and Storms leave the series, while another urged producers not to punish the actress over what the fan described as a difficult divorce.
For now, Maxie’s move overseas gives the show a way to explain Storms’ absence without permanently closing the door on one of General Hospital’s most recognizable characters.