Kirsten Storms temporarily replaced in ‘General Hospital’

Kirsten Storms takes a short break General Hospital.

Storms, 39, who has played Maxie Jones on the ABC soap since 2005, has been temporarily replaced by actress Nicole Pagi. Deadline reported on Thursday, December 28, that Paggi, 40, will play the role during Storms’ absence, which will last a few days. Soap Opera Digest used to be report first The news.

Paggi made her debut as Maxie on the Wednesday, December 27, episode of the show. She is best known for her role as Sydney in the ABC comedy Hope faith starring Kelly Ripa and recently landed a guest spot 9-1-1.

This isn’t the first time Storms has said goodbye to the soap opera since she was cast as Maxie nearly two decades ago. In 2011, she was replaced by Jen Lilley as she struggled with endometriosis. She returned in 2012, but later took additional temporary leaves of absence in 2016, 2017 and 2018, when Molly Burnett took on the role. After brain surgery in 2021, Storms said goodbye to Maxie again during her recovery.

Storms initially took over the role of Maxie from Robyn Richards, who played the character from 1993 to 2004. Storms previously starred in another soap opera, Days of our liveswhere she played Belle Black for five years from 1999 to 2004.

Since Storms began her role as Maxie, she has been through a slew of storylines, from a heart transplant, drug addiction, blackmail, deception and murder. Recently, Maxie welcomed a son, James, with on-screen love interest Nathan (Ryan Paevey).

In real life, Storms is a mother to daughter Harper, 9, whom she shares with the former General Hospital Co-star Brandon Barash. Storms and Barash, 44, met on the set of the soap and married in June 2013. They separated three years later but maintain an amicable co-parenting relationship.

Storms has even posted sweet photos of dad and daughter via her Instagram over the years. In 2022, she captioned a photo of Barash and Harper before a school event. “The Daddy/Daughter Dance pre-party was a success. Corsages for baby roses? Stop the cuteness,” she wrote.

Storms has been acting since she was a child. She was a mainstay on the WB drama, 7th heavenin which she plays Laura Cummings, one of Simon’s (David Gallagher) girlfriends. She later sent hearts booming by playing Zenon in Disney’s 1999 film Zenon: Girl of the 21st centurywhich spawned two subsequent sequels in 2001 and 2004.