“I am taking a break”—General Hospital star Kristen Storms talks about her exit and expected return to Port Charles

On the daytime soap opera General Hospital, fans saw a recent recast of the character Maxie Jones. Recently, Nicole Paggi replaced Kristen Storms as Maxie Jones as seen on the episode which aired on July 3, 2025. Many fans started speculating about the reason behind her unexpected exit from the show. However, on July 8, 2025, Kristen Storms, the actress who portrays Maxie’s character, shared a sit-down video on her Instagram, sharing the reason behind her exit from the soap opera. 

Set in Port Charles, General Hospital is the longest-running daytime soap opera in the history of American television. The plot of the soap opera revolves around the complex lives of the most powerful and affluent families, including the Cassidines, Spencers, Quartermaines, and a few others.
 

About the departure of Kristen Storms from General Hospital

Maxie Jones is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera General Hospital. The character was introduced in 1990. Kristen Bell took over the role of Maxie in 2005 and has played the role since then. The actress has been appearing as Maxie Jones in General Hospital in a recurring capacity. 

This is not the first time that Kristen is leaving, and Nicole Paggi is taking over as Maxie. In 2023, Nicole first appeared as Maxie and has been making appearances when Kristen is off the show. 

This time, when fans saw a sudden recast, they started speculating on the reason behind her departure. However, Kristen is set to come back on the show after her time off. In a sit-down video she shared on her Instagram on July 8, 2025, the actress shared the news that she is leaving for Tenase. She captioned the post with, 

“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. 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. 🥰”

She expressed her gratitude to the executive producer, Frank Valentini, for giving her time off and then recasting her as Maxie. She remarked that she will be coming back as Maxie in mid-November or December. She further added that her character’s storyline, while she is off, is going to be very exciting. 
 

Here’s everything to know about Kristen Storms

Kristen Storms is an American actress born on April 8, 1984, in Orlando, Florida. In 2013, she married Brandon Barash, and together they welcomed their daughter Harper Rose Barash. Three years after their marriage, the couple decided to separate and got divorced in 2016. She was also involved in programs that supported American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, as her brother Austin was deployed in Iraq. 

Apart from portraying the character of Maxie Jones on the daytime soap opera General Hospital, Kristen is also known for her roles in Days of Our Lives, Kim Possible, 7th Heaven, and many more.