Kirsten Storms has been a familiar face in the soap world for decades. Best known for portraying Maxie Jones on “General Hospital,” the actress first found success as a child star before becoming a staple of daytime television.
From her early Disney Channel fame to her long-running soap career and personal life milestones, Kirsten Storms has remained a fan favorite through the years. With that in mind, here are five fast facts to know about the longtime soap star.
1. Kirsten Storms Was a Child Actor
Soap star Kirsten Storms was born on April 8, 1984, in Orlando, Florida. She began her acting career when she was just a child. In 1998, she landed three episodes on “7th Heaven,” where she played Simon Camden’s girlfriend, Laura Cummings. However, her first big break came in 1999, when she landed two big roles.
One of these roles was in the Disney Channel film “Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century,” where she portrayed the main character, Zenon Kar. That same year, Storms landed the role of Belle Black on “Days of Our Lives,” which she portrayed from 1999 to 2004. In 2001, Storms won a Soap Opera Digest Award in the category of Outstanding Child Actor for her portrayal of Belle Black on “DOOL.”
2. Kirsten Storms Has Portrayed Maxie Jones on ‘General Hospital’ Since 2005
Having already gotten her start in the soap world as a teenager, making the transition from “DOOL” to “GH” seemed to be a no-brainer for Kirsten Storms.
The soap actor got her start in Port Charles as Maxie Jones, the daughter of Frisco Jones and Felicia Jones, and the stepdaughter of Mac Scorpio.
Storms has been a series regular on the soap for over two decades now, having gotten her start in 2005.
3. Kirsten Storms Married Brandon Barash in 2013
While working on “GH,” Storms met Brandon Barash. He landed in Port Charles for the first time in 2007, portraying the character Johnny Zacchara. Barash played Zacchara from 2007 to 2013 and then once again for a brief stint from 2014 to 2015.
In August 2013, Storms and Barash announced that they had secretly gotten married in June. In April 2016, it was revealed that the soap couple had filed for divorce after more than two-and-a-half years of marriage.
4. Kirsten Storms Is a Mother
During her marriage to Brandon Barash, Kirsten Storms became a mother. The former couple welcomed a little girl, Harper Rose Barash, into the world in January 2014. Harper Barash is Kirsten Storms’s only child.
Following their divorce, Storms’s ex-husband married Isabella Devoto, who was one of the teachers at Harper’s school. Barash and Devoto tied the knot in December 2022 and welcomed their son, Joaquin Lee Barash, in September 2023. Barash is expecting his third child in June 2026.
5. Kirsten Storms Underwent Brain Surgery in 2021
When Kirsten Storms was 37 years old, she underwent surgery to remove “a very large cyst that had split into two.” According to People, the cyst was sitting at the lower part of her brain, which caused the soap actor frequent pain.
After having the cyst removed, Storms updated her fans on Instagram. She shared, “There’s a noticeable difference for me as far as the symptoms I was experiencing from the cyst and all the pressure in my head. Those symptoms are gone. The constant pressure and headache I would have, which would affect me so much more than I realized now that it’s not there. That is gone, and that is amazing.”
In January 2025, Storms had a follow-up appointment that revealed that she had an aneurysm on the right side of her brain. As noted by People, Storms underwent another surgery in an effort to coil the aneurysm. However, doctors were ultimately unable to successfully coil the aneurysm due to its complexity. Coiling is a procedure used to block blood flow to the aneurysm.
The soap star shared with fans that she is now in a “gray zone,” where they just monitor the aneurysm until it requires mandatory surgery again. Storms returned to Port Charles in February 2026, after a six-month hiatus due to her brain aneurysm procedure.
From her early days as a child actor to her decades-long run on General Hospital, Kirsten Storms has built a lasting career in daytime television. Whether fans know her from Disney Channel, “Days of Our Lives,” or her longtime role as Maxie Jones, Storms continues to remain a familiar and beloved presence in the soap world.
