General Hospital has given Maxie Jones a new life outside Port Charles, months after Kirsten Storms stepped away from the ABC soap again.
During the July 23 episode, Cody Bell revealed that Maxie, Damian Spinelli and their family were moving to Australia after Spinelli accepted a major job opportunity there.
Storms, who briefly returned in February following a six-month hiatus, has not publicly addressed the latest storyline.
Soap Opera Digest reported that General Hospital has made no official announcement about Storms’ status with the series.
Maxie Moved to Australia With Spinelli and Their Family
The move includes Maxie and Spinelli’s daughter Georgie, along with Maxie’s other children, James and Bailey. Cody said they were scheduled to depart the following night.
The episode also revealed that Maxie sold her shares in Deception Cosmetics to Michael Corinthos. The decision further separates her from the company and its current storylines after years of involvement as its vice president and creative director.
Relocating Maxie rather than killing her off gives the soap an uncomplicated way to bring the character back should Storms return in the future.
Storms Briefly Returned After a Six-Month Absence
Storms returned to General Hospital on Feb. 12 after being absent since August 2025. During her time away, Maxie remained in a coma and received long-term care outside Port Charles.
Maxie awakened to discover that her supposedly late husband, Nathan West, had apparently returned from the dead. The man was eventually revealed to be Nathan’s twin brother, Cassius Faison.
Although the storyline appeared positioned to give Maxie a major role, Storms appeared in only a handful of episodes. Maxie chose to continue her relationship with Spinelli before disappearing from the canvas again in March.
The soap initially explained her absence by saying she had taken an extended trip to the Grand Canyon with Spinelli and their family. Nicole Paggi had also temporarily played Maxie during part of Storms’ earlier hiatus.
Storms Has Expressed Doubts About Returning to Los Angeles
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Storms moved from California to Tennessee in 2025 and initially described her absence as temporary. She later said personal circumstances had made her uncertain about returning to Los Angeles and resuming work. “Given what’s been going on, I can’t say I will feel comfortable heading back to Los Angeles and returning to work,” she wrote in a June Instagram update.
Storms emphasized that her daughter remained her highest priority and asked followers not to speculate publicly about an ongoing disagreement with her former husband, Brandon Barash. In a separate July update, she said she remained grateful for and proud of her acting accomplishments but had begun considering a life outside the career she started before leaving elementary school.
She Has Played Maxie for More Than 20 Years
Storms joined General Hospital as Maxie in 2005 after previously starring as Belle Black on Days of Our Lives and Zenon Kar in Disney Channel’s Zenon movies. Her version of Maxie became central to storylines involving Nathan, Spinelli, Lulu Spencer, Deception Cosmetics and the Jones-Scorpio family.