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‘General Hospital’ Spoilers And Rumors: Is Another Key Cast Member Taking A Break From The Show?

By Stacy Carey
Published on: 10:00 PST, May 27, 2016

Change is in the air over at General Hospital and rumors are swirling about another cast shift that has fans buzzing. Is actress Kirsten Storms about to take a break from playing the role of Maxie in Port Charles? Which actress is said to be under consideration to take over the character for a bit?

As was recently detailed by the Inquisitr, Tyler Christopher is said to be stepping away from the character of Nikolas Cassadine for a bit. Nick Stabile, an actor familiar to many in the soap world, is reportedly taking over the role for now. While specifics have not been shared by the show or the actor, the talk is that Christopher has been facing difficult contract negotiations and that he has asked for some time away due to personal issues.

Not long ago, Rebecca Herbst faced difficult contract negotiations as well. Things went so down to the wire in Herbst’s case that the writers were told to stop writing for Elizabeth and the character was seldom seen for a short period of time. Luckily, Herbst was able to come to terms with the show and will be sticking around Port Charles.

There were also rumors swirling recently that Roger Howarth, who plays Franco, might be leaving the show. While those behind General Hospital do not necessarily address rumored arrivals or departures, or contract issues, ABC executive Nathan Varni was quick to dismiss this one just as it was escalating. Vain said, via Twitter, that the talk of Howarth leaving the show was completely fabricated and untrue.

Reports have just emerged that soap veteran Bree Williamson has been cast to play Claudette, the mysterious ex-wife of Nathan’s who has had Maxie worried. Nathan has told Maxie some of his history with Claudette, but he has held back some key details and now it sounds as if the truth is about to emerge.

However, according to Daytime Confidential, this storyline may be facing a difficult challenge. The site details that actress Kirsten Storms, who has played Maxie on-and-off since 2005, is looking to take a break for a bit. Storms did take a break from the role for a while back in 2011, and other actresses have played the character of Maxie over the years.

The reports of Storms’ request for a break have not yet been confirmed by Kirsten, or by General Hospital, but the site does have a very solid track record for breaking accurate scoops. If they say that insiders are confirming this, it is very likely true. As for Storms, she has seemingly been taking a break from her social media pages.

Kirsten typically tweets quite a bit, but she hasn’t posted anything since the end of April. Over on Instagram, Storms did post one photo recently, but she had taken a break for about a month prior to that. As General Hospital fans know, the actress and her now-estranged husband, Brandon Brash, announced in early April that they had split and fans worry that the divorce is taking a serious toll on Kirsten.

Other General Hospital fans worry that this may be another case of contract negotiation issues, but at this point that is just speculation. As Celeb Dirty Laundry notes, Storms has taken time away from the show before. She was gone from 2011 to 2012 on medical leave, and actress Jen Lilley took over the role of Maxie. Of course, Lilley is now keeping quite busy on Days of Our Lives playing Theresa, so GH needs to look elsewhere for a replacement if indeed Kirsten is taking a break.

While Lilley isn’t available, insiders indicate that General Hospital may be looking at another Days of Our Lives alum to take over the character of Maxie: Molly Burnett. Molly played Melanie on DOOL and would seemingly be available. Fans buzzing about these reports aren’t sure that they can see Burnett in the role, but everybody will have to stay tuned to learn more.

General Hospital fans are quite worried about Kirsten Storms and are hopeful that she is doing okay. Folks do not want to see someone stepping in as a replacement to play Maxie, especially heading into a hot storyline with Claudette about to show up in town. Many are already suggesting that the writers find a way to simply send Maxie out of town to see her daughter for a while, or something similar, rather than bring in a replacement. For now, everybody will have to wait and see just how this plays out if indeed Kirsten Storms is planning to take a break from General Hospital.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

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Entertainment tv Soap Opera Kirsten Storms General Hospital Tyler Christopher
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