Kirsten Storms Returning To ‘General Hospital’ ‘Soon-ish’

Kirsten Storms has been gone from General Hospital for what seems like forever. She took a leave of absence with very little detail about how long she would be gone and why she needed the time.

Storms isn’t a stranger to leaving for weeks on end and has done it twice in the last few years. Maxie Jones was in the middle of a huge storyline with her new husband, Nathan West (Ryan Paevey). The two were finally married and then seemingly disappeared from the small screen. Storms has been abnormally quiet while away from the show, which has caused some worry among fans.

Social media was a huge deal for Kirsten Storms. She would tweet and post to Instagram several times a week, answering fans and sharing her life journey. Storms announced last year that she was divorcing her husband, Brandon Barash, but the two seemed to be remaining amicable for the sake of their young daughter Harper.

According to Soap Hub, Kirsten Storms is returning to General Hospital “soon-ish.” This was revealed when she answered a fan’s tweet about when she would be back as Maxie Jones. While this isn’t detailed information, it is more than has been available since Storms left on leave. Speculation is that she will return this summer once everything she was working on has been handled.

Soon-ish. ?? RT @SharonAtlangel3: @teenystweeting please say your coming back soon to @GeneralHospital ???

— Kirsten Storms (@teenystweeting) May 3, 2017

General Hospital writers have all but killed Kirsten Storms as Maxie Jones. They have her in Portland and when she was supposed to return home to Port Charles, she canceled on her husband last minute. “Naxie” (Nathan and Maxie) fans are beginning to lose their patience and have been incredibly vocal about where the writers have the couple headed. Rumors have been speculating that Nathan may hook up with Amy (Risa Dorken) because of their work on the Nurses Ball together. This is not what fans have in mind and if this is where things are really headed, Storms returning is long overdue. Because General Hospital is filmed weeks in advance, there is definitely no way Maxie will be back in Port Charles before June.

The cause of Kirsten Storms’ leave of absence has not been revealed. There was a brief statement about taking time for herself, but nothing in depth about what has her all riled up. Speculations surfaced that her endometriosis was acting up again, but there were also whispers of her divorce taking a toll on her. During her final scenes earlier this year, Kirsten looked frail and gaunt. General Hospital fans were concerned about Maxie’s appearance for several weeks before the leave of absence was announced. There was some talk about recasting the role, but the writers opted to write her out for a few months instead.

News of a return from Kirsten Storms is a step in the right direction. Because she has been silent about her life there was some concern that she would abandon her role as Maxie Jones and opt to not return to General Hospital at all. Where “Naxie” will be when she comes back is up in the air, especially with the idea that Nathan and Amy could be hooking up. There is also disappointment that Maxie will not be in attendance at the Nurses Ball. It is one of the biggest events on General Hospital for the entire year. Almost all of the cast members make appearances and some of them perform. Storms was a big part of prior events, but she will be absent this year. While “soon-ish” isn’t the response some hoped for regarding her return, Kirsten Storms is definitely coming home to Port Charles in the very near future.

[Featured Image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]