Kirsten Storms and Brandon Barash met on the set of General Hospital, eventually sparking a real-life romance.
Storms began playing Maxie Jones on and off in 2005, while Barash brought Johnny Zacchara to life from 2007 to 2013. The pair kept their offscreen romance private until August 2013, when news broke that they had secretly gotten married two months earlier.
“Brandon and I were friends for seven years before we got together,” Storms recalled on a 2022 episode of the “State of Mind” podcast. “We have a history with each other of being good friends, like, he would crash at my house if we would go out and do karaoke. It was completely platonic [and we] never hooked up.”
According to the former Disney Channel star, she and Barash ultimately reached a “point in both of our lives where [a relationship] just worked out.”
Kirsten Storms’ History as Maxie on ‘General Hospital’ Explained
Storms and Barash welcomed their daughter, Harper Rose, in January 2014, two years before they divorced.
“Once we got married, it was obvious after a certain point that it wasn’t going to work on a romantic level,” Storms said during her “State of Mind” sit-down. “I’m not going to say that our divorce was great because it wasn’t [and] divorce is always hard. … I felt like I had failed at this thing I had committed myself to, and I’m sure he felt the same way.”
The former couple have since worked to prioritize Harper’s well-being instead of harboring any animosity.
“We’re really lucky,” Storms said. “The fact that we put Harper and her needs first is what makes it work. I respect Brandon because he loves our child so much, and I can let go of the negativity that we [had]. … We can [now] make the rest of [our lives] better and happy and give our daughter the life that she deserves.”
Keep scrolling to revisit Storms and Barash’s relationship timeline:
2007
The two actors met when Barash joined the cast of General Hospital, and they quickly became friends.
August 2013
A rep for the actress confirmed to Us Weekly that Storms secretly wed Barash in June amid her pregnancy.
“Thanks to everyone for all the love!” Storms gushed via Instagram. “Brandon and I are very, very, very excited about this new adventure.”
January 2014
Storms gave birth on January 7.
“Our passenger has touched down and arrived,” Barash wrote via X, sharing a photo of the toddler. “Welcome to our world. There has not been a more fulfilling day.”
April 2016
Barash announced that he and Storms had amicably decided to end their marriage.
“We are splitting due to the cliché irreconcilable differences, but we’re splitting amicably,” Barash told Soap Opera Digest. “We have every intention of remaining a family through this and coparenting our kid and retaining a friendship in the efforts of raising her in a healthy environment.”
He added, “This was not a hasty decision; a lot of thought and therapy went into this. We’ve decided that raising our daughter in two separate homes would be a healthier choice for all of us.”
April 2022
During an appearance on the “State of Mind” podcast, Storms admitted that she’d been emotionally thinking about Harper’s life as a child of divorce.
“I’ve cried with Brandon in the last few years about feeling like Harper has a broken family, and she doesn’t have a lot of friends who have divorced parents,” she said. “What I can do to better that for her is get along with her dad and his fiancée [Isabella Devoto, whom he married in 2022], and be genuine and true in my interactions and words.”
Storms continued, “We love our child so much, and we put her first and her happiness first.”
July 2025
Storms revealed her pause from General Hospital and her plan to relocate from Los Angeles to Nashville with Harper.
“Brandon and I actually had a conversation about moving as a coparenting unit mid-January,” Storms wrote via Instagram comment. “It was the first time the idea was voiced. Neither of us would ever have moved without Harper’s other parent onboard for the move as well.”
April 2026
News broke in April that Barash filed for an emergency restraining order. The request was approved after Barash claimed that his ex-wife is exhibiting concerning behavior and he fears for their 12-year-old daughter’s well-being.
Barash recalled an alleged incident in May 2025 when Storms contacted him because she was “experiencing delusions and hallucinations” and “didn’t think she should have the child for her parenting time.” His current wife, Isabella Devoto, assisted Storms by taking her to a hospital where she was placed on a psychiatric hold. Later that same year, Storms allegedly called Barash with claims that people were breaking into her apartment, removing things and placing them into her car to “mess with her.”
Barash alleged that one of Storms’ friends confided in him that the soap star is abusing Adderall and potentially other substances. He also claimed Storms has had “repeated episodes of melting down, being triggered, hearing things/voices that weren’t there.”
In his request, Barash asked that the court compel Storms to undergo a mental health evaluation. Storms, who did not publicly address the restraining order request at the time, was granted supervised visitation with their daughter.
