Fans recently saw Maxie Jones don a different face on General Hospital. Another actress has taken over the character just as Kirsten Storms recently celebrated 20 years in the role. Fans are already wondering what is going on behind the scenes with this recent change.

Kirsten Storms First Took On The Role Of Maxie Jones Back In 2005

Maxie Jones has been part of General Hospital since 1990. The daughter of super-couple Frisco Jones and Felicia Cummings, she was initially portrayed by a set of child actresses.

Over the years, various actresses have played the part. Robyn Richards, for example, played the character for around eleven years, from 1993 to 2004, despite a brief recast. In 2005, the character would be played by Kirsten Storms, who would continue in the role well until 2025.

However, General Hospital fans would be treated to a new, yet familiar, Maxie during the July 3, 2025 episode. During the episode, the character was portrayed by actress Nicole Paggi.

This isn’t the first time fans have seen Paggi play Maxie. She previously filled in for Storms back in 2023 due to a scheduling conflict. In addition, many may recognize her from appearances on 9-1-1, The Rookie: Feds, and 90210.

In fact, there have been a few other times when Storms was replaced on the soap. Other actresses, including Jen Lilley and Molly Burnett, have also filled in for her in years past.

As noted by TV Insider, a spokesperson has confirmed that the change is only temporary. Storms will return to the soap in the week of August 18.

Storms Recently Opened Up About Her Past 20 Years On General Hospital

However, this isn’t the last fans have seen of Paggi, either. She will appear as Maxie again on July 30 and August 13 before Storms makes her return to Port Charles.

That said, the change is somewhat timely, as Storms recently celebrated her 20th anniversary on the soap. She also recently spoke with the publication while looking back and noting that she wasn’t the first actress to bring Maxie to life. As she shared, “I think I knew I was going to just do it very differently than the actress before, and she was much younger, so I knew that the way the producers and writers were planning on taking the character was going to be different than what Maxie had been.”

Storms is also no stranger to how fans can react to recasts. At the time, she noted, “I thought fans would be a little bit upset about it initially, sure, but I thought if I do my best, I can win that group over. I try not to think very negatively with situations like that.”

For her part, Paggi also shared her excitement and getting to play Maxie on social media back in 2023. Taking to Instagram, at the time, she shared a screenshot of the soap, noting, “So fun playing Maxie Jones on General Hospital!”

Have you been keeping up with General Hospital? What do you think of the temporary recast?