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Molly Burnett Debuts As GH's Temporary Maxie, Shares: "It Was An Honor To Step In for A Few"

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC

Courtesy/ABC

Tuesday’s episode of General Hospital saw the debut of Molly Burnett as the temporary replacement for Kirsten Storms in the pivotal role of Maxie Jones.

Burnett, who is best known to daytime audiences for her role as Melanie Jonas on Days of our Lives, shared her first General Hospital scenes with Robert Palmer Watkins (Dillon), and the incoming Bree Williamson as (CJ aka Claudette), whose first episode was also on Tuesday’s airshow.

In light of her GH debut, Molly took to Twitter to share some heartfelt sentiments for taking on the role made famous by Storms.  As fans of the ABC soap know, Kirsten is already back and has resumed the role after her short break.  Burnett posted: “Thank u Port Charles for letting me visit.  Kirsten is so talented, & created such a fun character, it was an honor to step in for a few.”

So, what did you think of Molly’s debut stepping in temporarily for Kirsten Storms? Did she capture the essence of Maxie in her first scenes?  What did you think of her very thoughtful tweet about spending some time in the hood of Port Chuck? Share your thoughts in the comment secton below!

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Molly was great! The role is in good hands!

I’d like to comment on Bree’s debut: Should have been dramatic–wasn’t.
Bree can bring drama–sad to see her come in and to “watch the paint dry”–yet again.

It was only the first day. Character conflict must be set up with a narrative foundation. Today, only the second day, it appears she will already have a confrontation with Nathan. Please give them at least a day of storytelling breathing room. Bree will bring it–guaranteed. She always does.

I agree. I was underwhelmed by Bree. However, I think it’s because, as usual, I expect too much from actors/actresses that I am am really into.
Molly, on the other hand, killed it, today. She was outstanding. She’s not Kirsten; but, Molly has opened a brand new can of worms. The possibilities are endless. This Maxie ‘temporary replacement’ has something up her sleeve where Claudette is concerned.
Claudette may think she has one over Maxie. But, Maxie has MINX written all over her face. Kudos.

I thought she was great!

Molly was great, and I thank her, for stepping in, while Kirsten could not be there. Wish GH, would give her a role, all her own. She was spunky, quirky, adorable, and I would love to see her on GH, working at crimson

Loved her tweet by the way. So sweet! I wish her the best of luck.

I thought she was great! I had no problem accepting her as Maxie right out of the shoot. Also, she looked stunningly gorgeous! That’s a very gracious message she sent out. She’s a fun and talented actress and a class act. Long live GH!

I love Molly… I know so many people don’t, but I miss her….wish she had come on as a different character so she could stay.

I agree. I thoroughly enjoyed Burnett today, I kept wondering who is that?? I did not care for her character on Days. I would love to see that character (not Maxi) on GH or another soap!

I loved Melanie Jonas! Cute, fun and lovable to me.

Me too Kevin, Molly Burnett did a terrific job as Maxie. I love Molly, she is a wonderful actress. The haters will always hate, they are never satisfied. I hope Molly comes back to days, I miss her so much.

Molly Burnett — I just don’t see it. It was jarring to see a brunette in Maxie’s shoes. I will give her credit for at least trying to be convincing in the role but she just doesn’t present well. I heard so much praise about her previously and I saw her on DAYS and was sorely disappointed but I thought that maybe on GH she would shine. Well not so much. I guess for her fans it was refreshing to see her again but I can’t wait for the REAL Maxie to come back.

Yeah, they have hair and makeup, they could have lightened her hair. I guess its just for a couple weeks so why bother.

To be fair it was her first day, so I’ll allow for “first day jitters” and what not. One more thing…..I think that she played it a bit too reserved because of a lot of insults about her over acting or being a bit to hyper or flaky when portraying Melanie on DOOL. She was probably over compensating, but the characters of Maxie and Melanie are actually a lot alike, so she could bring the bubbliness to the role. But no matter what she does the poor girl is d***** if she does or d***** if she doesn’t. But I am a big fan of hers and I wish her the best. If Kim Matula doesn’t return to B&B, I think she would make a great replacement for Hope, if they were to bring the character back…

I really liked her interpretation of Maxie. It was a refreshing change and good one.

Well done, Molly. You are a genuine pro.

I actually thought Molly did a great job on GH… never liked her character on Days, and while I love KS, I enjoyed seeing Maxie as a completely different personality. (Funny how subjective these things are, my reaction to the temporary Maxie was the opposite of my reaction to the temporary Nikolas. Nothing against the actor, but he was so different than TC’s Nik that I had trouble seeing him as the character at all. That one was a major fail for me.)

I dunno. I fell like TC has been on “auto-drive” for a really long time. He’s lost whatever it was that he once had. I’m tired of ALWAYS catching him read the cue cards or teleprompter or taking direction or whatever it is he’s always looking at off screen. He just dials it in now. At the very least an actor can do it “act”. I mean it’s in the name of the job afterall.

I don’t know, hard to say. Yes, the actors should act….. but I understand how they may not see it that way given that the writers should also write, and they aren’t necessarily holding up their end of the framework.

This lady is one class act!

Liked her new look….also dressed in sylish clothes…stunning!!

*stylish

Surprisingly she was fine…

Was very surprised they didn’t have her go blonde, but no biggie. Glad KS will be back soon. Tweet shows MB is a class act.

Molly did very well. Maxie is one of a kind so it wouldnt be easy to do. Her like Nick Stabile filling in for Tyler are very good actors. Its a shame they are “Filling in” when they could have been casted as someone permanently. GH has enough bad actors. Why not switch them out? Molly as Sabrina and Nick as A.J. YES, we need A.J. ALIVE!

Nick as A.J. has a stroke of genius to it. I’d vote for that.

Hi Soaphound. Many of us noted Nick’s resemblance to Sean Kanan the first day he took over his current role as Nicolas. If Sean had to be replaced, Stabile would fit the bill physically, though I’d love to see SK back now that Ron’s gone

I liked what screen time Molly has had. Seems to have chemistry with the other actors.

Totally!

She did great. Hopefully the powers that be will find a role for her. She resembles elizabeth. Maybe a long lost webber.

Great idea! Doesn’t Elizabeth have a sister? She’d be perfect!

Maybe Sarah?!

It’s such a short stint I wonder why they elected to have a temp replacement to begin with? Couldn’t Maxie have visited Georgie for a few weeks?

She does have a sister named Sarah…

I was thinking… Molly should be Sara Webber!!!

Well I give her props for trying– it is not an easy task to come in and take over a role so established even on a temporary basis. And personally I am glad they didn’t attempt to make her look like KS– she is a soap version of the Broadway understudy so we viewers can afford to generous and not give her too much flack because she is not KS.

Molly captured Kirsten’s delivery and tone quite well without mimicking. While not a fan of her role on Days, this brief stint is a testament to her skills as an actress.

I so disgree, lol. I never saw Molly Burnett and I really liked her. She’s adorable and whomever she was playing was great! By that I mean (and here’s where I disagree) her version (in my view) of Maxie didn’t “capture” Kirsten’s delivery at all. Kirsten is almost hyper, bubbly, all-over-the place. Molly’s version seemed sophisticated, mature, mellow. I enjoyed watching her; she just wasn’t Maxie as we know her (and I’m not talking hair color). Anyway, she was great; just a different version.

Enjoyed Molly’s version and she looked great..

GH should have emergency back up storyline in case actors have to be absent, both replacement for nikolas and maxie were distracting more then anything and not distracting in a good way, i feel gh should of just waited for the actors to come back, then continue the storylines, surely claudette could of been introduce without having to first interact with maxie. The show could of build up to them meeting . The nikolas storyline the only thing saving it is ironically Ava being added to the mix, because jason and sam are a bore to watch. but seriously no more temp replacement they just don’t work in my opinion. Have back up story to air or just keep the story going without the actors, theres way the writers and show runner just have to be creative.

I was floored at how good Ms. Burnett was in her debut episode. She was bright, charming, poised, and lovely. I’m happy to be wrong by my skepticism. On the other hand, I was NOT, however, similarly won over by Ms. Williamson. I guess time will tell, often actors need a few weeks to feel comfortable. Us, too.

I thought the same thing about Ms. Williamson.

i jus wish the writers would have stalled this storyline whist KS is away…just seemed so odd introducing Bree Williamson with a stand in for Maxie.

Exactly. The writers drop or forget about all of the storylines. This could have waited a couple of weeks. Maxie could have been written as visiting Georgie.

Love Kristen but love molly too!

I’ve never understood the appeal of the Maxie (I preferred Georgie) so I was surprised that I enjoyed Molly Burnett’s take on the character. Wish she was staying longer.

Agreed! Really like MB’s interpretation of Maxie.

Nothing against the actress, but I had trouble biying her as Maxie. I’m sure she did as well as most could. Kristen is just irreplacable in my eyes.

I did too, I posted a comment below.

Agree to disagree. Loved MB. She needs to be on daytime somewhere. She turned a character who has become annoying and cloying of late into someone watchable.

I am not a fan of MB’s DOOL character. I was pleasantly surprised when she appeared as Maxie as reserved and not so bubbly. Today’s episode will be more telling with her interaction with Nathan and Claudette.

I agree the storyline should have been put on hold or Claudette’s interaction with Maxie delayed until KS’s return. Like Nathan has said Claudette is manipulative. That is all I see thus far with her. Bree is a fine actress. This is her first daytime role she has created and it will be interesting to see where this goes.

I decided to tune-in since I read a lot of the positive feedback here on the site. While I am sure it is hard to temporarily fill in for another actress on leave, I only saw Molly acting as Melanie (from DOOL), not really acting as Maxie. Maybe if TPTB asked Molly to color her hair, I would have thought she acted/seemed more like Maxie. I just don’t see the appeal or acting capabilities.

Upon further thought….Molly brings a certain maturity to the role that Kirsten lacks. KS’ version of Maxie seems to be stuck in perpetual childishness. Molly’s Maxie, I get to see the character as an adult. The character of Maxie has to be in her 30s by now, but Kirsten interprets her as still being in her early 20s. Even when the writers put her with her child. I find Kirsten’s Maxie to immature for my liking.

But on the flip side what about Nina and Curtis eh????? In a word- CHEMISTRY!

I was thinking the same thing. And as much as I think the actress playing Valerie is gorgeous they never have her on! We STIlL don’t know who her father is and it’s ridiculous that the Spencer’s didn’t display an iota of surprise that she’s bi-racial or ask about, meet her father. I don’t even remember, did they say if he’s alive? Anyway, if they don’t start featuring her more the role is pointless. Nina and Curtis were attracted to each other from the start; could be an interesting couple.

I cannot think of a more offensive tv introduction of a character than a core character remakring, “We’re related? But…you’re black.” OMG – what century do you live in? If someone were to say that in public today, it would be incredibly rude. I don’t know where you live. But GH is written in Southern California, where multiracial people abound and it’s really not as big a deal as in other parts of the country that are less diverse. I’m not referring to Hispanics or blacks. I’m referring to the multitudes of people who can trace their lineage to 3-4 cultures, like Olivia Munn or Bruno Mars, where it is truly NOT an issue. The only thing that matters is their talent, character & work ethic. GH also takes place in NY state, which attracts as diverse a population as CA. Not to mention, there’s also the issue of adoption, and history to consider, when many Korean & Vietnam vets fathered biracial children when staioned overseas. In the 80’s, Tom Hardy & his wife, Simone, were the first biracial couple on soaps, and the Hardys were completely accepting of Simone. To have the Spencers feel awkward about a new relative 25-30 years later would be a serious step backwards for GH, IMO. Please get with the times.

KansasGuest…And I cannot not imagine a more pompous, self-righteous judgmental, haughty and a few other choice words that I’ll refrain from using in reference to your response. Where did I say anything you implied I did? Where am I from? Born and raised in Manhattan. Work in the media. Have friends of every background/persuasion. NONE of which has to anything to do with noticing and asking the obvious when a bi-racial family member shows up in a totally white family. You think it unnatural to show some surprise or curiosity as to who her father is, what background a relation is? Surprise and curiosity does not equal prejudice, bias, racism or anything negative. If a blond, blue-eyed relative showed up in a black home, you don’t think they’d be a tad curious, surprised?

Can’t wait for writers to write for the characters and not the color of the character’s skin. It would be refreshing and almost like they were in the 21st century.

Do you think they currently write for the color of a character’s race? I don’t. But that still has nothing to do with the fact that a biracisl woman was introduced as a Spencer and not obe person

one person mentioned who her father is or acknowleged surprise as I think most would. Again, not racism, surprise, a reaction, a question. Many posters here questioned who her father was when she was introduced, but twe still don’t know. As for color, lol, some viewers are freaking out because Molly Burnett has brown hair and doesn’t resemble Maxie…and Jason Thompson has dark hair and doesn’t resemble the Abbotts! So I think it’s fair to say Valerie doesn’t resemble a Spencer. If the viewer noticed, I kinda figure the Spencers noticed too.

Like Jen Lilley before her, I find myself very much enjoying Molly Burnett’s take on Maxie. Very poised and quite refreshing even with the darker hair. I wouldn’t mind if, after finishing her stint, there might be a possibility of finding a place for her as a legacy character on GH, maybe Christina Baldwin.

I love her acting style as maxie. I wish she was permanent.

Nobody can replace Maxie Jones and give her what KS does period. The new girl is a great actress but I like her but just not as Maxie. She does bring the Maxie vibe. KS’s Maxie brings a fierce loyal person trying to do the right thing but never 100% confident and definitely not reserved and calm and not a controlled calculating Maxie. KS also has sounds she makes with her pitch that and a sassy beat that only KS can pull off in the role. Also the new Nic is too hansome and older that he could be dating Laura his mother. He would be an excellent AJ thought.

Molly did marvelous work . I wish her the best!

This was my first time seeing this actress in action. She is marvelous! Mr. Valentini, put this beautiful and very talented actress on contract STAT!

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom

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This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, the race is on! Can Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) get to Rocco (Finn Carr) and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in time to ensure their safety from Cullum (Andrew Hawkes)? Can Carly (Laura Wright) with the help of her brother, Lucas (Van Hansis) rescue Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from captivity at Wyndemere? These questions may be answered, plus the return of the one and only Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) are on tap!

In the just released General Hospital spoilers video for the week of June 22-26, Lulu tells her mother, Laura (Genie Francis), “Dante and I have to get to Rocco before Cullum!” Meanwhile, Rocco (Finn Carr) looks angered and emotional as Britt walks through their cabin hideout. Does Rocco know his parents are on the way to find them, or has Cullum already tracked them down to the British Virgin Islands?

Back in Port Charles, Carly is informing Lucas that his niece, “is a WSB agent.” She knows Josslyn (Eden McCoy) is being held against her will at Wyndemere, and she has to find a way to get her out. Lucas agrees with Carly’s plan of, “We go in and we don’t leave without Josslyn!” Elsewhere, Josslyn is looking worried for her future as she is stuck in captivity thanks to Cassius, Cullum and Sidwell!

Courtesy/ABC

FINOLA HUGHES RETURNS

The final moments of the teaser promo reveal Anna in a psychiatric clinic in France. We have not seen her for months after Cullum, Sidwell and Pascal fed her hallucinogenics to make her believe her arch nemesis, Cesar Faison was alive!

Now, the doctors walk towards her hospital bed, where we see the super spy calmly knitting. Is Anna back to normal and playing everyone to get out of her predicament, or does she still remain deeply traumatized … or both?

Take a look at the rest of the official GH spoilers for the week below.

MONDAY, JUNE 22
Willow gets an unwelcome surprise. Trina sticks to her guns. “Nathan” wants reassurance. Ethan advises Ava. Brook Lynn receives an update.

TUESDAY, JUNE 23
Dante cautions Liz. Laura learns a secret. Brook Lynn confides in Michael. Sonny challenges Ava. Chase makes a decision.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
Anna meets with her doctor. Carly makes a stunning confession. Britt extracts a promise. Cullum pulls a fast one. Gio and Emma hit the pool.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25
Josslyn clashes with Cassius. Lulu and Dante make a discovery. Chase receives a warning. Jordan seeks help. Alexis is summoned to the PCPD.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Anna takes a huge risk. Britt is in grave danger. Willow is in disbelief. Danny must act fast. Curtis jumps to the wrong conclusion.

Check out the latest General Hospital promo entitled, “Rescue Mission” below.

Now weigh-in: Do you think Anna is still mentally off-balance, or OK, and just pretending to be troubled to get out of France and get back to Port Charles? Will Josslyn finally be rescued, or will Carly and Lucas find themselves locked up with her? And, who will get to Britt and Rocco first? Cullum, or Dante and Lulu? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric

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With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).

On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..

In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”

GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW

So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!

FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD

As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and  and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”

Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.

So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’

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In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.

The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.

Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”

Photo: CDuellIG

SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL

Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.

The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.

In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”

So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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