Actress Kirsten Storms has publicly addressed her custody dispute with former husband Brandon Barash, urging supporters to cease speculation for the sake of their daughter.
The 42-year-old General Hospital alum posted a statement to Instagram on Sunday, July 19, acknowledging the ongoing legal matter while emphasizing the need for privacy. "Please remember that we are people who are divorced and have a child," Storms wrote. "I appreciate the supportive comments, but now that my daughter is of the age where she will Google her name while riding the bus to school, I'm asking that the speculation on this issue please stop."
The custody battle became public knowledge in April when Barash, 46, filed an emergency restraining order against Storms, according to legal documents obtained by Us Weekly. Court records revealed that Barash had also filed for custody of their daughter, Harper Rose, 12, in December 2025. The former couple had previously maintained a coparenting arrangement and relocated together from California to Tennessee in 2025.
In her Instagram message, Storms reflected on how motherhood transformed her perspective on life. "I had Harper, and how I viewed every single thing in life shifted. I swear I'm not going to continue to bring up my medical situation (I'll make jokes and it will be awkward), but until I began to understand how precious time is and how what we prioritize becomes ALL we have, there was never a thought that my life would ever change," she stated, referencing her 2021 brain cyst diagnosis, a 2025 brain aneurysm, and subsequent medical treatments.
Addressing the legal proceedings directly, Storms sought to downplay concerns about the severity of the situation. "I will briefly acknowledge that there is an ongoing situation with Brandon that will be getting sorted out (soon hopefully)," she wrote. "I would appreciate (and encourage) for people … not to worry about me, or think there is something larger going on, other than 2 ex-spouses dealing with a 'disagreement' that WILL be resolved."
Storms and Barash married in 2013 after developing a relationship while working together on General Hospital, where Storms portrayed Maxie Jones and Barash played Johnny Zacchara. Their daughter was born the following year.
The marriage ended in 2016. "We are splitting due to the cliché irreconcilable differences, but we're splitting amicably," Barash told Soap Opera Digest in April 2016. "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."
According to the recent legal filing, Barash requested modifications to the original custody agreement, citing multiple issues that emerged following the family's cross-country relocation.
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Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a pop culture junkie and loves to share what's happening in Hollywood and what trends are taking the world by storm.
