‘Y&R’ Is Hunter King Coming Back As Summer Newman?

Could Hunter King return to the Young and the Restless as Summer Newman? Rumors have been swirling that her character could get a recast. She left the show with her co-star Michael Mealor (Kyle Newman). Ever since the news of Mealor’s recent return to the show, King could follow him.

Fans have wondered if the CBS soap will get King back as Summer too. Read on to find out more and to see what’s happening with the iconic character.

Why she left Y&R

The first time Hunter King left The Young and the Restless was in 2016 to focus on her role as Clementine Hughes in the primetime series, Life In Pieces. She then returned to the soap in 2018. In her storyline, Summer seduced her mother’s boyfriend Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson), to the dismay of viewers. They couldn’t get passed their obvious age difference.

Summer then focused on winning back her ex-fiance, Kyle Abbott. She didn’t care if he was with Lola Rosales (Sasha Calle) at the time. While Kyle initially married Summer, he still had feelings for Lola. He left her with Lola, but then he realized he really wanted Summer.

Summer and Kyle traveled to Italy for a new life after a series of road bumps. In 2021, Hunter King then made the decision to leave the show behind. Despite working in Y&R for 10 years, she wanted to grow and expand as an actress. King admitted that she wants to try new things.

Hunter King doesn’t rule out a return

Hunter King doesn’t regret her time with The Young and the Restless. She said she will always love playing Summer.

“I love playing Summer, she’s a big part of me for the last … almost a decade,” Hunter King previously said on Soap Opera Digest’s podcast, Dishing With Digest. “When these things happen, there’s a variety of reasons why they happen, but I do hope to always have Summer in my life in some capacity. … I know that I hold her very near and dear to my heart.”

The daytime show got rid of both King and Mealor in the summer of 2021. King told Soap Opera Digest what happened during that time. According to the actress, it had to do with contract negotiations that didn’t work out. She admits that working on a soap is weird because it’s like a “business arrangement” but “it’s also feeling like it’s your family.”

Yet, she did tease a possible return to the series.

“I do hope to always have Summer in my life in some capacity. What that will continue to look like, I’m not quite sure yet, but I know that I hold her very near and dear to my heart.”

Not likely to happen

Mealor has been put back on contract as Jackson’s son. Since Kyle is still married to Summer, she’s likely to come back too… Right? Y&R made it clear that it was not happening. On April 20, 2022, the show announced that they recast the role of Summer with actress Allison Lanier.

She’s appeared in the indie movies It Happened in L.A., M.IA., and Fish Bones. Lanier also starred on Amazon’s Red Oaks. What are your thoughts on the recast? Will you miss Hunter King’s portrayal of Summer? Sound off below in the comment section.

Check back with TV Shows Ace for more news on Hunter King.

Chanel Adams is addicted to reality TV. She’s been writing about entertainment and pop culture since 2006-07. When she’s not writing about TV topics, she creates dynamic blog posts and long-form content for eCommerce and SaaS businesses.

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