Hunter King and Michael Mealor one year after leaving The Young and the Restless

Cheryl E Preston

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Hunter King and Michael MealorScreenshot Soaps.com

A look back at Skyle one year ago

In October 2021 Michael Mealor and Hunter King both left The Young and the Restless and fans were saddened, The duo portrayed Kyle Abbott and Summer Abbott who were known as "Skyle" and were one of the most popular couples on the CBS soap. On-screen the Abbotts moved to Milan where Summer worked for Marchetti and Kyle continued to work for Jabot Cosmetics. They were mentioned from time to time and viewers continued to hope Mealor and King would return.

Both actors said the reason they left Y&R is that contract negotiations fell through but they left the door open to possibly return to Genoa City one day. King had already done double duty several times by working on outside projects and desired to be free from a contract but said Y&R would not budge. At that same time, Mealor said his team and the Y&R brass could not come to an agreement but he did not mention any future roles. Mealor and King were friends off-screen as well as having wonderful on-air chemistry and now a year later their paths have taken different turns.

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Hunter King has moved on from The Young and the RestlessSoaps She Knows screenshot

Hunter King's journey thus far

King portrayed Summer for a decade from 2012-2022 and since leaving The Young and the Restless the actress has remained busy with several projects including three made-for-television movies and a voice-over on an animated series. She has appeared in A Royal Corgi Christmas, Hidden Gems, and Nikki and Nora: Sister Sleuths which may be turned into a series, and lent her voice to Hamster and Gretel. She is also in Give Me Your Eyes which is in post-production. There is no indication that she would desire to return to Y&R at this point or that the soap would ditch Lanier for King.

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Michael Mealor returned to The Young and the RestlessSoap Central screenshot

Michael Mealor today

Mealor returned to The Young and the Restless six months after leaving because the show's execs approached him with an offer he could not refuse. He was told that Susan Walters would reprise her role as Kyle's mother Diane Jenkins. While away from Y&R the actor appeared in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia so his schedule was not as busy as King's and he was able to return. Fans were delighted to see him back on the screen and life for his character has changed.

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Allison Lanier and Michael Mealor as SkyleDaily Soap Dish screenshot

Kyle and Summer moving forward

The Young and the Restless hired Allison Lanier to replace King as Summer and viewers have been warming up to the recast. Lanier's version of the blond is more mature and grounded and less bubbly. Skyle is raising Harrison Abbot (Kelen Enriquez) together and also jointly running Marchetti from Genoa City. They are a power couple and for now, their relationship seems to be on track.

The only real negativity comes from their feuding mothers Diane and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford). Kings fans who were hoping she might reprise her role on The Young and the Restless can catch her in her other endeavors while enjoying Mealor back on the CBS soap with Lanier by his side. Spoilers indicate that trouble is brewing and Kyle might soon be disappointed in his mother so stay tuned.

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I write, about breaking news, and current events. I wrote a newspaper column from 1997 to 2007 and have written for various online platforms since 2012 including Yahoo Contributor Network, Hubpages, and Vocal Media.

Roanoke, VA
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