CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” is reportedly in the midst of recasting the role of Summer Newman, last played by Hunter King (“Life in Pieces,” “Hollywood Heights”) on the daytime drama series.
According to a report by Michael Maloney, the soap has issued a casting call for the character who is described as “a dynamic, attractive woman in her Late 20’s–savvy, fun-loving, and refined, from a powerful and rich family.” This is a contract role with producing studio Sony Pictures Television and has the potential for a three-year deal.
Since exiting the role of Summer, King reportedly has gone back to school. In an October 2021 interview with Soap Opera Digest, King told the magazine, “I’m taking an accelerated math class that’s only six weeks long, but next quarter, I’ll be taking a lot more classes. As of right now, my major will be psychology. And hopefully, I’ll be working that in with acting, but I’m in the pursuit of learning as much as I can and constantly growing as a person.” She noted, “Depression is something I’ve struggled with for years, so I’m passionate about finding ways to not only help myself but others in that way. That would be extremely rewarding for me. I also went to Europe for a while and I’m also auditioning but I feel like I’m at a weird crossroads in my life of, ‘What do I want to do next?’ I’m just taking it day by day of exploring what options are out there for me. I have a lot of things brewing, so it’s about finding out which one is the most interesting to me.”
Despite the potential recasting of Summer, it doesn’t appear as though the show has plans to recast her beau, Kyle Abbott, last played by actor Michael Mealor. According to Maloney, there is currently no word yet on whether Kyle will be returning with Summer either played by Mealor or someone new.
Born in 2006 (on-screen), Summer is the daughter of Nicholas Newman (Joshua Morrow) and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford). In spite of the methods used by rival Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) to get her a lucrative fashion job in Milan, Italy, Summer moved across the world upon realizing she couldn’t pass up her “dream job.” Even still, she missed Kyle who was growing closer to the son he didn’t know he had until Tara Locke (Elizabeth Leiner) reappeared in his life. On the show, it was explained that Kyle and Tara had an affair some years earlier which produced the child who Tara named Harrison. Previously, Tara had passed Harrison off as the son of Ashland Locke (now played by Robert Newman).
When it was revealed that Tara had been working in cahoots with Sally to keep Summer at bay, and following Tara’s arrest for embezzlement, Kyle abruptly ran off to Italy to be with Summer. The two have since declared their love for each other and have built a life for themselves, and Harrison, in Europe as husband and wife, appearing only on the rarest of occasions, including Ashland’s October 2021 Tuscan wedding to Summer’s aunt, Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle).
King most recently appeared as Summer in a special episode of the soap which centered on the life of the character’s father, the aforementioned Nicholas Newman (Morrow). The Christmas-themed episode aired on December 24, 2021, and saw King appearing as Summer via an 0n-screen call with her dad.
Since January, King has been filming the upcoming thriller “Give Me Your Eyes” (working title), playing Jael Jones. Set for release later this year, the movie is about a woman (King) who volunteers for a video chat app that connects sighted individuals with visually impaired users. Her good service becomes a nightmare when Alejandra (Elyfer Torres), a mysterious, young blind woman, wakes her with a chilling late-night call: “There’s somebody in my house, I need your help.” In an isolated location where the police are not an option, Jael must remotely guide Alejandra as she flees a pair of hooded assassins … while unraveling the secrets of Alejandra’s dark past and increasingly violent nature.
King previously starred in the CBS sitcom “Life in Pieces” and the Nick at Nite teen soap “Hollywood Heights,” created by “The Young and the Restless” head writer and co-executive producer Josh Griffith.