Here's What We Know About The The Young And The Restless' New Summer Newman
"The Young and the Restless" fans haven't seen Summer Newman, last played by Hunter King, since the fall of 2021 when she and Michael Mealor's Kyle Abbott made a guest appearance at Victoria Newman's (Amelia Heinle) wedding to Ashland Locke (then played by Richard Burgi), according to Soap Opera Digest.
That is when we learned that Summer and Kyle had married off-screen, and we have barely heard from them since.
In late March 2022, Soap Opera Digest reported that Mealor had signed on to return to the soap this spring, but it was doubtful that King would be returning with him as Soap Hub had already reported in February that "The Young and the Restless" had put out a casting call for a new Summer. King had said she was ready to try new things after spending a decade that included some of her teenage years on the CBS soap.
Now, a new Summer has finally been cast in the form of actress Allison Lanier (pictured above), according to Soap Opera Digest.
Allison Lanier is replacing Hunter King
While Allison Lanier is new to the soap scene, she was known to "Red Oak" fans when she appeared on the Amazon series as Annabelle in 2017, according to IMDb. The actress, who stands 5'7", also worked on projects titled "Fish Bones" and "Mia."
Lanier will make her debut as Summer in May, according to Soap Hub, but it's unclear if the character will be returning from her long stay in Italy when Michael Mealor makes his comeback as Kyle or whether Summer will fly home to Genoa City after him.
Summer is a legacy character who was born on the show to the characters Phyllis Summers and Nick Newman in 2006, but, thanks to the magic of soap opera aging, she is now a grown married woman in her late 20s with a flourishing career.
After years of wanting to marry Kyle Abbott, Summer's wish came true in 2021, and now she will certainly be there to support her husband as she learns that his presumed-dead mother, Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters), is really alive.