The Real Reason Summer Has Been Recast On The Young And The Restless

Fans of "The Young and the Restless" have watched the character of Summer Newman grow up from her birth, complete with a paternity scandal, and through her marriage to Kyle, per Soaps in Depth. The role has been played by a number of actors. First, it was twins when she was little, then Samantha Bailey, followed by Lindsay Bushman, and then, most long lastingly played by Hunter King starting in October 2012. King also popped up as Summer on the soap "The Bold and The Beautiful" in a crossover event, per TV Insider. 

While Summer wasn't in every episode, fans seem to have gotten used to seeing her played by King. So, when it was announced that Summer would be recast, some people got annoyed, per The U.S. Sun. New Summer on "The Young and the Restless" is played by Allison Lanier. King explained on "Dishing with Digest" in 2021, "I love playing Summer." She also hinted at why she is no longer on the show.

Also on the "Dishing with Digest" podcast in 2021, Hunter King shared some of the behind the scenes drama during contract negotiations with herself that led to her being recast, saying, "When these things happen, there's a variety of reasons why they happen." 

King also shared on the podcast that she saw herself as ready, in a way, to move on from the soap opera. The actress said, "I feel like I've done a lot of growing on the show, and now, I feel like it's time for me to grow in other ways." As sad as "The Young and the Restless" fans are to no longer see King on the soap, according to The U.S. Sun, they may get to see her soon. In fact, the actress is set to star in an upcoming Hallmark movie. 

Hunter King is set to star in the Hallmark movie, "Hidden Gems," debuting on June 4 alongside Beau Mirchoff from "Good Trouble." Set in Hawaii, King plays Addie, a woman who loses her grandmother's ring in the ocean while there for her sister's wedding, per Hallmark Channel. Mirchoff will play Jack, who is a diving instructor Addie hires to help her find the ring, per Soaps.

King posted pics on Instagram from her time in Hawaii, and fans were commenting about how excited they are to see her new movie. However, many of them were also missing her on "The Young and the Restless." King is hardly the first actor to move from soaps to Hallmark movies; she joins the likes of Lacey Chabert and Jonathan Bennett from "All My Children" and Alison Sweeney and Drake Hogestyn from "Days of Our Lives," per Soap Central.