The Top 5 Most Shocking Young And The Restless Recasts Ever

Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) and Summer Newman (Hunter Hayley King) have always been in each other’s orbit, and getting married was destiny for the couple. However, in 2021, they faced a seemingly insurmountable hurdle of Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) and Tara Locke (Elizabeth Leiner). The duo drove Summer out of town, forcing her to leave Kyle behind in Genoa City. However, thankfully, Summer told Kyle the truth about their plot, and they reunited. 

News then broke that they were both exiting the show, leaving the future of the two characters in major doubt. They briefly reprised the roles for Victoria Newman’s wedding in Tuscany, but it was a one-off appearance. In 2022, Kyle was announced to be returning to the show, but Summer was going to look a bit different. Alison Lanier was stepping into the role, ousting long-time actor King who played the role for several years.

People were invested in the future of Kyle and Summer’s relationship. Those same people though, had no emotional connection to Lanier being thrust into the marriage between Kyle and Summer. They had the lovers get married off-screen, so nobody got to witness their nuptials, and when we see them back together in Genoa City, it’s suddenly a new woman with a far more timid personality than what people were accustomed to seeing. The new Summer eventually came into her own, but it took many months before she had any significant impact on the storylines involving her family.