Just when the Newmans and the Abbotts were about to be legally intertwined once again with the marriage of Summer Newman (Hunter King) and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor), the popular couple broke up after Tara Locke (Elizabeth Leiner) put her nose where she thought it belonged by giving Summer no choice but to call things off with Kyle and leave town. Turns out the storyline dictated exit for Summer might have been a cover for the show as it negotiated a new deal with King. Ditto for Mealor.
According to Soap Opera Digest in its newest issue, on newsstands now, setside sources report the duo are on their way out. “Protracted negotiations over King and Mealor’s contracts reached a stalemate,” an insider told the pub. As a result, the pair will be exiting the series with no official last air dates announced.
With the soap not commenting on actor contracts per its policy, neither King nor Mealor has posted on social media since the last full week of June which gives credence to something going on behind the scenes. The pair last shared separate tweets over appreciation from fans for their love and support of “Skyle,” their character’s fan name, after the couple shared an emotional goodbye as Summer left Genoa City for Italy.
King joined “Y&R” as Summer Newman in 2012 before departing the soap in 2016. Returning in 2018, King would later be joined by Mealor as a recast Kyle Abbott.