After weeks of speculation and silence, actress Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers) has stepped forward to confirm that Hunter King (Summer Newman) is leaving The Young and the Restless (Y&R).
Sharing an Instagram post on the evening of Tuesday, August 10th, Stafford paid tribute to both her on-screen daughter, King, and her on-screen, future son-in-law, Michael Mealor (Kyle Abbott).
“I love them both so much!!” Stafford wrote in the caption. “I will miss them. I want so badly for them to jump and follow their dreams and really make it happen.”
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Last month, it was reported that both King and Mealor were locked into what insiders described as “protracted negotiations” regarding their contracts. It was believed that both actors and Y&R producers had reached a stalemate.
Stafford’s confirmation is reminiscent of the way viewers found out about Mealor’s departure, after another co-star, Jason Thompson, confirmed his exit on Twitter. Those tweets were deleted hours later.
“I believe in them completely,” Stafford continued. “They are Super Stars!! I have said that from day one.”
Although King’s future has looked bleak on the CBS soap, with her character taking off to Italy and appearing on-screen only sporadically since the rumors began, Y&R managed to keep viewers in the dark until this week. Finally, Summer and Kyle reunited in Italy and shared their plan to remain overseas together, which will serve as a happy, albeit bittersweet, ending for the popular couple.
As fans mourn this confirmation of King’s exit, Stafford couldn’t help but share their wishful thinking. “Maybe they can ‘stop by’ here and there,” she added. Spoken like a true Skyle fan!
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