‘The Young and the Restless’ Star Announces Exit From Series

The Young and the Restless is saying goodbye to another cast member.

Allison Lanier has exited the long-running soap opera.

The actress, who has played Summer Newman since 2022, took to X on Wednesday to share that her final episode will air on Friday. “I’ve loved the journey and learned so much but it’s time to grow in a different direction… very grateful for all of the Y&R fans who have supported me <3.”

Summer Newman has been a character on Young and the Restless since 2006 and is the daughter of Michelle Stafford’s Phyllis Summers and Joshua Marrow’s Nicholas Newman. Elara and Rhea Kerwin portrayed the character until 2008 before being replaced by Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio. After a brief stint, they were replaced by Sophia and Angelia Hert until 2009. Samantha Bailey took over the role until 2012, followed by Lindsay Bushman for a brief time. From 2012 to 2022, Hunter King played Summer before being replaced by Lanier.

Lanier’s exit comes after she was nominated for her first Daytime Emmy in 2024 for her performance. As of now, it’s unknown if Summer will be recast, but Friday’s episode of The Young and the Restless should give viewers more of an insight into the character’s future on the show. But it should be pointed out that no matter what happens, there is always the possibility that this won’t be the last time Summer is seen.

Meanwhile, Allison Lanier is the latest actor to exit The Young and the Restless. In recent months, the soap opera has also said goodbye to Colleen Zenk, Trevor St. John, and Brian Gaskill. In November, longtime star Melissa Ordway was taken off contract, but assured fans she was still playing Abby. She just wouldn’t be in as many episodes as usual.

Of course, The Young and the Restless has seen plenty of cast members exit over the years, so it’s nothing new. It sounds like Lanier was just wanting to do something different, so it’s unlikely she’ll come back as Summer Newman in the future. As for Summer’s own future on The Young and the Restless, it might all depend on how Friday’s episode goes and how she will say goodbye. At least for now. New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS