Michael Mealor Previews Kyle and Diane Meeting Again on Y&R

It was one thing for Diane Jenkins to let all the adults in her life think that she was dead on The Young and the Restless — but her own son? Unforgivable! Or maybe not. Viewers are going to see Kyle Abbott, portrayed by Michael Mealor, encounter his mother this week on Y&R, and he’s sure to have lots of questions. Mealor spoke with Soap Hub about it.

Michael Mealor Talks When Kyle Meets Diane

Diane (Susan Walters) letting Kyle think that she was dead is so unfathomable that there was an online rumor that theorized Kyle has known all along that his mom was among the living. “I haven’t seen that theory,” Mealor told Soap Hub prior to episodes airing that had Kyle discovering Diane is, in fact, alive and well. “He’s spent roughly 20 years without his mother. [That] affected every aspect of his life.”

Diane’s Absence Messed Up Kyle

While Kyle was raised by his father Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) and had loving aunts in Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) and Traci Abbott (Beth Maitland), Mealor says that Diane’s absence in his character’s life can’t be easily explained away.

“How would I have handled relationships with women differently?” the in-character actor asks. “Would things with Summer [Allison Lanier] have been so wacky? It affects decisions in business, how he treats his aunts. Kyle’s going to start questioning [a lot].”

Michael Mealor’s Kyle Can Play Nice With Nikki Now

Kyle didn’t have much interaction with Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) over the years, but the actor does recall one encounter his character had with his mother’s supposed killer.

“Nikki and Kyle had one [big] scene to my knowledge,” Mealor recalls. “[He] went to the Newman Ranch to see Victor [Newman, Eric Braeden]. He wasn’t there. Nikki was. I unloaded on her. Other than that, [Kyle] hasn’t spoken to Nikki.”

No one would blame Kyle now for unloading on his mother. Diane may have felt she had her reasons for faking her death, however, Kyle’s likely going to be placed in a position where he’s either going to have to forgive his mother or cut her out of his life. “What is forgiveness?” Mealor rhetorically asks. “I don’t know.”

The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Genoa City, check out all the latest that’s been posted on Y&R spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.