Why Y&R Alum Hunter King Loves Her Hallmark Life

When Hunter King decided to leave The Young and the Restless behind for the second time, Hallmark soon came calling, and the actress signed a multi-picture deal with the TV movie stronghold.

Hunter King: From Soaps To Rom-Coms

King was never short on angst during her years on Y&R. The actress made her debut as Summer Newman just a few days shy of her 19th birthday and made the role her own. For the next decade, King worked at making Summer a fan favorite, leaving the show for a little over a year in 2017 but returning in 2018. During that time, King appeared in the primetime series Life in Pieces.

In 2021, King left Y&R again and quickly made the move to Hallmark. Before her November 2022 new Hallmark deal was announced, she had already made two flicks for the cable and streaming giant — Hidden Gems and Nikki and Nora: Super Sleuths. Soon after, A Royal Corgi Christmas debuted, followed by The Professional Bridesmaid.

Unlike her soap opera life as Summer, King’s Hallmark characters all get their happily-ever-after when the movie ends.

King Couldn’t Be Happier With Hallmark

The move to Hallmark was an easy one for King. As she told TV Fanatic when A Royal Corgi Christmas premiered, Hallmark offers a big dose of happy, something we all need from time to time.

“Oh my gosh. I mean, there’s so much to love about working for Hallmark,” she said. “I think one of the things that I love most about working for Hallmark is that there are always just such happy sets to work on as well as such happy scripts.

“Hallmark is just known for making people smile and bringing joy to people’s homes. And it’s the same as on set,” the actress continued. “I mean, the sets are always such a blast, and the people are always so lovely to work with, both in front of the camera and behind the camera.”

Up next for King on Hallmark is The Santa Summit, premiering November 5 as part of Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas lineup.