Young & Restless Re-Signs Michael Mealor as Jack and Diane’s Son, Kyle
What with the stunning return of Kyle’s mother, Diane Jenkins, who we believed to be truly and most sincerely dead, our thoughts turned very quickly to the impact her reappearance would have on the canvas and those characters who were closest to her.
Certainly Diane’s reappearance will cause shockwaves throughout Genoa City — Jack, Phyllis and Nikki (who killed her in self-defense!) will be blown away — but the reverberations will go far beyond Wisconsin. Overseas, in fact, as Kyle is going to be absolutely shocked to hear the mind-boggling news that his mother is not only alive, but apparently has been kicking around all this time and going by the name Taylor Jensen!
“Obviously,” viewers thought, “this means that Kyle will have to return to Genoa City and become part of this storyline… but who would be playing the character given that Michael Mealor left Young & Restless last year?”
We got a hint of what might be happening when we saw Mealor pop up in a scene with Peter Bergman’s Jack, as the father updated his son on the news out of Los Angeles about his half-brother Keemo via a video call. Now we can confirm that the actor will be bringing Kyle back to The Young and the Restless, per Soap Opera Digest. While few details were immediately available, the deal is described as “long-term.”
Mealor’s comeback leaves many unanswered questions storyline-wise, however, as Kyle and his wife Summer are currently living in Italy, where she’s happily ensconced at Marquetti and they are raising the adorable Harrison. Will the whole family return to Genoa City upon the news that Diane’s been resurrected?
But the biggest question of all might be how Kyle will react to the news that his mom’s been out there all this time. Will she be surprised to learn of his marriage to Summer, or has she been keeping tabs on him all along? This is one mother/son reunion we’re already counting down to!
Get a refresher on all things Diane-related with this photo gallery!
– Candace Young
