Tragic Details About Hallmark Star Hunter King's Life
Daytime Emmy winner and Hallmark star Hunter King has made a mark in Hollywood, and her star continues to rise. In June, it was announced that the network was working on a Kansas City Chiefs-inspired holiday story titled "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story," and King alongside Tyler Hynes will star in the film together. As much as things are looking on the up and up for the 30-year-old actor, that doesn't mean King hasn't experienced some lows in her career and relationships.
Prior to becoming Hallmark's fave leading lady, King starred as Summer Newman on "The Young and the Restless" for 768 episodes. During her time on the soap, King was reportedly sexual harassed by her co-star Michael Muhney, who played Summer's uncle Adam Newman, in 2013. While Muhney was fired for his alleged workplace misconduct, King ended up leaving the soap in 2021 to pursue other things. Below is more on King's rumored on-set drama, and other tragic details of her life, from breakups to internet trolls.
Hunter King received backlash after Michael's 'Young and the Restless' firing
When Hunter King was just 20, she allegedly came forward about the workplace harassment she got from her "The Young and the Restless" co-star Michael Muhney. In 2014, TMZ reported that Muhney was let go from the show after he allegedly groped King on two different occasions, while also bullying her. King wasn't the only castmate who apparently complained about Muhney, who was on thin ice at the time for his behavior, according to sources. They shared with the outlet that King's report was the "straw that broke the camel's back," and led to his firing.
Muhney played Adam Newman on the beloved soap, and as a fan-favorite character, his followers were quick to blame King for his departure. Because of all the hateful tweets, Muhney posted on his X (now Twitter) in 2018 that the rumors weren't true. "People sending hateful tweets to @HunterHaleyKing about me must STOP. That internet rumor was FALSE. It never happened. She NEVER made those accusations. She's a talented actress, let her do her job without this nonsense," he wrote. Whether it was true or not, it was tragic that King had to deal with any of that in the first place.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Hunter King left 'The Young and the Restless' after contract negotiations
After being on "The Young and the Restless" for close to a decade, Hunter King decided to leave behind Genoa City in 2021. She's since made cameo appearances, but chose to stop being a permanent cast member after difficult contract negotiations. At the time, King and Michael Mealor, who played Summer's love interest Kyle Abbott, talked to Soap Opera Digest about their decision to leave "The Young and the Restless" after "not seeing eye to eye" with the network on their contracts.
Talking about her negotiation process, King shared, "[I]t's such an odd process when you're doing that but also feeling that you're family, so, it's definitely weird." While they couldn't reach an agreement, King said that there was "no ill will toward the show," and she had been a part of it for over nine years. It felt like time to move on, and try new things with her acting career. This eventually led to her Hallmark success.
Hunter King split from her fiancé in 2020
While Hunter King may star in several love stories for Hallmark, her and ex-fiancé Nico Svoboda never quite made it to their happily ever after. King first met Svoboda on the set of "The Young and the Restless," where he was a cameraman for the soap, and the two became engaged in 2018. At the time, King told Soaps In Depth that she knew he was the one because they were best friends. "As long as you have a friendship, I feel like that's so important," she said.
It seems friendship isn't always enough to keep the romance going, though. In 2020, the two decided to go their separate ways. In a statement given to Us Weekly, sources told the outlet, "They called off their engagement a few months ago." While they still followed each other on social media after the split, King has removed most of her posts of Svoboda. That included her announcement post with the caption, "I love you I love you I love you I love you FIANCÉ!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I GET TO MARRY MY BEST FRIEND!!!"
Hunter King deals with depression and anxiety
Hunter King's Instagram is filled with photos of friends and family, like her sister Joey King, but she also uses the platform to talk about her mental health. In 2020, for World Mental Health Day, Hunter posted a pic of herself on a Peloton bike with the caption, "I sweat (a lot) and definitely shed a few tears. Mental health has been something I've struggled with for many years as I try to navigate depression as gracefully as I can. It's not something I share much, and I'm not really sure why. I think a lot of times I feel ashamed for dealing with depression and anxiety."
Hunter decided to be open on Insta and check in with help others who might be secretly dealing with their own mental health struggles. Since then, she's shared more posts and Insta Stories, talking about her depression. In May 2021, Hunter shared a photo of some street graffiti she ran into that read, "I Hope U Know How Loved U Are." In her caption, she wrote, "Depression f**ks with your head....it tells you you aren't good enough, that you're a burden, that you're alone.... at least that's what it tells me," but by stumbling upon this graffiti, she felt it was kismet and a great time to check in once again with her followers.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
Hunter King has dealt with trolls on the internet
Being a celebrity means you not only have more fans, but also more internet trolls as well — and many of those trolls like to comment on your appearance. Hunter King had to deal with a few of those social media users in 2023 when rumors began swirling that the actor was getting too many lip injections after she shared a selfie on Instagram. Seeing all those negative comments forced King to post on her Instagram Story in response. "After my last post and all the negative comments I just wanted to address something. No I don't have any lip filler," the Hallmark star admitted.
She continued that even if she did get lip injections, people shouldn't feel comfortable talking about her body. "Keep your negative comments to yourself. I [don't know] who raised people to think it's okay to spew such negativity. It's rude. And it's hurtful," she said. According to King, she gets swollen lips in the morning and isn't sure why. Either way, she shouldn't have to defend herself to anyone.