Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton is finally opening up about his whirlwind marriage and subsequent divorce from actor Lukas Gage. In a recent podcast appearance, Appleton got candid about the end of the six-month marriage, revealing that he was dealing with “a lot of private pain” during that time.
The high-profile couple, whose marriage was officiated by Kim Kardashian in a Las Vegas ceremony, made headlines for their speedy romance and equally fast split. Appleton filed for divorce in November 2023, just months after the pair tied the knot. Now, for the first time, he’s sharing his perspective on what happened.

Speaking on the Jay Shetty podcast, Appleton addressed the public’s perception of his life. “I think people have this perception, from social media probably, that I have it together… From the outside it probably looks like I got it all together. But the truth is, especially during that time, I was going through a lot of private pain,” he shared. He explained that dealing with the intense online speculation and tabloid stories while trying to process his own feelings was incredibly difficult.
Despite the short duration of the marriage, Appleton says he has no regrets. He believes that “moving fast doesn’t always mean you’re reckless. Sometimes it means you’re hopeful.” He emphasized that he goes into every relationship with an “open heart” and would “rather love and fall than to never feel anything at all.” He also stressed that a relationship’s ending doesn’t mean it didn’t have meaning. “An ending doesn’t mean that it didn’t mean anything. It just means it ended,” he stated.

Appleton also touched on the idea of “alignment,” suggesting that he and Lukas Gage weren’t aligned in the way he thought they were. He compared it to buying a house, saying, “I like bright and lots of space; I don’t like confined and dark. Some people do. And that’s OK. We’re just not aligned.”
While Lukas Gage had previously described the marriage as a “manic episode,” Appleton’s recent comments offer a new layer of insight into the breakup. He noted that he has learned a lot about what is important to him in a relationship, including boundaries and how he wants to be loved. He also spoke about the importance of therapy and dealing with feelings.
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