Chris Appleton is officially off the market, confirming that he is “very happy” and “very much in love” with his boyfriend, Lukas Gage.
The hairstylist, who works for high-profile stars such as Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and Ariana Grande, made an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in an episode airing on Friday. In a teaser clip from the show, Appleton tells Barrymore, “I feel very grateful to be able to share my time with someone very special.” He added, “Love is a really special thing, and I think meeting someone you connect with is really, really special so.” The host then gushed about what “a catch” Appleton is, pulling up a photo of him and The White Lotus star four-wheeling in Mexico together. The hairstylist replied, “Yeah, that is Lukas. That’s in Mexico.” The couple first sparked rumors at the end of February when they both posted photos from their Mexican vacation, sharing snapshot of the duo four-wheeling as well as a shirtless selfie of both of them swimming in the ocean. Fan speculation was sent into overdrive after Appleton commented on Gage’s post, “Stud,” with a heart eyes emoji.
Gage went on to address the rumors swirling about their relationship in an interview with the New York Times published on March 9. “If they want to think that, they can,” he told the newspaper. “I’m a pretty open book about most things in my life, but I have a problem with the culture of everyone needing to know everybody’s business and nothing can be sacred. It’s a weird line that I’m still trying to figure out.” The following day, Appleton shared a photo of the actor from the Times story on his Instagram Stories, writing, “Hot & talented @lukasgage.” And Gage has left plenty of social media clues they’re an item as well. On March 5, he commented on the stylist’s photo of himself in Milan during Fashion week, “Wooooooof.” And, on the 13th, he also reacted to a post of Appleton at the 2023 WME pre-Oscars party, writing, “Hot alert.” Since returning from their vacation, the couple has also been spotted out together several times in Los Angeles, and even made things red carpet official at Vanity Fair and TikTok’s “Vanities: A Night for Young Hollywood” event last week.