love is dead

Lukas Gage & Chris Appleton are splitting after 6 months of marriage, giving us all whiplash

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Lukas Gage and Chris Appleton pose at a step-and-repeat for a 'Victoria's Secret' event.
Image Credit: Getty Images

What happens in Vegas… maybe was meant to stay in Vegas after all.

Just over six months after getting hitched in Sin City, it sounds like actor Lukas Gage, 28, and celebrity hair stylist Chris Appleton, 40, are heading their separate ways.

According to TMZ, Appleton filed for divorce on Monday morning, citing “irreconcilable differences” and listing Friday as the pair’s date of separation.

The news comes as a shock considering the couple seemed very much like they were still in their “honeymoon phase,” appearing together as recently as Halloween, posing with friends in their Beetlejuice and The Joker costumes.

That being said, seeing how quickly Gage and Appleton went from “Instagram official” to fiancés to husbands, we suppose their whole relationship’s been at hyper-speed.

Still, it’s sad to see another high-profile LGBTQ+ marriage come to an end, especially in a year that’s also brought news of divorce for Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef, Billy Porter and Adam Smith, and TikTokers Nicky Champ and Pierre Boo, to name a few.

It only was this past February that Appleton first began popping up on Gage’s Instagram and vice versa, raising eyebrows everywhere.

By that point, the actor wasn’t publicly “out,” but already played a number of queer characters (including an unforgettable stint in the first season of The White Lotus), so folks had been wondering about his sexuality. One “fan” even tagged Gage on the app formerly known as Twitter, asking why a “straight actor” should get to play so many LGBTQ+ roles, to which he famously quipped, “you don’t know my alphabet.”

But, through his relationship with Appleton, Gage became comfortable speaking a bit more openly about his life and his sexuality. During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in March, the stylist confirmed he and Gage were, indeed, together. Later that same month, the actor was on the Today show when he said he felt “very happy. And very lucky. And very much in love.”

Next thing we knew, US Weekly was reporting that the pair was “secretly engaged”—but they didn’t even bother making an official statement because, a few weeks later, they were sharing photos from a surprise wedding in Las Vegas.

Related:

Furs & Kim K & Shania, oh my! Lukas Gage & Chris Appleton’s wedding pics need to be seen to be believed

If Shania Twain isn’t your wedding singer, then did you really get married?

The ceremony—which included Appleton’s longtime friend Kim Kardashian as the officiant, fur coats, and an exclusive serenade from Shania Twain—was the stuff of gay dreams, and the adventurous couple was suddenly everyone’s new favorite Mr. & Mr.

Alas…

According to “a source close to the couple” (per TMZ), Appleton “tried everything he could to make the marriage work,” ultimately making the tough decision to file for divorce and do what was best “for himself moving forward.”

As divorce documents reveal, the two did have a pre-nuptial agreement in place, which Kardashian had strongly suggested, as some folks have pointed out:

So, it’s sad news for lovers of love out there, but there’s no doubt the headline-grabbing marriage thrust both into the spotlight. Come to think of it, we partially have this relationship to thank for making Lukas Gage one of the most high-profile out, queer actors working in Hollywood today.

And, hey, another silver lining: There are two hot new eligible bachelors on the market, eh?

As of writing, neither Gage nor Appleton has publicly commented on the divorce.

Related:

Lukas Gage came out after falling in love and deciding he didn’t want to hide it

Lukas Gage came out, fell in love and then walked up the aisle … all within a few weeks.

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