NEED TO KNOW
- Lukas Gage is opening up about his nuptials to celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton
- In an interview with PEOPLE, the Companion star speaks about how his six-month marriage was “an act of defiance” in response to queerbaiting allegations
- Gage’s memoir I Wrote This for Attention is out now
Lukas Gage is opening up about his marriage to celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton.
The White Lotus star tells PEOPLE that his marriage to Appleton, 42, was “an act of defiance” against the queerbaiting allegations he faced at the time.
“With my very public relationship, I think I was rebelling in a way, because I felt scrutinized by people that I was either hiding this big secret or that I was taking roles from people that were queer,” says Gage, 30, who was married to Appleton from April 2023 until he filed for divorce from the Euphoria actor months later in 2023.
“It was an act of rebellion, like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to be so in your face and be so public-facing about this thing that you can all just shut up,'” he says.
Gage adds, “It was an act of defiance to be so, so loud about it — almost to the point of sharing ad nauseam about this relationship and life I was living in. I went from being very quiet and secretive to being loud and oversharing because I was so affected by these trolls online.”
When it came to his marriage, Gage, who has a borderline personality disorder diagnosis, writes in his memoir about how he was in the midst of hyper-manic episodes when he got married.
“I was just acting off of every impulse,” he recalls. “There was no reasoning and there was no awareness to take my time. It felt very good to be in love and it felt very good to be in this situation, but there was no rationale to anything.”
The Down Low star also says he hasn’t stayed in touch with his ex-husband since their relationship ended.
“I wish him well,” says Gage. “There’s just no communication on that front.”
Lukas Gage’s ‘I Wrote This for Attention’ cover art.
Simon & Schuster
Gage and Appleton initially sparked romance rumors in February 2023 and got engaged a month later.
The pair tied the knot in April 2023 in a wedding officiated by Kim Kardashian, and they were serenaded by country superstar Shania Twain.
I Wrote This for Attention is available now, wherever books are sold.
