Kardashian hairstylist Chris Appleton defends charging $277k for a haircut: 'I got dragged for that'

Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton has defended the jaw-dropping cost of his services after the backlash he received.

Appleton, whose famous clients include Kim Kardashian, Ariana Grande and Jennifer Lopez, admitted he once charged $US200,000 (approx. $277,570) for a job and has now explained why.

"Oh god, I should never have said it. I got dragged for that," the 42-year-old said on the Great Company with Jamie Laing podcast.

Watch the video above.

"Is it true you charge $100,000 (AUD$138,785) for a haircut?" host Laing asked.

Appleton, who is also a regular on The Drew Barrymore Show, said when he was originally asked that question on another podcast, he felt "awkward answering" it.

Turns out, the price was even higher.

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"It was $200,000 but I said 100 because I was afraid of what everyone would say. I said it, and then I was scared," Appleton responded.

"Look, there's so much that goes into it," he said.

The stylist explained the high fee was more of a "one-off" occurrence. There were plenty of times he does work for free, and times where he gets paid nowhere near that amount of money.

"And just to set the record straight, that was a bigger thing, there was a lot of travelling and it was a whole commitment.

"So when you break it down it's not as much."

Appleton also explained that you get taxed 50 percent of that in America, then your agent takes 20 percent and your business manager takes five percent.

Appleton is a stylist behind some of the most iconic celebrity hair transformations.

Most recently, he helped Kim Kardashian turn heads at the 2026 Met Gala as she debuted striking blonde hair.

"We landed on a tonal, Cashmere blonde, what a wild few days," Appleton wrote as he shared Kardashian's look on his Instagram page.

And of course, he has also experimented with Kris Jenner, who walked the Met Gala red carpet showing off a feathered fringe and a sharp bob.

"I wanted the hair to feel really clean, really blunt, and almost liquid in shine," he explained in another post.

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