Everything We Know About Kelsea Ballerini's Relationship with Chase Stokes

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Kelsea Ballerini has had an eventful past few years, and her love life has definitely been part of the equation. Since the start of her country music career in the 2010s to now, she's gained millions of fans and accolades. Now, as her stardom continues to grow, we're all curious: what's going on with Kelsea Ballerini's love life?! From divorcing fellow country music star Morgan Evans to her current relationship with Chase Stokes, here's everything you need to know about Kelsea Ballerini's boyfriend and her past relationships.

Kelsea Ballerini's Boyfriend: Chase Stokes

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Gilbert Flores - Getty Images

Kelsea Ballerini and her current boyfriend, Chase Stokes, have been hot and heavy since January 2023. Stokes is most well known, as of late, for playing John B. on the popular Netflix series Outer Banks. Before meeting Ballerini, Stokes very publicly dated his Outer Banks co-star Madeleine Cline, before they called it quits in November 2021.

Ballerini and Stokes relationship rumors first started gaining traction when Chase Stokes included a photo with Ballerini in an Instagram photo dump on January 14, 2023. The photo shows the pair snuggled up at the College Football National Championship. While the photo only shows the back of their heads, fans immediately knew it was Kelsea, because Chase tagged her in the photo.

When Stokes and Ballerini officially went public with their relationship in February 2023, Kelsea revealed that they started dating on January 7, one week before Stokes's cryptic post. Ballerini admitted she was no longer single during an appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast on February 22, 2023. In the episode, she went on to describe how they initially connected.

She explained that in December 2022, she direct messaged Stokes on Instagram. "His handle is @hichasestoke, and I said, 'Hi Chase Stokes'," she revealed. Of course, Stokes responded and they planned to meet up in person. In August 2023, Kelsea posted a video that she recorded for a friend before her first date with Stokes, showing off her outfit and hyping herself up before Stokes came to pick her up.

Stokes and Ballerini made their relationship red carpet official at the CMT Awards in April 2023, which the "Heartfirst" singer hosted alongside Kane Brown. In January 2024, Ballerini and Stokes celebrated their one year anniversary and shared some of their favorite memories (plus a video of Chase snoring, now that's real) on Instagram. "One year of lovin you ❤️ s. told ya I wouldn’t embarrass you 🥰,"Stokes wrote of the milestone.

Kelsea Ballerini's Marriage to Morgan Evans

Before Ballerini and Stokes got together, Ballerini was married to Australian country singer-songwriter, Morgan Evans. Ballerini and Evans met in March 2016 while cohosting Australia's Country Music Channel Awards. Immediately after the show ended, they did a shot together which led to their first kiss.

Later that same year, on Christmas Day, Kelsea and Morgan got engaged. They married one year later in December 2017 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

los angeles, california february 10 morgan evans and kelsea ballerini attend the 61st annual grammy awards at staples center on february 10, 2019 in los angeles, california photo by david crottypatrick mcmullan via getty images
David Crotty

After four and a half year of marriage, Ballerini filed for divorce on August 26, 2022. "Friends, I’ve always tried my best to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way, while also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold. This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce," Ballerini wrote on her Instagram story. "This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end. It’s hard to find the words here … but I feel extremely grateful for the years of marriage to Morgan and hopeful for the next seasons."

"I am very sad to confirm that after almost 5 years of marriage, Kelsea and I are parting ways. I wish it were otherwise but sadly it is not," Evans shared on his social media. Their very public divorce was finalized in November 2022, just one month before Ballerini reached out to Chase Stokes for the first time, and the experience fueled Kelsea's album, Rolling up the Welcome Mat. However, now that more than a year has passed since their split, they seem to have moved past their feud.

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