Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes' Relationship Timeline

Mar. 15, 2025

Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini.Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Getty

Kelsea BalleriniandChase Stokes' relationship is as sweet as a country love song.

In January 2023, the singer andOuter Banksactor sparked dating rumors afterStokes posted a cuddly photo of themat the Georgia vs. TCU game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

Afterteasing their relationship in a handful of interviews, they eventually went public with their romance on the CMT Awards red carpet in April 2023.

Prior to dating Stokes,Ballerini was married to Morgan Evansfor nearly five years before she filed for divorce in August 2022. Meanwhile, Stokes was previously linked to hisOuter Bankscostar Madelyn Cline. The actors, who play boyfriend and girlfriend on the Netflix series,dated for over a yearbefore announcingtheir breakup in November 2021.

Here’s a breakdown of Ballerini and Stokes' relationship timeline.

January 9, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes attend a football game together

January 13, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes cuddle up for an Instagram photo

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes.Chase Stokes/instagram

On Jan. 13, Stokes seemingly"soft launched" his relationship with Ballerinias he posted a photo of them cuddled up at the football game in acarousel of photoscaptioned, “lil recap.”

The image shows a blonde girl tagged as Ballerini leaning her head into his chest as they look over the football field. In a nod to her own hometown team, the country star commented, “go vols 🙈” on the post.

January 16, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini subtly addresses Chase Stokes dating rumors on TikTok

Shortly after Stokes posted the photo with Ballerini, dating rumors began to circulate, whichBallerini subtly addressed on TikTok.

She spoke in the video over a screenshot from the celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi that featured anonymous tips about Ballerini and Stokes, plus the manager of Soho House Nashville.

“But what is happening you guys? What? What? No. Let’s not do this, you know?” she said before sighing and blowing a raspberry.

January 17, 2023: Chase Stokes opens up about Kelsea Ballerini

During an interview with TMZ,Stokes broke his silence on Ballerini, saying, “She’s a sweet girl.” Though he refrained from commenting on their relationship status, he added, “We’re having a good time and that’s all I’ll say.”

January 24, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes have a date night in Nashville

January 28, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes show PDA at the LAX airport

February 8, 2023: Chase Stokes opens up about Kelsea Ballerini to PEOPLE

While speaking to PEOPLE about the upcoming season ofOuter Banks,Stokes briefly opened up about his rumored relationshipwith Ballerini, insisting that the two “have just been spending some time together.”

He added, “Kelsea is a lovely, lovely girl. She’s great. We’re having a good time.”

February 14, 2023: Chase Stokes congratulates Kelsea Ballerini on her short film

February 16, 2023: Chase Stokes is “so excited” for Kelsea Ballerini’sSaturday Night Liveperformance

Just hours before Stokes attended the Los Angeles premiere ofOuter Banksseason 3, Ballerini announced that she’d bookedSNLas a musical guest.

“I mean she’s the best,” Stokes toldEntertainment Tonightwhen asked about his girlfriend’s big news. “I’m so excited for herand everything happening in her career right now.”

February 21, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini reveals she’s not single

During a preview of an upcoming episode of the podcastCall Her Daddy,Ballerini opened up about her divorceand how she’s navigating dating. “I’ve never really dated! I don’t know how it works,” she said in the clip.

Amid her romance rumors with Stokes, Ballerini also discussed her current relationship status. “Am I single?” she said with a laugh in the trailer. “Am I single. God. Um… nope.”

In herCall Her Daddypodcast interview, which was released on Feb. 22, the singerrevealed for the first time how she met Stokes. After the two started following each other on Instagram, she admitted that she decided to slide into his DMs.

“I’ve never seen his show, but I just knew of him, and I just swan dove right on in,” Ballerini said. When Cooper asked her what she said to the actor, Ballerini shared that she kept it simple: “His handle is ‘@hichasestokes,’ and I said, ‘Hi, Chase Stokes.’ "

On their newfound romance, the singer added that she’s “just vibing” with theOuter Banksstar. “I was ready to open back up,” Ballerini said of dating again after her divorce. “I just felt, why not? I’ve never really dated; I don’t know how it works. I’m like, ‘Let’s just put ourselves out there; let’s just vibe.’ And it’s been fun.”

February 23, 2023: Chase Stokes shares a cute photo of Kelsea Ballerini kissing him on the cheek

Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini.Chase Stokes Instagram

Stokes posted asweet snap to his Instagram Storyof him and Ballerini. In the picture, the actor smiled with his eyes closed as the country singer wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

March 2, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes share a kiss at New York Rangers game

The duo had a date night at Madison Square Garden in N.Y.C. as they attended the New York Rangers game against the Ottawa Senators. During the game,the two were photographed sharing a kissfrom their seats.

March 3, 2023: Chase Stokes says he’s a fan of Kelsea Ballerini

“Absolutely, I’m a fan,” he said. “Who isn’t a fan?”

Jones then addressed viewers at home, telling them, “For those of you who don’t know, they’re dating,” before she called Stokes and Ballerini “a beautiful couple.”

“Thank you,” Stokes said.

March 4, 2023: Chase Stokes supports Kelsea Ballerini atSNL

March 2023: Chase Stokes hits the road with Kelsea Ballerini

In March, fans captured Stokes singing along in the crowd at several of Ballerini’s concerts. The two also posted a handful of photos of them together on their Instagram accounts, includingone of them holding hands backstage. During one concert, a fan captured Ballerini changing to lyrics to one of her songs to include amention of Stokes’Outer Bankscharacter John B.

April 2, 2023: Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini make their red carpet debut as a couple

Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini.Kevin Mazur/Getty

On April 2, Stokes and Balleriniwalked their first red carpet as a coupleas they attended the CMT Awards, where the country singer co-hosted alongsideKane Brown. The two were all smiles as they hugged it out on the red carpet.

May 10, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini calls Chase Stokes “cute”

Chase Stokes/instagram

Stokes later commented on one of Ballerini’sInstagramphoto dumps.

“I really ❤️ u,” he wrote.

Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini visit her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee

Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram

The coupletraveled to Knoxville, where the country star showed Stokes around her high school and took him to her favorite local restaurant — Litton’s.

“A heart fillin 24 hours at home,” Ballerini wrote on Instagram.

June 17, 2023: Chase Stokes says he’ll “take the job” of being Kelsea Ballerini’s “golden retriever” boyfriend

According to Urban Dictionary, a “golden retriever” boyfriend is defined as “a significant other that is easygoing and makes it fairly simple to maintain a happy and fulfilling relationship.”

“I’ll take the job, I’ll take it,” he said. “She seriously is the best human being on planet Earth and she’s so damn talented.”

June 24, 2023: Chase Stokes surprises Kelsea Ballerini on tour

Chase Stokes Instagram

Stokes flew from Charleston, South Carolina — whereOuter Banksfilms —  to Seattle tosurprise Ballerini on tour.

The “Yeah Boy” singer posted a video of their sweet reunion on Instagram. Shocked to see her boyfriend waiting for her at the airport, Ballerini can be seen jumping into Stokes' arms before giving him a long kiss.

“Welp. turns out, i don’t actually hate surprises. best 24 hours. ugh my heart," Ballerini commented on Stokes' own Instagram post, which included photos from the airport surprise.

August 11, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini says she feels “supported and seen” in her relationship with Chase Stokes

During an interview onTODAY, Ballerini expressed her gratitude for Stokes.

“I’m so happy,” she said. “It’s nice to feel so supported and seen. He’s such a wonderful, wonderful human being.”

August 19, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini shares video from moments before her first date with Chase Stokes

In a video sent to her best friend, Ballerini documented the moments before herfirst date with Stokes. She was full of first-date jitters as she showed off her outfit — a dress and cowboy boots — and gave herself a pep talk.

“I can do this! I can do this! It’s just a date,” she said to herself in a mirror. “You just go and you eat food and you talk about things that you do. Okay.”

August 31, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes attend Venice Film Festival party

Victor Boyko/Variety via Getty Images

While attendingVarietyand the Golden Globes' Venice Film Festival party with herOuter Banks’ boyfriend,Ballerini planted a kiss on Stokes' cheekas he displayed a beaming smile to the camera.

The country singer looked glamorous as she rocked a Yves Saint Laurent black gown with a matching scarf around her neck. She kept her shoulder-length blonde locks behind her ears and accessorized her look with thin dangly earrings and a black clutch bag.

Matching with his lady, Stokes also wore a black outfit that consisted of a four-button blazer jacket with black pants and a white shirt. He wore a pair of glasses and loafers to finish the look.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

November 8, 2023: Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini attend the CMA Awards

Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty

The couple walked the red carpet together at the 57th annualCMA Awards. Ballerini dazzled in a ballerina-pink Christian Siriano gown, while Stokes looked dapper in a suit.

Two days prior, the country star played a sold-out show in her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee.

“I’m still recouping my hearing from how loud it was … for her to go back to her hometown and to sell out an arena, like that stage — it was the coolest thing.I cried the whole time,” Stokes told PEOPLE.

November 29, 2023: Kelsea Ballerini talks about sex with Chase Stokes

“[Sex] was something that I always felt was very … like my experience with it was very performative and for the other person. You know? And it don’t be like that anymore,” Ballerini revealed on the podcast.

“I’m having a nice time,” the Grammy-nominated artist joked while laughing. “I’m just having a nice time!”

January 7, 2024: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes celebrate one year together

In honor of being a couple for 365 days, Ballerini penned a sweet post on Instagram about Stokes.

April 7, 2024: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes attend the CMT Awards

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

September 12, 2024: Chase Stokes says he and Kelsea Ballerini are never apart for longer than three weeks

Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini in Los Angeles in August 2024.Kevin Mazur/Getty

“If we need to make the effort to show up when one’s across the country, we do it,” he said. “The amount of effort that we put into our careers, we should be doubling that in our personal lives. It’s not always easy and it’s not always convenient, but having a big, beautiful life didn’t come from convenience or ease.”

October 15, 2024: Kelsea Ballerini says her new albumPatternsis about “sorting through baggage” with Chase Stokes

Ahead of the release of Ballerini’s albumPatterns, the singer toldWomen’s Healthher new music encompasses “the nuance” of falling in love with Stokes.

“It’s thein-between moments,” she said. “How do we get to the happy-go-lucky, mushy-gushy phase?This is the process, but it took a lot of sorting through baggage together. I think we’re both really proud of that.”

October 25, 2024: Kelsea Ballerini confirms that she and Chase Stokes live together

While talking to PEOPLE, Ballerini revealed that she and Stokesmoved in together.

source: people.com