From Pete Davidson and Chase Sui Wonders to Selena Gomez and Zayn Malik, there are seemingly SO many new celeb romances popping up in the new year. The latest? Outer Banks star Chase Stokes and country music star Kelsea Ballerini were seen getting close at the turn of the year.
Speculation of a potential romance first surfaced after Chase issued what many fans believe to be a “soft launch” with pictures of Kelsea on Instagram. Rumors continued to pick up steam as the duo was photographed traveling and going on fun date nights together.
ICYMI, Chase dated his OBX costar Madelyn Cline from April 2020 to November 2021. Kelsea split from ex Morgan Evans in August 2022 after five years of marriage. Kelsea seemingly confirmed her romance with Chase during an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast in February 2023, and since the two have been spotted out and about together since, we’ll be sure to update you here with *all* of the latest details.
July 10, 2023: Kelsea on Why She Went Public With Chase Following Her Divorce
Kelsea and Chase have remained one of the cutest couples on our Insta feed since soft-launching their relationship in January. Four months later, at the 2023 CMT Music Awards, the couple went public with their romance, and according to the “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer, taking this next step with Chase was a no-brainer.
“The thing that we’ve decided, and to each their own, is when you’re with someone that you feel secure with and that you’re proud to be with, why not share it?,” she said in a cover story interview with Stylecaster. “He’s also a Virgo; we’re both Labrador Retrievers in human form. It doesn’t take much conversation to be on the same page. It’s been half a year and it’s been great.” ❤️
June 24, 2023: Kelsea Shares a Sweet Kiss With Chase During a Live Performance
Just when we thought Kelsea and Chase couldn't get any cuter, they do something new that makes us swoon. During the Seattle stop of her Heartfirst Tour, Kelsea sang her track "Penthouse" from her EP Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, which allegedly breaks down her divorce from ex Morgan Evans. In a flowing lavender gown sans shoes, the country star ran back and forth on stage and planted a smooch on her current beau, Chase Stokes, before singing the line "I kissed someone new last night."
A fan posted the sweet moment to TikTok and received a flux of heartfelt comments from #Chelsea shippers. "She really is living her best life and it is so damn admirable. Get it girl," one fan wrote, while another said, "I wanna cry about this for her and like it has nothing to do with me." Some even compared the couple to Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Disney's Tangled because of their blonde and brunette pairing, as well as Kelsea's purple outfit. "she’s rapunzel who found her flynn," someone wrote. These two! 🥹
June 19, 2023: Chase Says Kelsea Is the "Best Human Being on Planet Earth"
Not only are things going well between Chase and Kelsea, but her fans approve of their new 'ship and even gave Chase the nickname "golden retriever boyfriend." Chase wore the nickname with a badge of honor during a chat with Entertainment Tonight. "I'll take the job, I'll take it," the Outer Banks star gushed. According to Chase, the nickname is perfect because his dog Milo is a golden retriever and German Shepherd mix. ICYMI: Urban Dictionary defines a golden retriever as "a significant other that is easygoing and makes it fairly simple to maintain a happy and fulfilling relationship."
Chase continued to gush about his new GF and gave a bit of insight about what it has been like seeing Kelsea perform during her Heartfirst tour. "Oh my gosh, she seriously is the best human being on planet Earth, and she's so damn talented," he beamed. "I was just watching video — she's been sending me stuff from last night in Santa Barbara. Just to see her music and her shine in the ways that she is in recent times, it's been beautiful."
June 10, 2023: Fans Think Kelsea FaceTimed Chase During a Music Festival
Kelsea took the stage for a mini surprise set at CMA Fest in Nashville over the weekend where she performed hits from her recent EP, Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, and "If You Go Down (I’m Goin' Down Too)" from her 2022 album Subject to Change. After the show at the Spotify House within the music festival, the 29-year-old singer caught fellow country star Sam Hunt's set and seemingly FaceTimed BF Chase Stokes so he could catch a glimpse of the artist on stage.
Fans think Kelsea FaceTimed Chase while Hunt was singing at Spotify House in Nashville, according to a clip posted by Pop Crave on Twitter. In the video, the Outer Banks star appears to be on screen as Kelsea turns the phone from the stage to the audience.
May 9, 2023: Chase and Kelsea Cozy Up in New Photo Dump Selfie
On May 9, the Outer Banks actor posted a photo dump on Instagram (and totally snuck an adorable selfie with his GF, Kelsea, in there 🥹). In the first pic, he's staring at the famous Stanley Cup trophy and captioned his post "it's Tuesday and the Stanley Cup came to my house. wtf."
Kelsea, who's snuggled up next to Chase in the final slide of his post, took to the comments section to compliment her man. "find somebody that looks at you like chase looks at the stanley cup 😍," she wrote, "ps- you cute," she wrote.
April 2, 2023: Kelsea and Chase Make Their Red Carpet Debut at the 2023 CMT Music Awards
On April 2, Kelsea hosted the CMT Music Awards alongside fellow country crooner Kane Brown at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Of course, she hit the red carpet in style for her big night. Her best accessory, though, was her beau Chase on her arm. The couple made their red carpet debut at the ceremony, and they were all smiles as they cozied up to each other. The "If I Go Down" singer wore a floor-length gray Dolce and Gabbana gown with white straps while Chase went for a Greaser vibe in a black short-sleeve button-up shirt and pants to match.
March 7, 2023: Kelsea Reacts to Rumors that Her Relationship with Chase is a PR Stunt
Kelsea's relationship with Chase is real, and she wants everyone to know it. The country music star took to Instagram, sarcastically responding to rumors that her relationship with the Outer Banks star is a PR Stunt. She added a picture of her sitting on Chase's lap as he adjusted her bra strap to her Instagram Story with the caption, "idk seem staged probably PR. 🙃"
The picture came from a photo dump Chase shared on Instagram the same day. He captioned it, "Lil chaos and a lotta love."
March 5, 2023: Chase and Kelsea Hold Hands As They Walk Around NYC
Chase and Kelsea are enjoying their time together in New York City. Days after they packed on PDA during a New York Rangers hockey game at Madison Square Garden, the couple was spotted smiling and holding hands as they went for a stroll in Midtown Manhattan.
March 2, 2023: Kelsea and Chase Photographed on Their First Public Outing
Kelsea and Chase have officially brought their romance public. On Thursday, March 2, the couple attended a New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden, where they did not shy away from showing their affection. In photos obtained by TMZ, Kelsea and Chase were seen smiling, laughing, holding hands, and cuddling up together while watching the game. At one point, the Outer Banks star sweetly kissed Kelsea’s cheek before going in for a full-on smooch. Aw. 🥹
February 28, 2023: Kelsea Unfollows Her Ex-Husband on Social Media After Going Public with Chase
Things are continuing to heat up between Kelsea and Chase. Days after the couple hard launched their new ship in a podcast and on social media, respectively, Kelsea took things one step further by unfollowing her ex-husband Morgan Evans on Instagram.
Kelsea’s big move comes on the heels of Morgan’s reaction to her Call Her Daddy appearance, where she opened up about their marriage and the cause of their split. “It’s really sad for me to see this person, who I spent so much of my life with, and loved with all my heart, saying things that aren’t reality and that leaves out what really happened,” he wrote on Instagram.
February 23, 2023: Chase Says He Misses Kelsea in New IG Story
If there were ever any doubts about whether or not Chase and Kelsea are dating, the Outer Banks star has officially set the record straight. Chase posted a picture of Kelsea kissing him on the cheek and captioned it, “imy,” officially hard launching their ship status. ❤️
February 21, 2023: Kelsea Says She Slid Into Chase's DMs Following Divorce from Morgan Evans
Kelsea made an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast on February 21 to open up about her “nasty” divorce from Morgan Evans and her budding relationship with Chase. The 29-year-old country singer was married for five years before separating from Morgan, and she seemingly confirmed her romance with Chase during the podcast episode.
“I think I grieved a lot of the marriage in the marriage, and so I think I was ready to open back up,” Kelsea said of moving on with Chase a few months after her divorce was finalized. “I felt, ‘Why not? I’ve never really dated I don’t know how it works. Let’s just put ourselves out there, let’s just vibe.’” She also revealed that she initially met the 30-year-old actor by sliding into his Instagram DMs.
“I slid into his DMs,” Kelsea dished. “I was just like, I’m not gonna get on an app. And honestly, he shoots in Charleston, and my manager lives there, and he like, put the bug in my ear. He’s like, ‘You know who’s really cute when you’re ready, it’s Chase.” I was like, ‘You’re so right.’ And I’ve never seen the show, but I just knew of him. And so, I followed him, and he followed me, and I just swan dove right on in.”
Kelsea’s relationship with Chase may be new, but she explained to Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper that she still wants to respect Morgan while putting her feelings first.
“I’m not married to him anymore, and I don’t need to care about his feelings anymore,” she said. “And I mean that with all the respect in the world, but his journey is not mine anymore. And so, I hope that he is protected from whatever he needs to be protected from seeing. I hope he has people in his life that help him do that, that is not my job.”
Listen to Kelsea’s full Call Her Daddy interview below.
March 2, 2023: Kelsea and Chase Make Their First Public Outing
Kelsea and Chase have officially brought their romance public. On Thursday, March 2, the couple attended a New York Rangers Game at Madison Square Garden, where they did not shy away from showing their affection. In photos obtained by TMZ, Chase and Kelsea are seen laughing, smiling, holding hands, and cuddling up together while watching the game. At one point, the Outer Banks star sweetly kisses Kelsea’s cheek before going in for the full-on smooch. Aw.
February 14, 2023: Chase Posts a Sweet IG Story to Celebrate Kelsea's EP Release
On Valentine’s Day, Kelsea dropped Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, an EP outlining her divorce from Morgan Evans. Chase took to his Instagram Stories to congratulate the 29-year-old country star’s latest release. “So proud of you, your heart & your beautiful soul. Congrats kels ❤️,” the Outer Banks star wrote alongside a photo of him and Kelsea talking and laughing.
February 8, 2023: Kelsea Teases a Glimpse of Chase Laying in Bed
Things are continuing to heat up between the rumored couple. Kelsea reposted a comment of someone writing, “@hichasestokes come get your girl,” in a video of her sitting up in bed, wearing eye patches, and sipping out of a teacup. She smiled as she leaned over, revealing what appeared to be a man’s tattooed arm.
February 8, 2023: Chase Says He’s “Having a Good Time” with Kelsea
Chase is gearing up for the upcoming season of Netflix’s hit series Outer Banks. During a chat promo chat with People about the show’s long-awaited return, the OBX star gushed about his new romance with Kelsea. According to Chase, they “have just been spending some time together.” While things between the two stars are still new, Chase added, “Kelsea is a lovely, lovely girl. She’s great. We’re having a good time.”
January 29, 2023: Chase and Kelsea Caught Hugging and Kissing While Traveling Together
On January 29, TMZ snapped pics and video footage of the rumored couple hugging and kissing while strolling through California's LAX airport.
January 24, 2023: Chase and Kelsea Have a Date Night at a Bar in Nashville
Although both Kelsea and Chase haven't spilled the tea on what's going on between them, they seem to be proving everyone's speculation to be correct once again as the two were spotted together holding hands in a bar in Nashville, Ballerini's hometown. In a video from TMZ taken on January 24, Chase can be seen leaning in to whisper in Kelsea's ear and then grabbing her hand.
January 17, 2023: Chase Opens Up About Kelsea to TMZ
Chase seemingly confirmed that he was dating Kelsea after catching up with TMZ. He told the media outlet on January 17 that Kelsea is a “sweet girl.” He continued, “We’re having a good time, and that’s all I’ll say.”
January 16, 2023: Kelsea Addresses Dating Rumors on TikTok
The Grammy Award-nominated artist took to TikTok to address the romance rumors that surfaced on DeuxMoi. “I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,” she began, with the screenshot from DeuxMoi posted behind her (in which one tip surmised that she and Chase are a PR stunt). “Stop reading, stop reading. Stop looking,” she continued. “But what is happening, guys? What? What? What? No, let’s not do this, you know?”
“i’m about to break up with the internet 5 sure 😂,” she captioned the video.
January 13, 2023: Chase Sparks Rumors After Posting Pics with Kelsea on Instagram
On January 13, Chase posted a carousel of photos on his Insta grid, captioned “lil recap.” The third pic in the slide captured Chase and Kelsea at the TCU vs. Georgia football game on January 9. The two appeared cozy in the stands as Kelsea leaned into Chase’s shoulder. We cannot see the pair’s faces in the photo, but Chase tagged the singer. “go vols,” she commented on the post, to which Chase replied with the face-with-peeking-eye emoji.
“Soft launch?,” one user questioned in the comments, while another penned, “KELSEA AND CHASE 🚢.” In a separate picture from the game, obtained by Page Six, Chase and Kelsea kept close while smiling for a group photo.
Leah Campano is an Associate Editor at Seventeen, where she covers pop culture, entertainment news, health, and politics. On the weekends, you can probably find her watching marathons of vintage Real Housewives episodes or searching for New York City’s best almond croissants.
