Who Is Kelsea Ballerini Dating? Her Romance With Chase Stokes

Who Is Kelsea Ballerini Dating Now?

Kelsea Ballerini is dating Chase Stokes, the 34-year-old actor best known as John B. Routledge on Netflix's hit series Outer Banks. As of 2026, they are back together after a brief breakup — and Ballerini has been unusually open about choosing to fight for the relationship.

Their story began in the most modern way possible: Ballerini slid into Stokes' DMs in December 2022. They started dating in January 2023, and Stokes sparked rumors by posting a cozy photo with her at the College Football Playoff National Championship. Ballerini confirmed the romance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, and the couple quickly became a red-carpet fixture.

In September 2025, news broke that they had parted ways after more than two years together. But by New Year's Eve 2025, they had reconciled — and at the 2026 Grammy Awards on February 1, Ballerini told Entertainment Tonight's Nischelle Turner that the split looked more dramatic than it was, calling Stokes someone she loves deeply and saying she believes in fighting for love.

Who Is Chase Stokes?

Chase Stokes, born September 16, 1992, in Annapolis, Maryland, is an American actor who became a streaming star as John B on Outer Banks (2020-present). Before that he had small roles on Stranger Things and Tell Me Your Secrets. His all-American charm and social media savvy made him one of Netflix's homegrown heartthrobs.

Stokes was previously in a long-term relationship with his Outer Banks co-star Madelyn Cline (2020-2021). Ballerini has said she met Cline, found her lovely and talented, and dismissed internet attempts to manufacture drama between them.

He has been supportive of Ballerini's career, attending her shows and award appearances, and she has said one of the hottest things about him is how proud he is of their relationship.

Relationship Timeline

December 2022: Ballerini messages Stokes on Instagram. January 2023: They begin dating; Stokes posts the football championship photo. Early 2023: Ballerini confirms the relationship on Call Her Daddy. 2023-2025: Red carpets, tour appearances, and a steady stream of loved-up social media posts.

September 2025: Reports emerge of a split after 2+ years. December 2025: Reconciliation rumors swirl; the couple confirms they are back together on New Year's Eve. February 2026: Ballerini discusses the rekindled romance on the Grammys red carpet, saying the breakup taught them both about commitment.

In late 2025, Ballerini also told fans on Instagram that she was keeping her personal life more private going forward — asking that unless news comes from her, it shouldn't be treated as news.

Ex-Husband Morgan Evans

Before Stokes, Ballerini was married to Australian country singer Morgan Evans. They wed in December 2017 in Cabo San Lucas after meeting on a songwriting trip. Ballerini filed for divorce in August 2022, and it was finalized later that year.

She channeled the divorce into her EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (2023), a raw, critically praised break-up record that earned her some of the best reviews of her career. Songs like Penthouse addressed the split directly, and the project marked her artistic coming-of-age.

Kelsea's Career at 33

Ballerini broke through in 2015 with Love Me Like You Mean It, becoming the first female country artist since Carrie Underwood to top the charts with a debut single. Albums like Unapologetically, Kelsea and Patterns established her as country's pop-crossover princess, with hits including Peter Pan, Miss Me More and Hole in the Bottle.

Her 2024 album Patterns earned Grammy nominations, and her 2026 Grammys appearance — discussing both her music and her rekindled romance — showed an artist fully in command of her narrative.

What's Next for the Couple

Neither has mentioned engagement, and Ballerini's recent comments suggest the focus is on enjoying a healthy, committed relationship rather than rushing milestones. After a public divorce and a public breakup-and-makeup, her instinct to protect the relationship's privacy is understandable.

For now, they appear happy, steady and — by Ballerini's own account — willing to fight for each other.

Patterns: The Album of the Rekindling

Ballerini's 2024 album Patterns — released during her relationship with Chase Stokes — was her most mature work: songs about healthy love after divorce, about unlearning bad habits, about choosing someone daily. Critics noted the shift from Rolling Up the Welcome Mat's heartbreak to Patterns' hard-won contentment, and the album earned Grammy nominations.

She has said Stokes influenced the record's emotional honesty — that being with someone secure let her write about love without flinching. The album's tour became a victory lap: a woman who had sung her divorce in real time now singing her happiness.

Then came the September 2025 split — and the album's songs about fighting for love took on new meaning. When the couple reconciled on New Year's Eve, fans heard Patterns differently: not as a happy ending, but as a manual.

At the 2026 Grammys, Ballerini's comments about the breakup being a learning lesson confirmed what the music suggested: this is a woman who does her emotional work in public, and whose art and life are finally in sync.

The Voice, Touring, and the Business of Kelsea

Beyond recording, Ballerini has become a multi-platform star: coaching on The Voice, hosting award shows, and building a brand that spans fashion and lifestyle. Her candor — about divorce, therapy, body image — made her a generational voice for millennial women navigating the same things.

Her touring business is formidable: headlining arenas on the Patterns tour, with Stokes occasionally joining on the road. She has spoken about the logistics of two careers, two schedules, one relationship — and about choosing presence over perfection.

Friends say Stokes grounded her during the divorce album's rawest period, and that the 2025 split taught them both what they stood to lose. Their reconciliation, by all accounts, came with new boundaries: less public, more protected — Ballerini's late-2025 plea for privacy was the new policy, not a PR move.

At 33, she is country's most honest star — and, finally, a happy one.

Rolling Up the Welcome Mat: The Divorce Album

Ballerini's 2023 EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat — written in the wreckage of her divorce from Morgan Evans — was the bravest record of her career. Five songs, no filter: the title track's exhausted farewell, Blindsided's anger, Leave Me Hey's gallows humor. She released it with a short film, and it became a cultural moment — the rare celebrity divorce document that felt like art rather than PR.

The EP's honesty reset her public image: no longer the polished country-pop bride, but a woman telling the truth about a marriage's end. It earned critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination, and its tour — intimate theaters, fans singing every word — felt like group therapy.

Chase Stokes entered the picture as that chapter closed: the EP's final song, Interview, looks forward rather than back. Ballerini has said the divorce taught her what she actually needs — and that Stokes, met on the other side of the worst year, was the answer to a question she finally knew how to ask.

From Knoxville to Country Stardom

Kelsea Ballerini's rise was a Nashville fairy tale with a work ethic. Raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, she moved to Nashville at 15 to chase songwriting, signing a publishing deal as a teenager. Her 2015 debut single Love Me Like You Mean It made her the first solo female artist to top the country chart with a debut since Carrie Underwood.

Her debut album The First Time (2015) produced three No. 1s; Unapologetically (2017) earned a Grammy nomination. She became the genre's millennial ambassador — pop-leaning, confessional, social-media fluent.

The Subject to Change (2022) and Patterns (2024) eras showed an artist maturing in public: divorce, therapy, new love, all processed in song. Through it all, Chase Stokes has been the steady presence of the latest chapter — the man who inspired the happy songs after the heartbreak ones.

Kelsea Ballerini: Milestones

1993: Born in Mascot, Tennessee. 2015: Love Me Like You Mean It hits No. 1 — historic debut. 2017: Marries Morgan Evans; Grammy nomination. 2022: Divorce finalized; Subject to Change released. 2023: Rolling Up the Welcome Mat — the divorce EP; meets Chase Stokes. 2024: Patterns album; Grammy nods. September 2025: Split from Stokes announced. New Year's Eve 2025: Reconciliation. February 2026: Grammys appearance together; Ballerini calls the breakup a learning lesson. Today: Country's most honest star — writing her happiness in real time.

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