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Kelsea Ballerini’s love life has taken a recent flip. After publicly splitting from longtime boyfriend Chase Stokes in September 2025 following practically three years collectively, the pair confirmed over New 12 months’s Eve that they rekindled their romance. Each stars shared heartfelt messages on social media — Chase emphasizing private development and accountability, and Kelsea talking brazenly about her perception in love and breaking patterns after a “messy yr” emotionally. Nonetheless, only a month later, a number of retailers reported that they’d damaged up, and this time, it could have been for good.
The nation music singer continues to deal with her music profession whereas navigating life after her 2022 divorce from nation singer Morgan Evans. Although she usually lets her work converse for itself, she has shared candid reflections about love, heartbreak and resilience all through this chapter.
Be taught extra about Kelsea’s public relationships — together with her reconciliation with Chase, her previous marriage, and the way each have influenced her life and music — under.
Chase Stokes
Followers started speculating that one thing was happening between Kelsea and Chase once they appeared in a gaggle photograph collectively on the Nationwide Championship soccer sport in Jan. 2023. Days later, Chase took to Instagram to share a photograph of Kelsea snuggling as much as him of their seats on the sport, including additional buzz to the romance rumors. Over the following few weeks, the 2 continued to gas the hypothesis. First, they have been noticed wanting fairly cozy at a bar in Nashville, after which, they have been photographed packing on the PDA whereas on the airport.
Kelsea lastly confirmed that she was in a brand new romance with Chase on the Feb. 22 episode of the Name Her Daddy podcast. When requested if she was single, she answered, “Nope! I’m simply vibing,” earlier than moving into extra particulars about her connection to Chase. “It’s all actually new to me,” she mentioned in regards to the romance. “I’m tiptoeing, however I’m completely happy. It’s been a very stunning reawakening.”
Through the interview, Kelsea additionally delved additional into the timeline of the connection. She mentioned it began in Dec. 2022. “I slid into his DMs,” the nation singer proudly added. “I used to be identical to…I’m not going to get on the apps. And he shoots (Outer Banks) in Charleston and my supervisor lives there. He put the bug in my ear. He’s like, ‘You recognize who’s actually cute if you’re prepared…’ and I’m like, ‘You’re so proper!’ I’ve by no means seen the present however I knew of him. I adopted him, he adopted me and I swan dove proper in.”
Her opening line has grow to be a favourite amongst her followers. “His deal with is @HiChaseStokes, so I mentioned, ‘Hello, Chase Stokes,’” she laughed. On the time, she mentioned they have been “simply having enjoyable,” however it wasn’t lengthy earlier than issues began to get extra severe. In the beginning of March, Kelsea was in New York Metropolis forward of her look on Saturday Evening Dwell, whereas Chase was on the town to advertise Outer Banks. The 2 had their first public date night time at a New York Rangers sport on March 2. They have been additionally photographed holding palms whereas strolling round New York Metropolis, and Chase was backstage to help Kelsea amidst her Saturday Evening Dwell debut.
As issues began publicly heating up, some followers started questioning whether or not or not the connection was the actual deal, or only a publicity stunt. On March 7, Kelsea poked enjoyable at the excitement on her Instagram Story. She shared a photograph of herself sitting on Chase’s lap, which she sarcastically captioned, “IDK, appears staged. Most likely PR.” When Kelsea went on tour in March 2023, Chase was noticed attending a number of reveals, the place he proudly watched from the facet stage as she carried out. Then, he was by Kelsea’s facet on the CMT Awards on April 2, marking their official pink carpet debut as a pair.
Chase is greatest identified as an actor and has appeared in numerous options, together with the Netflix sequence, Outer Banks, since 2020. After he was born in Annapolis, MD, he moved to Georgia and Florida, the place he grew up as a teen. He went on to attend Valencia School, College of Central Florida, and Seminole State School, and initially wished to be an ice hockey participant earlier than he dived into appearing in 2014.
By the top of 2025, Chase and Kelsea had cut up, then reconciled by New 12 months’s Eve. Nonetheless, only a month later, a number of retailers reported they’d cut up once more.
Morgan Evans
Earlier than Kelsea bought romantically concerned with Chase, she was married to singer Morgan for nearly 5 years from 2017 till 2022. They met whereas co-hosting Australia’s Nation Music Channel Awards in Morgan’s homeland in March of 2016. He proposed that Christmas, they usually have been married a yr later in Mexico on Dec. 2, 2017. They usually shared memorable moments of their life collectively on social media and gave the impression to be blissfully in love.
In 2017, Morgan dished to Hollywood Life completely about he and Kelsea have been capable of make their relationship work, regardless of being aside so usually as a consequence of their careers. “You simply gotta plan forward, make certain there’s one thing to look ahead to — just a bit pocket of time,” he shared. “And when you could have that point, flip your telephone off. Fortunately we each work with individuals who completely perceive that if it doesn’t work for us, nothing else issues. Yeah, it simply takes slightly extra organizing!”
By Aug. 2022, they’d introduced their cut up. “That is now public document so I wished you to listen to from me instantly that I’m going via a divorce,” Kelsea wrote on Instagram on the time. “This deeply troublesome resolution is the results of a journey of affection, development and energy that has finally come to an finish.” Their divorce was finalized three months later, in Nov.
A few of Kelsea’s songs on her Sept. 2022 album Topic To Change hinted at troubles within the relationship. Particularly, on the track “Doin’ My Greatest,” she sang, “Remedy for one, turned to remedy for 2, if you get married that younger, you bought lots of s*** you gotta get via.” Kelsea was simply 23 years previous when she married Morgan, and he was 31. On the finish of September, Morgan debuted his personal track in regards to the divorce referred to as “Over For You.” Within the lyrics, he hinted at being blindsided by the breakup, singing, “How lengthy have you ever been breaking, why am I simply discovering out?”
Kelsea instantly responded to this track when she launched her shock EP Rolling Up The Welcome Mat in February 2023. Within the album’s opening track, “Mountain With A View,” she sang, “I feel that that is when it’s over for me,” instantly referencing the title monitor. The EP additionally featured a track referred to as “Blindsided,” through which Kelsea sings, “Have been you blindsided or have been you simply blind?” When Kelsea carried out “Blindsided” on SNL, she added further lyrics that additional referred to as out Morgan and referenced one other lyric (“I’d’ve searched the entire world over for you”) from his track. “Now you’re singing your track on the radio, you wouldn’t say it to my face, you’d’ve searched the entire world over? Yeah, positive, okay,” she belted.
In one other track from the EP referred to as “Penthouse,” Kelsea sang about the home she and Morgan purchased collectively throughout their marriage. Within the lyrics, she insinuated that she was the one who paid for the home, however as a consequence of her prenup, he walked away with a number of the income. “It stings, rolling up the welcome mat, understanding you bought half,” Kelsea says on the track. Nonetheless, the ultimate track on the album, “Depart Me Once more,” is her approach of letting go of the sentiments of damage, and letting Morgan know that she hopes he finds his happiness.
Throughout her February 2023 interview with the Name Her Daddy podcast, Kelsea spoke out about her divorce from Morgan and delved additional into why they cut up. Regardless of the 2 initially placing lots of effort into seeing one another every time potential, Kelsea mentioned that they spent a lot time aside, which was one of many important causes for the breakup. She additionally accused Morgan of not making an effort to come back and see her when their schedules allowed. Nonetheless, the breaking level was when Kelsea realized that she wasn’t able to have youngsters but, which was one thing the 2 weren’t on the identical web page about.
“I took him to dinner and I used to be like, ‘For my thirtieth birthday, I need to freeze my eggs,’” Kelsea shared. “That was not an excellent day. I feel that was after I was like..there’s a elementary distinction right here that has occurred and that has shifted. It was now not, ‘I don’t see this individual, I miss this individual, I’m alone and lonely.’ It was …he needs one thing out of life and I’m not there.” At that time, although, Kelsea mentioned that she and Morgan have been already having points, and had been in {couples}’ remedy since “a yr or two” after their wedding ceremony. “I feel he beloved me extra at 23, and I like me extra at 29,” she admitted.
Kelsea additionally mentioned how she felt when Morgan launched “Over For You” and why that upset her a lot. “As he’s placing out a track about being blindsided, he’s taking half of the home he didn’t pay for,” she mentioned. “How was I married to this individual for thus lengthy and had no concept that that little bit of character was tucked inside that human being?” She additionally mentioned she didn’t just like the timing of the track’s launch, because the divorce submitting was nonetheless recent and never finalized but.
It didn’t take lengthy for Morgan to reply to her ideas along with his personal Instagram publish. He referred to as her feedback “unhappy” and never “actuality”, and requested folks to not be “imply” to both of them. “It’s actually unhappy for me to see this individual, who I spent a lot of my life with, and beloved with all my coronary heart, saying issues that aren’t actuality and that miss what actually occurred,” Morgan wrote in his publish. “She is aware of I’m not the kind of man to talk on these issues publicly.” “If that is what she must heal, I hope it helps,” he added. “All I ask is that if that you just’re on my pages, please don’t be imply. Don’t be imply to Kelsea, don’t be imply to one another. Life’s too quick.”
Who Else Has Kelsea Ballerini Dated?
Earlier than turning into a staple in nation music, Kelsea had one other severe ex-boyfriend, who she sings about on lots of her songs from her first two albums, The First Time and Unapologetically. Through the Name Her Daddy interview, Kelsea admitted that she had solely had intercourse with one different individual earlier than Morgan, and it was a “detrimental” expertise for her. “It was in a relationship, however it was not wholesome in any respect,” Kelsea admitted. “And so the best way that I outlined intercourse was very one-sided, very for the person, not a way of connection in any respect.”
Kelsea’s 2017 album Unapologetically tells the story of going from a breakup to new love throughout the time when she ended her previous relationship and bought along with Morgan. “It’s lots of self discovery and consciousness that you just bought via,” Kelsea advised Hollywood Life completely in 2017. “I really feel like this complete document is having an enormous breakup and getting previous that, studying so much about myself, rising up a bit after which assembly my now-fiancee (Morgan) and that complete transition into falling on my face for somebody. It actually does sum up what I’ve been via.
The primary half of the album is in regards to the heartbreak she confronted. Maybe essentially the most heartbreaking monitor of all is the primary one, “Graveyard,” through which Kelsea sings, “I don’t need to be one other coronary heart in your graveyard, within the chilly hart filth that you just throw down, I don’t wanna watch you drive away in a black automotive, to a brand new bar, so you will discover one other hopeless, damaged lady in slightly black costume, and you may take her, break her, lay her coronary heart to relaxation in peace, proper right here subsequent to me.”
Whereas Kelsea has by no means publicly named the ex in query, she has admitted to being grateful for that unhealthy breakup, in addition to others earlier than that. “I feel breakups are good, I actually do,” Kelsea admitted to StyleCaster in 2017. “They’re laborious and I feel that makes you end up once more. Once you get previous one and rediscover your self, that’s most likely the entire objective of the connection.”