Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini have split after nearly three years together, according to a report by People.
News of Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini's breakup broke on September 14, 2025. A representative for Ballerini has since confirmed the split to People. A source close to the couple added, “They’re two adults who gave it their all and tried to do everything they could to make it work, but ultimately couldn’t. It happens."
The confirmed split comes just days after the Outer Banks actor had posted a tribute to the singer-songwriter on his Instagram account to celebrate her birthday on September 12. “Although you keep saying you’re not excited for 32, [I'd] say I’m [looking] forward to more of this. Happy birthday my love ❤️,” Stokes wrote in his post, which included 12 photos of the two spending time together.
Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes were first romantically linked in January 2023 after they attended a football game together at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium. After being spotted together multiple times thereafter, Stokes finally confirmed their relationship in March of the same year.
Since they began dating publicly, Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes attended multiple high-profile events together and even got matching tattoos less than a year into the relationship. The duo was most recently spotted together at the CMA Fest 2025, held at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 6, 2025, where Ballerini was a performer.
Before being together, Ballerini had married fellow country star Morgan Evans in 2017 before divorcing him in 2022. Stokes, on the other hand, had previously dated fellow Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline from 2020 to 2021, splitting just before season 3 began filming. The duo played romantic interests in the show, which is currently filming its fifth season for a projected 2026 release date.
Ballerini and Stokes's newly reported split arrived within the same week as an anonymous tip sent to popular gossip account DeuxMoi, claiming “two exes with major on-screen chemistry” were spotted reconnecting. The tip also claimed “the blonde country-pop darling has been clocking long studio hours” with a new project that “pulls heavily from heartbreak,” making fans speculate whether the post was about Stokes, Cline, and Ballerini.
As usual, this is all speculation and unconfirmed, so take everything with a grain of salt. Neither Ballerini nor Stokes has commented on their split publicly yet.
