In the event that Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes dating simply wasn’t on your 2023 bingo card, rest assured: We’re also not sure how we got here. But what we *do* know is we’re not mad about it, considering how incredibly cute these two are on social media already. Speculation of Kelsea and Chase’s romance first came about after Chase posted a pic of himself and the country singer at a football game on Instagram, and the rest is history. Let’s get into all the deets about these two and their budding romance, shall we?
January 13, 2023
Ah, the post that started it all! Chase took to Instagram to lowkey launch his and Kelsea’s relationship love of football in a photo dump that featured a sweet pic of them watching the college football national championship game between the University of Georgia and Texas Christian University. The whole thing sparked immediate dating rumors.
January 16, 2023
Another day, another way to subtly address the dating rumors on a different social media platform. This time, it was Kelsea who posted a cryptic TikTok that included a screenshot from the celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi about her and Chase.
“I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,” the singer began, with a screenshot that insinuated she and the actor were a PR stunt posted behind her. “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 😂” was the caption to the video. 👀
January 17, 2023
Chase actually addressed the relationship speculation IRL when he spoke with TMZ. The Outer Banks star called Kelsea a “sweet girl” and added, “We’re having a good time, and that’s all I’ll say.” In-ter-est-ing!
January 29, 2023
TMZ snapped some preeeeetty spicy images and video footage of Kelsea and Chase kissing, hugging, and holding hands at California’s LAX airport. The proof is in the pap pics, people!
February 8, 2023
During an interview with People tied to the premiere of Outer Banks season 3, Chase was asked about the pic he posted of himself and Kelsea and said they “have just been spending some time together.”
“Kelsea is a lovely, lovely girl. She’s great. We’re having a good time,” he added.
However, that VERY SAME DAY, Kelsea reposted a comment by someone who had written “@hichasestokes come get your girl” in another vid with a TikTok showing herself sitting up in bed while wearing eye patches and sipping out of a teacup. She smiled to the camera and casually leaned over to reveal what appeared to be Chase’s tattooed arm.
February 14, 2023
Kelsea dropped Rolling Up the Welcome Mat—an EP partially about her divorce from Morgan Evans—and on Valentine’s Day, no less. To show his support, Chase took to his Instagram Stories to congratulate the country singer’s project. “So proud of you, your heart & your beautiful soul. Congrats Kels ❤️,” he wrote alongside a v tender pic of himself and Kelsea.
February 22, 2023
During a Call Her Daddy appearance, Kelsea revealed the coy way she and Chase first began talking: a DM slide. 😂
“I was ready to open back up,” the singer confessed to host Alex Cooper. “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.”
The musician said she slid into Chase’s DMs after the two started following each other on Instagram. “I’ve never seen his show, but I just knew of him, and I just swan dove right on in.…His handle is ‘@hichasestokes’ and I said, ‘Hi, Chase Stokes.’” S’cute!
Kelsea also opened up about her ex Morgan and learning to put her own 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.”
February 23, 2023
During the premiere of Outer Banks season 3, Chase shared a touching tribute on his Instagram Stories that featured Kelsea giving him a kiss.
The same day, Kelsea took to her Stories to promote the new season of Outer Banks herself. We love a supportive partner!
March 2, 2023
The duo had a sweet date night at Madison Square Garden while they attended the New York Rangers game against the Ottawa Senators. During the event, the songstress and actor were even photographed sharing a kiss from their seats. Oop!
March 3, 2023
After months of social media posts that made their ’ship pretty damn clear, Chase finally *officially* confirmed his and Kelsea’s coupled-up status during an appearance on the Today show. When Sheinelle Jones asked Chase flat out if he was dating Kelsea Ballerini, he smiled and said, “Mmhmm,” officially confirming the romance!
When Jones mentioned Kelsea’s upcoming SNL appearance and asked if Chase was a fan, he answered like any good S.O. would, saying, “Absolutely I’m a fan. Yeah, who isn’t a fan?”
March 4, 2023
Kelsea was the musical performer during the March 4, 2023, episode of SNL and had the ultimate support system with her…aka Chase! Before the singer hopped onstage, the two fooled around and showed off their goofier sides:
And immediately following the show, the actor shared tributes to his girlfriend on his Instagram Story. In one of the pics, he was seen smiling next to the singer’s dressing room with the caption, “Well sh*t, that was special.” Kelsey herself also shared some behind-the-scenes content of the night and posted a carousel that included the cutest snapshots of herself and the actor.
March 7, 2023
Kelsea shuts down claims that she and Chase are a PR stunt with a simple Insta Story:
April 2, 2023
Chase and Kelsea go red carpet official at the CMT Awards and the photos are everything:
June 20, 2023
After being dubbed a “golden retriever boyfriend,” Chase tells Entertainment Tonight, “I’ll take the job. I’ll take it. I’ve got a golden retriever, half a golden retriever, he’s a golden retriever / German shepherd. But yeah, adds up. I’ll take it.”
July 2, 2023
Kelsea celebrates the end of her tour with a cute pic of Chase (swipe!):
August 20, 2023
Kelsea drops a never-before-seen video of herself getting ready for her very first date with Chase. It’s all very cute so prepare accordingly.
Assistant news editor
Gretty Garcia is the assistant news editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers all things news, entertainment, and pop culture. Before joining Cosmo, Gretty was a social strategist for Mrs. Dow Jones and a features and special projects editor at Editorialist. She holds an MS from the Columbia Journalism School and studied art history at Harvard College.
Kayleigh Roberts is the weekend editor at Cosmo, focused on celebrity news and royals. She’s a Ravenclaw who would do great things in Slytherin. To learn more about her, google “Leslie Knope eating salad GIF.”