Kelsea Ballerini Addresses Chase Stokes Romance Rumors: 'Let's Not Do This'

Country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini has had enough of the romance rumors and finally tried to clear things up.

She posted a TikTok video to address the rumors about a budding relationship with actor Chase Stokes. In the video, she asked fans why they thought that way and told them to take a step back.

She and Stokes had recently been spending time together and even attended a college football game last week. The "Outer Banks" actor also fueled the rumors with his recent recap video, which included a photo of him and Ballerini.

The controversy comes after the "Heartfirst" singer announced her divorce from fellow singer and songwriter Morgan Evans after five years of marriage. Ballerini also revealed why she decided to get a divorce and said she doesn't care about criticism from the public. 

Keep reading to know more.

The star who posted the TikTok clip on January 16th joked about "breaking up with the internet 5 sure" in the caption for shipping her with the "Beach House" actor. Ballerini posed with a screenshot in the background, which questioned if the two were in a budding romantic relationship.

While the singer didn't directly deny the rumors, she said, "know, I know, I know. Stop reading, stop reading. Stop looking. But what is happening, guys? What? Let's not do this." However, the two have recently been seen spending a lot of time together.

The duo went out together to watch a National Championship football game at the SoFi Stadium close to LA. The "Tell Me Your Secrets" actor then shared a series of photos four days later, showing what he'd recently been up to.

The "Lil recap," as he captioned them, included a picture of him and Ballerini at the football game. The actress responded to the post with "Go vols" and a monkey emoji.

This wasn't the only picture of the two together that night, as Todd Graves, CEO of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, also posted another one on Twitter. It showed Stokes and Ballerini posing together alongside other celebs like Noah Beck, Dylan Sprouse, and YG. The dating rumors, however, come after news that the singer ended things with her ex-husband last year.

Per E! News, the "Better Luck Next Time" singer announced via her Instagram story on August 29th, 2022, that she was divorcing Morgan. Ballerini explained that it was a "deeply difficult decision," and she wanted to be honest about her personal life to fans.

While they loved each other and grew together, the relationship "ultimately came to an end." Ballerini also added that it was hard to talk about, but she was "grateful" to have spent that much time with him. She then noted that she was "hopeful for the next seasons" of her life.

The 29-year-old hopped on a December episode of the Tell Me About It With Jade Iovine Podcast to reveal why she ended things with Morgan. She explained that she first noticed that things were changing in their relationship but believed that they'd go back to how they were. Although Ballerini was hopeful at first, she realized that her feelings for her ex were fading fast.

She said per E! News, "For a while, it was kind of like, 'Okay, this is just a new phase of a relationship,' because relationships go through seasons, right? And it's not always going to be rainbows and butterflies." The singer also recalled entering a "phase" of waiting for the spark to come back, saying, "And then sometimes it doesn't."

While the singer would have liked things to go on, she realized later that it was unproductive to stay when she didn't feel at home anymore. Ballerini then noted that it would be a "disservice" and "dishonor" to oneself if one "knew that something was not right and you stay." She also noted that she didn't feel anything anymore and didn't care if people criticized her for the divorce.