She’s calling dibs! Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes haven’t confirmed their relationship status — but fans are already rooting for the rumored couple.
The country singer and the Outer Banks star were first linked in January 2023 after they were spotted together at the College Football Playoff National Championship in Los Angeles. That same month, Stokes snuck a cozy photo of himself sitting beside Ballerini into an Instagram slideshow.
“Lil recap,” the Maryland native captioned the carousel, to which Ballerini replied: “Go vols 
.”
At the time, the “Hole in the Bottle” artist uploaded a photo dump of her own, which she captioned, “New boot goofin.” One snap showed her repping her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, on a baseball cap — and Stokes boldly complimented the look in the comments section.
“I like dat hat ma’am,” he wrote. (Stokes previously dated his Outer Banks costar Madelyn Cline from 2020 to 2021.)
Neither Ballerini nor the Beach House actor immediately addressed whether they’re dating, but the “Doin’ My Best” songstress weighed in on the speculation via TikTok. Her January 2023 upload showed a screenshot of a DeuxMoi submission about her love life — including claims she was flirting with someone who wasn’t Stokes — following her split from Morgan Evans.
“I know, I know, I know,” she said in the clip. “Stop reading, stop reading. Stop looking. But what is happening, guys. What? Let’s not do this.”
The CMA Award winner announced via social media in August 2022 that she and Evans called it quits after five years of marriage. She filed for divorce that same month.
As news of the musicians’ breakup made headlines, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Ballerini and Evans had “been working on their marriage for many years and even tried therapy” before their split. “They ultimately decided that they had no choice but to officially separate,” the insider added.
The twosome settled their divorce in November 2022. Both Ballerini and the Aussie crooner have been candid about coping with the aftermath of their split in the public eye.
“I think when there’s a big life decision like that, it’s not a sudden one,” the “Heartfirst” performer told CBS Mornings in October 2022. “And there’s a lot that happens before that becomes public. So, I’m on my, like, active healing journey. … It’s not chaotic. It’s not, like, volatile, it just didn’t work. And that sometimes is like a difficult narrative to get your head around when you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh. This is a good person. And I’m a good person. And this is just no longer good anymore.'”
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Scroll down for a complete breakdown of Ballerini and Stokes’ relationship:
Us confirmed that Ballerini and Evans reached a settlement in their divorce. AFF-USA/Shutterstock
The "Peter Pan" artist and the Netflix star were spotted together at the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship in L.A. Stokes included a cuddly photo from inside the arena in the Instagram dump that sparked rumors about his relationship with Ballerini. Courtesy Chase Stokes/Instagram
As speculation continued to grow, Ballerini shared her reaction in a candid TikTok video. "I'm about to break up with the internet 5 sure," she captioned the post. Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Stokes played coy about his status with the Grammy nominee, telling TMZ that the pair were "having a good time" together. "She's a sweet girl," he added. Shutterstock(2)
The pair were spotted getting cozy at Robert's Western World bar in Nashville. In footage obtained by TMZ, Stokes leaned in close to whisper in Ballerini's ear before grabbing her hand. Shutterstock(2)
A source exclusively told Us that the pair are not officially dating, days after the pair were spotted holding hands inside a Nashville bar. “Chase and Kelsea have been flirting back and forth since meeting through friends at the College Football National Championship Game in L.A., but they’re not together,” the insider said at the time. “They both think the other is very attractive, so you never know [what could happen].” Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock; Tammie Arroyo/Shutterstock
After seemingly attending solo, the “Heartfirst” songstress shared a photo of Grammys look via Instagram — and Stokes approved, commenting a red heart emoji. CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
After Ballerini dropped a six-song EP about her split from Evans, Stokes congratulated her. “Oh so proud of you,” the actor wrote via Instagram. Evan Agostini/AP/Shutterstock; Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
Stokes was quick to celebrate Ballerini's major milestone after her Saturday Night Live debut was announced. The "Blindsided" singer will appear as the musical guest for Super Bowl LVII champ Travis Kelce. "I mean, she's the best," Stokes told Entertainment Tonight. "I'm so excited for her and everything happening in her career right now." Shutterstock (2)
The "Blindsided" singer confirmed that she's not single during an interview on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, revealing that she slid into Stokes' DMs. "[My manager] was like, 'You know who's really cute, like, when you're ready? Chase.' I was like, 'You're so right,'" she recalled. "His handle is 'hichasestokes' and I just said, 'Hi Chase Stokes.'" Shutterstock (2)
After confirming her romance with Stokes, Ballerini shared an Outer Banks poster of the actor's face in honor of the show's third season. Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram
The Netflix star shared a sweet glimpse of his bond with Ballerini after she confirmed their relationship on "Call Her Daddy," uploading a PDA pic via his Instagram Story. Courtesy of Chase Stokes /Instagram
“Kelsea and Chase have a very flirty relationship, they like each other and are staying in contact, but she’s not looking to jump into something very serious,” a source exclusively told Us. “Kelsea does really like Chase though, he’s fun and carefree and she needs that, so there’s a very real possibility that they could date exclusively on the future.” The “Dibs” songstress and the actor “have a very no strings [attached] situation” at the moment, the insider explained, adding, “They’re rarely in the same place, so they’re still getting to know each other.” Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock; AFF-USA/Shutterstock
The pair were spotted packing on the PDA at a Rangers game in NYC before Ballerini made her SNL debut. Stokes later addressed their romance on the Today show, teasing that he's a "fan" of Ballerini. Lauren Menowitiz/Shutterstock
One day the pair's first official outing together at the New York Rangers game, they continued to explore the Big Apple by strolling hand in hand around Manhattan. Eric Kowalsky / MEGA
Stokes was by Ballerini's side as she performed a song inspired by her split from Evans on Saturday Night Live. Before her debut, the country singer uploaded a TikTok of her goofing off with the Outer Banks star backstage. Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini/TikTok
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