Kelsea Ballerini finally got a chair of her own for season 27 of The Voice. Her boyfriend, Chase Stokes, has been living with her in Los Angeles, playing the supportive partner while she prepared for the big gig.
The CMA winner spoke about how the interest in their romance came as a surprise to her. “I’m not used to the interest in me as a person,” Kelsea confessed on Today in October 2024. “For a long time, I was used to being the girl that sings ‘Peter Pan’ for people, and I loved that role, but as far as the floodgates that opened up as far as human me — girl me — it’s different now. And so, I’m still getting my footing on how to share things and what I share and my relationship and all that stuff.”
Chase got a mini shout-out during Kelsea’s debut episode of The Voice on February 3, 2025, when fellow coach Adam Levine poked fun at Kelsea for texting the actor in between Blind Auditions.
“You’re texting your boyfriend, oo-ooh,” the OG Voice coach teased.
“Guys, really?” the “First Rodeo” singer replied, leading coach John Legend to get in on the fun, adding, “She said, ‘Mind your business!’”
Life & Style rounds up everything to know about Kelsea’s boyfriend, Chase.
Who Is Chase Stokes?
Chase Stokes is an actor who was born in Annapolis, Maryland. He is the only child of parents Jeff Stokes and Jennifer Canning. Following Chase’s parents divorce at the age of four, he moved with his pharmacy technician mom to Atlanta, Georgia, followed by another move to Orlando, Florida, where he attended Timber Creek High School.
Chase Stokes Makes His Living as a Successful Actor
Chase is best known for starring as John B. Routledge on Netflix’ Outer Banks. He’s been a core part of the young adult drama since it premiered in 2020. The show’s season 4 was split into two parts, the second of which dropped in November 2024. That same month, Netflix announced Outer Banks was renewed for a fifth and final season.
Chase got his first break on a 2016 episode of Netflix’s Stranger Things. The following year he appeared as the character Graham in three episodes of VH-1’s Daytime Divas. Chase had a role in the 2018 TV movie The Beach House and appeared in four episodes of Prime Video’s Tell Me Your Secrets in 2021.
Most recently, Chase starred in Netflix’s 2024 dystopian thriller Uglies opposite Joey King. He has two movies coming out in 2025, including the loved story Marked Men: Rule + Shaw as well as the war thriller Valiant One.
When Did Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini Start Dating?
Rumors sparked that Chase and Kelsea were dating when they appeared together in a photo while attending the College Football Playoff National Championship in Los Angeles in January 2023. The “Cowboys Cry Too” singer filed for divorce from ex-husband Morgan Evans in August 2022, which the duo privately finalized two months later.
“His handle is ‘hichasestokes’ and I just said, ‘Hi Chase Stokes,’” she revealed during an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. After Kelsea’s relationship confirmation, Chase made his girlfriend Instagram official, sharing a photo of the “Miss Me More” artist planting a kiss on him via an Instagram Story.
The duo went public with their love quickly, making their red carpet debut as a couple at the CMT Music Awards in Austin, Texas, in April 2023.
Keslea and Chase celebrated their one-year anniversary of dating in January 2024 with sweet messages to one another.
“A whole trip around the sun with my bestie.@hichasestokes thanks for making me write love songs,” Kelsea wrote in an Instagram post along with photos of the couple.
Chase shared a similar set of loved up photos with the caption, “One year of lovin you. P.S. told ya I wouldn’t embarrass you.”
Where Does Chase Stokes Live?
Chase lives in South Carolina when filming Outer Banks. When he’s not busy with the show, he and Kelsea put down roots in Los Angeles in 2024 when she started shooting The Voice. Prior to that, the couple spent time at her home in Nashville, Tennessee.
“That was kind of our thing: Let’s just set up shop versus being on planes, for the boys,” Chase told People in September 2024, referring to his beloved dog Milo and Kelsea’s pooch Dibs. She sadly revealed in August 2024 that the golden retriever had inoperable heart cancer and updated fans two months later that he was undergoing treatment.
“We wanted to set up a sense of real life out here for a little while,” Chase added. “When you’re constantly bouncing around all the time, it’s hard to ground yourself. We’re just trying to find a new sense of normalcy.”
