What started as a flirty DM and blossomed into one of the cutest celebrity relationships has come to an abrupt end. Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini have broken up, her rep confirmed to People on Sept. 14. Since then, a source has revealed why the couple called it quits — but Ballerini seems to disagree with the insider’s assessment. On Sept. 23, she posted a TikTok, clapping back at “sources” featured in those breakup reports.
Ballerini posted a TikTok to Ariana Grande’s song “shut up” — specifically, the lyrics that suggest, “Maybe you should shut up.” The country singer made it very clear who the video was directed to: “cc: speculators, ‘sources’, and hidden cameras outside the hair salon. let us be. please. ❤️🩹.”
One day earlier, on Sept. 22, an insider told Us Weekly that the breakup was a “hard split.” Apparently, they’ve both been “extremely busy,” but were still “trying to make it work.” The source added, “They had been arguing a lot recently, and their communication wasn’t great in the last month. They were both traveling so much and trying to juggle everything, and the arguments piled up.”
According to the source, Ballerini “initiated the conversation.” However, they both acted like “mature adults and had the same understanding that they needed space.”
“There is still a lot of love between them,” the insider continued. “Although it’s been a few years, Kelsea is still coming out of a divorce and figuring out what she really wants, and she’s not in a place where she’s going to just settle. Chase understood that, but in the end, they realized they weren’t aligning the way they hoped.”
According to People’s Sept. 14 report, “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 breakup came as a surprise to fans of the couple, especially since Stokes posted a lovey-dovey tribute to Ballerini just two days before the initial announcement.
Stokes celebrated Ballerini’s birthday on Sept. 12 by sharing a carousel full of adorable couple photos with a caption that referenced their love and future together as partners. “Although you keep saying you’re not excited for 32, I’d say I’m lookin forward to more of this. Happy birthday, my love,” Stokes wrote alongside the pics, which Ballerini liked. The same day, Stokes left an overheated emoji beneath Ballerini’s own birthday photo dump.
Stokes and Ballerini’s relationship began with a simple DM at the end of 2022. Ballerini, who had just finalized her divorce from ex-husband Morgan Evans, sent Stokes a late-night message introducing herself in December of that year, and he responded a couple hours later. At the time, Stokes had been single for over a year after his public breakup with Outer Banks co-star Madelyn Cline.
By February 2023, the two stars confirmed they were in a relationship, and their romance hit high-gear, as the couple never missed a chance to show some PDA on a red carpet or gush about each other in love songs.
But sadly, it sounds like the Stokes and Ballerini are going to be playing a different tune now that they are going their separate ways.
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