Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes were seen holding hands in Manhattan on Saturday, enjoying the fresh air ahead of Kelsea’s big SNL debut.
The country singer, 29, and the Outer Banks star, 30, took a stroll through town before the Blindside singer performed as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
Ballerina wore ripped skinny jeans, teal converse and a tawny jacket, while Stokes wore a dark blue coat, black jeans and a green cap.
It’s been a great weekend for the couple, as Chase recently confirmed their relationship during his appearance on Friday at the today is the show.
The couple avoided dating rumors for several weeks, but have been packing up the PDA in the Big Apple, seven months after the Mountain With a View hitmaker divorced her husband Morgan Evans.
Romantic walk: Kelsea Ballerini, 29, and Chase Stokes, 30, were spotted holding hands in Manhattan on Saturday, enjoying the fresh air ahead of Kelsea’s big SNL debut. Ballerina wore ripped skinny jeans, teal converse and a tawny jacket, while Stokes wore a dark blue coat, black jeans and a green cap.
Chase sat down with Today host Sheinelle Jones on Friday, where he was asked about his budding relationship with Kelsea.
When asked if he listened to Ballerini’s music, Stokes replied, “Absolutely, I’m a fan.” Who is not a fan?
Jones went on to note that “for those of you who don’t know, you’re dating.”
After the actor confirmed that he was dating the songwriter, Jones referred to the performer and the hitmaker as “a beautiful couple.”
The pair were also seen engaging in PDA at a New York Rangers hockey game the night before.
And Ballerini subtly confirmed their romance in a recent appearance on the call his daddy podcast.
She said she was ‘having fun’ and she wasn’t single, saying: ‘Am I ready to date again? I’ve never really dated. I do not know how it works.
The beauty also revealed that she swiped on her Instagram DMs, despite never watching her show: “I just dove in,” she revealed. “Her handle of hers is @hichasestokes, and I said, ‘Hey, Chase Stokes.’
Confirmed! It’s been a great weekend for the couple, as Chase recently confirmed his relationship during his appearance on the Today Show on Friday.
Hot new couple: The couple avoided dating rumors for several weeks, but they’ve been packing up the PDA in the Big Apple
Ballerini was previously married to fellow country artist Morgan Evans, whom she married in December 2017.
The couple stayed together for almost five years before dissolving their union last November.
The latest sighting of Chase and Kelsea comes amid the singer’s divorce drama with Evans, whom she recently unfollowed on Instagram.
On Call Her Daddy, Ballerini opened up about her relationship with Evans, stating that she spent “a lot of nights” sleeping on her couch before the CMA Awards.
In the morning, after rehearsing for the event, she remembers texting him: “I’ll see you on the carpet.”
He explained that he started sleeping on the couch due to a “feeling of disconnection” between them.
‘We had not seen each other, we needed the effort to see each other. I was resentful because every time we saw each other, I felt like she was carrying that load and she was tired,” the three-time Grammy nominee noted.
“While he’s putting out a song about being blindsided, he’s getting half the house he didn’t pay for. How was I married to this person for so long and had no idea that character was hidden within that human being? she asked.
Happily taken: Ballerini subtly confirmed their romance in a recent appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast She said that she was ‘having fun’ and that she wasn’t single, and said: ‘Am I ready to date again? I’ve never really dated. I don’t know how it works’ (The couple hugging at a recent soccer match)
Smooth moves: The Grammy nominee also revealed on Call Her Daddy that she swiped into Chase’s Instagram DMs, despite never watching his show: “I just dove in,” she revealed ‘Her username is @hichasestokes, and I said, ‘Hi Chase Stokes’ (The couple look lovey-dovey on Chase’s Instagram)
Evans responded, stating that what he had said in the interview was untrue, while other allegations surfaced that Ballerini cheated on Evans with The Chainsmokers’ Drew Taggart.
Evans released a song titled Over For You in October 2022, just before the divorce was finalized.
The song’s lyrics include “How long have you been waiting/To take our pictures down?/How long have you been breaking up/Why did I just find out?” and ‘What do you tell your parents?/ What do you tell yourself?/ Was it something I was missing/ Or is there someone else?’
The singer released her own EP on Valentine’s Day called Rolling Up With The Welcome Mat, featuring a song titled Blindside.
Some lyrics in the song also referenced their split: “Like that time in 2019, before that big show, we had a big fight/I slept on the couch and then the next night you put on the suit/I put on a I smiled and sang about how it’s okay to cry, dying inside.
Right after the Call Her Daddy interview was published, Evans took to Instagram to post a short statement, accusing her of lying in the interview.
“It’s really sad for me to see this person, who I spent so much of my life with and loved with all my heart, saying things that are not true and leaving out what really happened,” she wrote.
Former flame: Ballerini was married to country singer Morgan Evans for five years before their divorce (pictured at the 2019 Grammys)