Kelsea Ballerini Admits She Slid Into New Flame Chase Stokes' DMs

Country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini made headlines back in 2022 — but not for her music. The "Love Me Like You Mean It" crooner sent shockwaves through Nashville when she announced that she had filed for divorce from her husband of nearly five years, Morgan Evans. "This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end. It's hard to find the words here...but I feel extremely grateful for the years of marriage to Morgan and hopeful for the next seasons," she revealed on her Instagram Story on August 29, 2022, about her surprising decision. "With very active schedules coming up, please be mindful that we are both fragile, actively healing, and showing up the best we can," she added.

But now it appears that Ballerini is not only surviving but thriving post-split, and she's spilling all the tea, including how and why she opted to slide into the DMs of "Outer Banks" star Chase Stokes.

Kelsea Ballerini recently sat down with "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Alexandra Cooper and served up some piping hot tea about her budding romance with new flame Chase Stokes. Spoiler alert: Ballerini made the first move — but only after someone else tipped her off. 

"I slid into his DMs," Ballerini confessed during the February 22 episode. "I was just like, well, I'm not going to get on an app, and honestly, he shoots in Charleston, and my manager lives there, and he put the bug in my ear," she explained. "He was like, 'You know who's really cute when you're ready? It's Chase.' And I was like, 'You're so right.' And I've never seen the show, but I just knew of him, and yeah, so I followed him, and he followed me, and I just swan-dove right on in." 

Still, Ballerini is adamant that she and Stokes are keeping things casual for now. "I'm having fun," she revealed. And it appears Stokes would agree. "Kelsea is a lovely, lovely girl. She's great. We're having a good time," he told People.