– Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes made their public debut as a couple at the CMT Awards, walking the red carpet together and sharing an embrace backstage.
– The couple had been rumored to be dating since January, and Stokes confirmed they were “having a good time” together in a TMZ interview in February. They confirmed their relationship on the “Today” show later that month.
– Ballerini performed at the CMT Awards with four drag queens, making a statement in the wake of Tennessee’s recent “drag ban” law.
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Country singer Kelsea Ballerini and actor Chase Stokes made their first public appearance as a couple at the CMT Awards at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Ballerini co-hosted the event with fellow singer Kane Brown and walked the red carpet holding hands with Stokes. The pair were also photographed sharing a backstage embrace. Their rumored relationship first sparked in January after Stokes shared Instagram photos that included a stealth shot of Ballerini. Stokes later confirmed the relationship during an appearance on the “Today” show in March, and Ballerini talked about how their connection grew online in a February interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
Prior to their relationship, Stokes, 30, was dating his “Outer Banks” co-star Madelyn Cline until their split in November 2021. Ballerini, 29, was married to Australian country singer Morgan Evans in 2017, but they announced their separation in summer 2022, and their divorce was finalized that November. Her most recent album, titled “Subject to Change,” was released in September 2022. This February, she also released a six-song EP called “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat,” which includes lyrics referencing her divorce and rebuilding in the aftermath.
At the awards show, Ballerini performed her song “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” with drag queens Kennedy Davenport, Manila Luzon, Jan Sport, and Olivia Lux, all “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alumni. The performance comes in response to Tennessee’s recently passed “drag ban,” which restricts public shows by drag performers and targets trans people. Ballerini wrote on Instagram, “If you go down, i’m going down too” with a rainbow flag emoji, thanking the drag queens for their participation in her performance.
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