After Chase Stokes posted a photo cozying up next to country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini, the internet collectively lost their minds over what appeared to be their relationship soft launch.

The Outer Banks star uploaded an Instagram carousel post in January 2023, which featured one snapshot of what appeared to be him and Kelsea at a football game together. He also tagged Kelsea in the picture. Keep reading for the pair’s relationship timeline.

‘“Lil recap,” Chase captioned his post, to which the Knoxville native commented, “Go vols” with a monkey-covering-eyes emoji, referring to the Tennessee Volunteers team. Several hours later, Kelsea posted an Instagram carousel of her own recent snapshots, including one where she tagged Chase as the photographer. She leaned in for a close-up with a grinning face while wearing a Tennessee Vol’s baseball cap that said “Knoxville” on it, in honor of her hometown.

A few days later, Kelsea responded to the rumors in a TikTok, where she referenced a screenshot from the gossip site DeuxMoi that featured comments about her alleged relationship.

“I know, I know, I know,” she said via the January 2023 TikTok clip. “Stop reading, stop reading. Stop looking. But what is happening, guys. What? Let’s not do this.”

Days later, Chase referred to the country songstress as a “sweet girl” as the romance rumors continued to swirl. “We’re having a good time and that’s all I’ll say,” he told TMZ in January 2023.

Prior to Chase and Kelsea’s romance, the “I Quit Drinking” singer finalized her divorce from ex-husband Morgan Evans. The two were married from August 2017 to August 2022, when they announced their split. According to court documents obtained by Life & Style, the former spouses cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.

“Friends, I’ve always tried my best to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way, while also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold,” Kelsea wrote via Instagram at the time. “This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce.”

The “Love Me Like You Mean It” crooner called their breakup a “deeply difficult decision” but pointed out that it was the “result of a journey of love, growth and effort that ultimately [had] come to an end.”

Scroll through the gallery below to see Chase and Kelsea’s complete relationship timeline.

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