Kelsea Ballerini mocks rumors Chase Stokes romance is for 'PR': 'IDK, seems staged'

Kelsea Ballerini is very aware of what online detractors have been saying about her relationship with Chase Stokes, and she's addressing the rumours. Since Kelsea and Chase were first linked in early January, critics have wondered if they only got together as part of a publicity stunt to help their careers. On March 7, Kelsea took to her Story, which you can see here, to share a sweet photo of the two that Chase had posted to her page. In the photo, Kelsea sits on Chase's lap while getting her hair done. "IDK, seems staged," Kelsea wrote mockingly. "Probably PR." She also included an upside-down smiley face to make it clear she was being sarcastic.

After going public with their relationship in January, Chase and Kelsea have apparently gotten even more serious in recent weeks. They spent time together in New York in early March, with Chase in town promoting Outer Banks and Kelsea there to debut on Saturday Night Live. Chase was backstage with Kelsea during the March 4 show and celebrated with her and her friends afterwards. They were also pictured at ease during a New York Rangers game on March 2.

Kelsea and Chase in New York. (Eric Kowalsky/MEGA)

Fans suspected Kelsea and Chase of dating after several social media posts in January and early February. However, Kelsea did not address the relationship until her Feb. 22 interview on the podcast. She mostly kept quiet about the situation, but confirmed she was “not single.” She also admitted that she started talking to Chase because she slipped into his DMs. His message? "Hi, Chase Stokes", which was a reference to his Instagram account ().

This new romance comes after Kelsea divorced in August 2022 from Morgan Evans, to whom she was married for nearly five years. Kelsea opened up about the divorce on her recent EP Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, which features six songs. Morgan previously released her own song about the split, "Over For You," in which...