Kelsea Ballerini, Chase Stokes make red carpet debut at CMT Music Awards 2023

Kelsea Ballerini and her “really hot date,” Chase Stokes, made their red carpet debut at the 2023 CMT Music Awards Sunday night.

The “Blindsided” singer and the “Outer Banks” star affectionately held hands and walked with their arms wrapped around each other as they posed for photos at the event in Austin, Texas.

“I’m really, really happy. … This is our first outing, so I’m like, ‘Come on into my world and then bring me into Charleston,'” Ballerini told CMT during the preshow, referencing the filming location for Stokes’ Netflix series.

“I don’t know if it’s the big moments on TV or where I am in my life or what it is, but I feel really good,” she continued.

kelsea ballerini and chase stokes holding hands on a blue carpet
Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes made their red carpet debut at the CMT Music Awards Sunday night.
Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

“I’m happy to be here, and the show is amazing.”

kelsea ballerini and chase stokes posing together at CMT Music Awards
The “Blindsided” singer said she had a “really hot date” for the evening.
Getty Images for CMT

Stokes, 30, later proved himself to be the country music star’s biggest fan as he was filmed dancing and singing along to his girlfriend’s performance of “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too).”

Ballerini, 29, confirmed in February while appearing on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that she and Stokes were dating after she slid into his Instagram DMs.

It’s the “Peter Pan” singer’s first relationship since divorcing her now-ex-husband, Morgan Evans, after five years of marriage.

kelsea ballerini and chase stokes
“I don’t know if it’s the big moments on TV or where I am in my life or what it is, but I feel really good,” she shared.
Getty Images for CMT

It quickly became apparent that the divorce would be a contentious one when Evans, 37, blasted Ballerini for not sharing the “reality” of their split.


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“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 aren’t reality and that leave out what really happened,” he wrote on Instagram.

“She knows I’m not the type of guy to speak on those things publicly. If this is what she needs to heal, I hope it helps.”

kelsea ballerini and morgan evans selfie
This is Ballerini’s first relationship since divorcing crooner Morgan Evans.
morganevansmusic/Instagram
morgan evans and kelsea ballerini selfie
Evans slammed his now-ex-wife for not sharing the “reality” of their split.
morganevansmusic/Instagram

“All I ask is that if you’re on my pages, please don’t be mean. Don’t be mean to Kelsea, don’t be mean to each other,” Evans urged his followers.

Page Six later broke the news that Ballerini allegedly cheated on Evans during their marriage with Drew Taggart of The Chainsmokers.

She never denied the allegations.