Kelsea Ballerini has a great day every day, but Chase Stokes only has a great day if Ballerini looks at him.
Ballerini, 30, hosted a Treaty NYC Halloween Party with the Original Donut Shop Coffee at Beauty & Essex in New York City on Wednesday, October 25. For the event, Ballerini rocked a hot pink cowgirl outfit representing Margot Robbie’s character in Barbie, while Stokes, 31, kept it casual in street wear including a hoodie, a baseball cap, a blue jacket and jeans.
During the party, Ballerini judged a costume contest as guests danced and even sang on stage with Ballerini. An insider exclusively told Us Weekly that Stokes let Ballerini shine while keeping a low-profile at the bash. After the party, the couple left hand in hand and headed to Flaming Saddles bar.
One day earlier, they both stunned at the 2023 Time100 Next gala on Tuesday, October 24. Ballerini, for her part, rocked a Stella McCartney dress featuring a cutout from her shoulder to her hip as Stokes looked extra handsome in a tan trench coat, a black T-shirt and matching trousers.
The pair have been linked since January following Ballerini’s divorce from Morgan Evans, which was announced in August 2022.
The duo continued to spend time together, but did not officially confirm their relationship until a February podcast episode of “Call Her Daddy.” During her appearance, she revealed that she slid into Stokes’ DMs. “[My manager] was like, ‘You know who’s really cute, like, when you’re ready? Chase,’” she gushed. “I was like, ‘You’re so right.’ His handle is ‘hichasestokes’ and I just said, ‘Hi Chase Stokes.’”
The pair have since heated up and continued to support each other’s careers through social media, packed on the PDA in public and attended events together.
Earlier this week, Ballerini opened up about her thought process before hitting Stokes up in an interview with Nylon. “I was just like, ‘Why am I waiting for this guy to reach out to me? This is 2022,’” she said. Ballerini proceeded to message him at 1:07 a.m. with her now famous DM. “Listen, I was living my best life. I have no shame in that game,” she told the publication.
“We are both very much so golden-retriever energy most of the time, but we both have a little bite in us, and we’re both incredibly driven,” she told the magazine, praising Stokes. “He is the first person I’ve been in a relationship with that I feel like is not my complete opposite.”