How Does Kelsea Ballerini Feel About Chase Stokes' Ex Madelyn Cline?

Working with an ex can be grounds for intense jealousy, but Chase Stokes' girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini has nothing but good things to say about his co-star and former real-life love interest, Madelyn Cline. Stokes and Cline started dating following the first season of "Outer Banks," from June 2020 until they broke it off in November 2021. Though it was almost two years later when Stokes began his relationship with Ballerini, their new romance was still subject to plenty of speculation about issues between Cline and the country singer.

Ballerini first spoke on the topic during a November 2023 episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, reassuring fans that there was no bad blood between them. "I met her, and I talked to her and she's lovely, and I think she's wildly talented. And I think the internet did its best to make it really weird, and it just didn't work for them," the "Miss Me More" hitmaker argued. She then went on to detail her approach to dealing with the ongoing rumors, pointing out how people tend to pit famous women against each other. 

As Ballerini reasoned, "I don't buy into, especially, the loud, echo chamber of pop culture trying to make a thing out of nothing. I think they have a beautiful working relationship and I'm excited to hang with her." The country star can't even blame her beau for being attracted to Cline either. She posted a TikTok using a filter to rank the various "Outer Banks" characters in honor of the Season 4 premiere. And, when Ballerini got to Cline's photo she raved, "So hot. So hot." Women supporting women, we love to see it.

In May 2023, Kelsea Ballerini took a big step with boyfriend Chase Stokes when the happy couple visited her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Less than a year later, in October 2024, People confirmed that they'd moved in together, which the singer-songwriter alluded to on her track "Baggage." The celebrity couple is used to traveling extensively for work with Stokes being back and forth between L.A. and South Carolina to film "Outer Banks," and Ballerini dividing her time between Nashville and L.A. for her career as a country star. 

But, as they both entered their thirties, they decided it was time for them to put down some roots. "That was kind of our thing: Let's just set up shop versus being on planes," Stokes explained to People, adding, "We wanted to set up a sense of real life out here for a little while. When you're constantly bouncing around all the time, it's hard to ground yourself. We're just trying to find a new sense of normalcy." The happy couple seemed to be settling into living together quite well. As Ballerini succinctly put it, "Oh, we're unpacked, baby!"