Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes have officially called it quits after nearly three years together — and now, fans want to know what happened. The couple, who first sparked romance rumors back in 2023, quickly became a fan-favorite with their adorable red carpet appearances, Instagram posts, and public displays of support. Now, their split has left many people wondering what went wrong. So, why did Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes break up?
According to People, the breakup was mutual. A source shared that the two “gave it their all and tried to do everything they could to make it work, but ultimately couldn’t.” Both stars have busy careers that likely kept them apart, and long distance seems to have been one of the biggest factors in the breakup. Her Campus reached out to Ballerini and Stokes’s teams for comment on the reported reason behind their breakup, but didn’t hear back by the time of publication.
The Outer Banks actor shared in a September 2024 People story that the couple had a three-week rule, promising to never go more than three weeks without seeing each other. It showed how seriously they tried to prioritize their relationship despite their hectic schedules. The country singer has also been open in past interviews about going to therapy and navigating past heartbreak, both on her own and with Stokes.
The couple first sparked dating rumors in January 2023 after being spotted together at a Georgia vs. TCU college football game in Los Angeles. Speculation around their relationship grew when Stokes tagged Ballerini on Instagram following her tailgate show performance. In the weeks that followed, the two were spotted together around Nashville and Los Angeles. By April 2023, they made their red carpet debut together at the CMT Music Awards, showing fans that things were official.
Still, the reality of constant travel, demanding careers, and living in the public eye eventually (reportedly) caught up with Stokes and Ballerini. The breakup news came just days after Stokes shared a sweet birthday post for Ballerini, though, which made the split even more surprising to fans. While neither of them have commented publicly beyond official statements from their teams, it seems the split wasn’t messy — just an unfortunate case of bad timing and distance proving too tough to overcome.