How Chase Stokes’ Mom Found Out He Is Dating Kelsea Ballerini 

Chase Stokes revealed the unconventional way his mom found out who he was dating, while sharing a hilarious anecdote on late-night TV.

The Outer Banks star shared the details surrounding his early days dating country singer Kelsea Ballerini, 31, during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

“I went home and every year for the holidays I go back to my mom’s house. And I drove from Charleston where I live to Florida, where my mom is, and I came down the stairs and she has music playing,” Stokes, 32, recalled to Fallon on Thursday, October 3.  “I was like, ‘Wait a minute… Is that Kelsea Ballerini playing on my mom’s speaker system? And I just looked up at the sky and was like ‘What the f—?’

He continued: “My mom heard me and she goes, ‘Is that her?’ And I was like, ‘Yep, yeah, that’s the girl I told you I was kind of talking to. It’s weird that you’re listening to her at your house. And it’s almost been two years [of dating] now.”

During his appearance on the show, Stokes also revealed that while the pair got off to a flirtatious start, the romance almost fell apart before it really had a chance to blossom.

The actor explained that they met after Ballerini slid into his DMs and they were chatting regularly while he was filming a movie in Bulgaria.

It all almost came crumbling down, however, when an injury landed him in hospital and Ballerini assumed Stokes was purposely ignoring her.

“We started talking back and forth and I ended up getting a staph infection and so I was in the hospital and she thought I had ghosted her,” he said. “And she’s like, ‘Okay, whatever. On to the next.’ And I texted her and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m so sorry, I was in the hospital with a staph infection.”

Stokes went on to recall that Ballerini initially didn’t believe him, leading to him to pull out all the stops to convince her he was really injured.

“I was like, ‘No, I’m serious.’ And I sent her a photo of my arm and it was the size of a baby seal.”

Related: Breaking Down Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes’ Relationship Timeline

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes quickly became a fan-favorite couple after confirming their relationship status. The country singer and the Outer Banks star were first linked in January 2023 after they were spotted together at the College Football Playoff National Championship in Los Angeles. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter […]

With that early miscommunication behind them, the couple has gone from strength to strength in their relationship and Stokes has continually praised his partner while on the promotional trail for his new film Uglies this week.

“I truthfully think when you find somebody who’s not just somebody you love and adore, but is also your best friend, you’ve kind of got the best of both worlds,” he gushed during a Thursday, October 3 appearance on Today. “And she’s not just a great person, but everything that you see — whether it be on social media or when she’s on stage — is exactly the person she is when she’s not doing those things.”