Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes. Shutterstock (2)
Heating up! As Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes continue to fuel dating rumors, they couldn’t resist packing on the PDA during a Saturday, January 28, date.
The “Peter Pan” singer, 29, and the Outer Banks star, 30, were spotted locking lips inside the Los Angeles International Airport in photos obtained by TMZ. Additional shots also showed the twosome hugging and holding hands in the terminal.
Ballerini and Stokes were first linked earlier this month after attending the College Football National Championship Game in Los Angeles with a group of mutual friends. The Maryland native later posted a “lil recap” via Instagram on January 13 — with a pic of the duo from the game. In the snap, taken from behind, Ballerini and the Tell Me Your Secrets alum cuddled in the stands during the playoff game.
The pair have also shared several flirty social media messages back and forth. Ballerini uploaded a photo dump of her own on January 13, including a solo pic of herself wearing a Knoxville cap and tagged Stokes’ account.
“I like dat hat ma’am,” he replied at the time.
The twosome — who were spotted together at Robert’s Western World bar in Nashville earlier this week — have played coy about their relationship status.
“She’s a sweet girl,” Stokes — who split from Outer Banks costar Madelyn Cline in November 2021— gushed to TMZ earlier this month. “We’re having a good time and that’s all I’ll say.”
The Tennessee native, who finalized her divorce from Morgan Evans in November 2022, later reacted to the rumors via TikTok. “I know, I know, I know,” she said in her social media video. “Stop reading, stop reading. Stop looking. But what is happening, guys. What? Let’s not do this.”
Several hours before their Saturday PDA-filled date, they exchanged even more social media messages.
“She sells sea shells down by the sea shore (her heart tank is full and she’s shooting videos this week and then spending a weekend on the road with @wynonnajudd and then going to the grammys and then going into tour rehearsals and then coming to see my friends in the UK, and so on…) 🤍🙌🏼,” Ballerini wrote via Instagram sharing a carousel of photos, including one of several slices of pizza.
Stokes, for his part, replied: “Tag urself [sic] I’m the pizza.”
While the pair are not officially dating yet, a source exclusively opened up to Us Weekly earlier this month about their sparks.
“Chase and Kelsea have been flirting back and forth since meeting through friends at the College Football National Championship Game in L.A., but they’re not [officially] together,” the insider told Us. “Something may happen down the line, but it was just innocent on both sides. They both think the other is very attractive, so you never know.”
