Is Kelsea Ballerini ready to "jump right in" with Chase Stokes?
The "Heartfirst" singer, 29, and Outer Banks actor, 30, were spotted getting cozy at Monday's Georgia vs. TCU game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Fans initially took note of an Instagram post from Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves featuring a group of musicians, actors and influencers he hosted in his suite for the playoff game, which Georgia won handily 65-7.
In the photo Graves posted Wednesday, the pair can be seen snuggling in close on the far right. Ballerini, wearing a black cropped hoodie and shorts, was pictured leaning into Stokes with her left arm on top of his. The actor wears a red and white plaid jacket and black cap with the word "Athens" in the picture.
Stokes seemingly let the cat out of the bag Friday though, sharing a carousel of photos with one in particular drawing attention. Captioned "lil recap," the image shows a blonde girl tagged as Ballerini leaning her head into his chest as they look over the football field. In a nod to her own hometown team, the country star commented, "go vols 🙈" on the post.
Stokes was most recently linked with actress and model Madelyn Cline, 25. The two met on the set of their Netflix hit show in 2019 and made their relationship Instagram official a year later.
The couple reportedly split in November 2021 before reconciling and then splitting again just a month later. The pair deleted most of their photos of each other on their Instagrams and Cline was seen out with DJ Zack Bia just days before her 24th birthday, though Bia later claimed that they weren't dating.
Cline and Stokes again sparked reconciliation rumors in early 2022 after getting snapped smiling and holding hands in the Outer Banks' third-season cast photos.
As for Ballerini, she announced her split from husband Morgan Evans, 37, in August after nearly five years of marriage. On Instagram, she wrote, "This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end."
A source told PEOPLE at the time: "They've been working on their marriage for a very long time. Prior to this they had separated privately once before and have been in therapy for several years. They gave it their best go but unfortunately arrived at the decision to formally separate."
Their divorce was finalized in November, the very same day that she was nominated for a Grammy award. A month later she opened up on the iHeart podcast Tell Me About It with Jade Iovine about the reasons she felt compelled to end her marriage after nearly five years.
"For a while, it was kind of like, 'OK, this is just a new phase of a relationship,' because relationships go through seasons, right? And it's not always going to be butterflies and rainbows," she said. "For a long time, I was like, 'Oh this is just… The glitter wears off. That's what happens.' And then you get into a phase where you wait for it to come back. And then sometimes it doesn't."
"At the end of the day, it is such a disservice and a dishonoring of yourself if you know something is not right and you stay," she added. "[Shame] is the one thing that I just refuse to feel… Judge me for it, fine, that's on you."
Ballerini released her Grammy-nominated album SUBJECT TO CHANGE last fall, while Stokes' show Outer Banks returns for a third season on Netflix Feb. 23.
.jpg "Are Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes Dating? 'Outer Banks' Actor Posts Cozy Photo with Country Star")
