Chase Stokes Says He's 'Absolutely a Fan' of Girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini

Chase Stokes is singing his praise for Kelsea Ballerini.

While appearing on the Today show Friday, the Outer Banks actor, 30, opened up about his relationship with girlfriend Ballerini, 29.

After co-host Sheinelle Jones pointed out that that star will be serving as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live over the weekend to Stokes, she asked him if he was a fan of the Rolling Up the Welcome Mat artist.

"Absolutely, I'm a fan," he said. "Who isn't a fan?"

Jones, 44, then addressed viewers at home, telling them, "For those of you who don't know, they're dating," before she called Stokes and Ballerini "a beautiful couple."

"Thank you," Stokes said.

We’re catching up with “Outer Banks” (@obxonnetflix) star Chase Stokes about the new season, his first acting gigs and more! pic.twitter.com/O7pW4TiiMN

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 3, 2023

Stokes and Ballerini began dating in December 2022, the country artist revealed on the Call Her Daddy podcast last month. She was previously married to fellow country star Morgan Evans, though she filed for divorce from him in August 2022 after nearly five years of marriage. Their split was finalized that November.

Ballerini also revealed on the podcast episode that she slid into Stokes' DMs after the two began following each other on Instagram. "I've never seen his show, but I just knew of him, and I just swan dove right on in," she said, referring to Outer Banks.

When host Alex Cooper asked her what she said to the actor, the "Yeah Boy" singer shared that she kept it simple: "His handle is '@hichasestokes,' and I said, 'Hi, Chase Stokes.' "

Stokes' Today show outing came about after he and Ballerini attended the New York Rangers game against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Thursday night, where they were captured sharing a kiss while in their seats during the sporting event.

For the date night, which marked their first public outing as a couple, Ballerini kept it casually cool in an all-black ensemble made up of a jacket and pants.

Stokes, meanwhile, opted for a brighter color palette, wearing a yellow-and-black jacket over a white T-shirt, which he accessorized with a pearl necklace and brown hat.

Stokes also chatted about season 3 of his popular Netflix series Outer Banks while on the Today show Friday.

Nothing how it is "kind of wild" to see the fan love that the series has received over the years, Stokes told Jones, "It's been such a journey."

"We started this thing with no expectation, and now to have the show doing what it's doing is bizarre, but [I'm] very, very grateful," he added.

Outer Banks season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix. Today airs weekday mornings (beginning at 7 a.m. ET) on NBC.