Why Isn’t Chase Stokes at the CMA Awards With Kelsea Ballerini? His Absence Explained
What To Know
- On November 19, Kelsea Ballerini attended the 2025 CMA Awards, where she’s a nominee and a performer.
- Her boyfriend, Chase Stokes, whom she recently reconciled with, was not by her side on the red carpet.
- Ballerini just released her new EP, Mount Pleasant, which features songs about her relationship with the actor.
Since Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes started dating in early 2023, he’s been by her side at many major music award shows and other public events. The couple reportedly broke up for two months earlier this year and have since reconciled, but he still wasn’t on the red carpet with Ballerini at the 2025 CMA Awards on November 19.
Ballerini is a nominee and performer at the show, but she didn’t have her boyfriend on her arm as she posed for photos on the red carpet before heading into the event. However, Stokes seems to have a good reason for missing the ceremony.
The actor is currently filming the fifth and final season of Outer Banks, and the cast was recently spotted in Croatia for production. While Netflix will not confirm filming locations, fan accounts have shared photos of Stokes and his costars overseas.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
On October 22, TMZ reported that the show had just gone back into production in Dubrovnik, Croatia, after filming in South Carolina over the summer. Ballerini and Stokes were spotted holding hands while out to dinner in Dubrovnik on November 7, according to People.
However, Ballerini had to return stateside to promote her new EP, Mount Pleasant, which dropped on November 14. She’s set to perform the song “I Sit in Parks” from the six-song record at the CMAs.
Mount Pleasant also seemingly features two tracks about her relationship with Stokes, including one that discusses their split at the end of summer. On the song “587,” she sings, “I heard you covered up your tattoo, it’s probably time I covered mine too. I guess it isn’t just a break between us, it’s a little more space between us.”
Ballerini’s rep confirmed in September that the actor and country star had broken up. However, after their Croatia PDA, Us Weekly reported that they were “giving their relationship another try.”
“587” seemingly hints at what went wrong in the romance, with Ballerini also singing, “We’d end up fighting over missed calls from exes, past life connections, and who’s more impressive.” The song title was a reference to the mileage between Ballerini’s home in Tennessee and Stokes’ in South Carolina, where he was filming OBX when the breakup happened.
CMA Awards 2025, Wednesday, November 19, 8/7c, ABC
