Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes made their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2023 CMT Music Awards.
Ballerini wore a grey Dolce & Gabbana dress with a corset top, while Stokes sported a dark shirt and pants with white piping detail. The outing followed months of rumors that Ballerini and Stokes, who stars on the Netflix series Outer Banks, are dating.
"I have a really hot date tonight," Ballerini told CMT's Carissa Culiner on the red carpet. "I'm really happy and it's really nice to... this is our first outing so I'm like, 'Come on into my world and then bring me into Charleston [where Outer Banks shoots].' I don't know if it's the big moments on TV or where I am in my life or what it is, but I feel really good."
Ballerini and Stokes were first linked in January after they were spotted at the College Football Playoff National Championship in Los Angeles. Ballerini split from her husband Morgan Evans in August 2022, while Stokes previously dated his Outer Banks co-star Madelyn Cline.
Ballerini co-hosted the CMT Music Awards with Kane Brown. She performed her song "If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)" alongside RuPaul's Drag Race stars Kennedy Davenport, Manila Luzon, Jan Sport and Oliva Lux during the ceremony.Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll were among the big winners at the awards show.
