Kelsea Ballerini and actor Chase Stokes are kicking off 2026 together again.
The pair called off their romantic relationship in September after three years of dating, but with the new year comes an apparent reunion — with both Ballerini and Stokes sharing their views on love via Instagram on Wednesday (Dec. 31).
“Something I’ve learned this year: don’t take advantage of the most beautiful things that in 33 years of life are fleeting,” Stokes wrote in a post featuring photos of him snuggling with the country singer. “Take accountability, learn from mistakes. Lean into love and say it often. 2026 my year of growth, my year of truth. Starting here, starting now. Happy new years.”
Meanwhile, Ballerini took to her Instagram Stories to share, “Messy year for the heart, messy year for the outside coming in, messy year for the way it became an out of our hands portrayal of it. But what i’ll say, and all i really care to share indefinitely with my personal life anymore, is that i really love love. I believe in it, i believe in him, and i believe in breaking patterns.”
“go kiss your person and stop speculating,” she added in her New Year’s Eve update.
The “Emerald City” singer and the Outer Banks star originally confirmed they were a couple back in 2023, walking the CMT Awards red carpet together that year. They’d first connected in 2022, when Ballerini introduced herself to Stokes through a direct message on social media.
In early December, Ballerini told fans, “I’m trying to make my personal life personal for now. Unless it comes from me, it’s not from me, and that is really important in protecting my peace right now.”
The singer-songwriter’s most recent release is her six-song EP Mount Pleasant, which arrived in November via Black River Entertainment. The EP followed Ballerini’s Top Country Albums No. 1 Patterns, the full-length studio album she released in 2024.
