What’s up with the shocking celeb breakups this month? Nina Dobrev and Shaun White, Benson Boone and Maggie Thurmon, and now, Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes?! Kelsea’s rep confirmed the devastating news on September 14, and I’m currently in denial.

The country queen and the Outer Banks star were literally rom-com material. Kelsea wrote beautiful love songs like “First Rodeo” about Chase, and he passionately sang along to every lyric at her concerts and award show performances. And they’ve never been shy about showing off their love in adorable Instagram carousels.

Earlier this year, Kelsea opened up about their relationship to People. “I look at love really practically now, and somehow it’s my favorite version of it,” she said. “I didn’t really have an example of what a solid relationship looked like in my developmental years. I learned the hard way.”

So, WTF happened? Why did Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes break up? Here’s what we know so far.

Why Did Kelsea Ballerini And Chase Stokes Break Up?

What Happened Between Kelsea Ballerini And Chase Stokes?

Image Credit: Getty

In statement about the split, Kelsea’s rep shared: “They’re two adults who gave it their all and tried to do everything they could to make it work, but ultimately couldn’t. It happens.”

Damn. These two dated for three years, and I assumed they’d get married one day.

It’s particularly shocking because just two days before the news broke, Chase posted a sweet birthday tribute for Kelsea on IG. He shared candid photos of them and wrote, “Although you keep saying you’re not excited for 32, I’d say I’m lookin forward to more of this. happy birthday my love ❤️.” And yes, that post is still up.

His IG grid hasn’t changed at all yet, but Kelsea’s already deleted her photos with him. Hmmm….

The rep’s statement is pretty vague, so it’s still unclear exactly why Kelsea and Chase decided to end things. However, they previously opened up about navigating long distance and “sorting through baggage” together.

“If we need to make the effort to show up when one’s across the country, we do it,” Chase told People in September 2024. “The amount of effort that we put into our careers, we should be doubling that in our personal lives.” He said they never went more than three weeks without seeing each other.

In an interview for Women’s Health in October 2024, Kelsea reflected on “in-between” moments in the relationship. “How do we get to the happy-go-lucky, mushy-gushy phase? This is the process, but it took a lot of sorting through baggage together,” she said. “I think we’re both really proud of that.”

Welp, gonna go cry now.