Chase Stokes has definitely got the role of supportive boyfriend on lock. The Outer Banks star was captured on camera adorably rocking out to Kelsea Ballerini‘s performance at the CMT Music Awards Sunday (April 2) after the couple made their official red carpet debut at the ceremony.
In a clip posted by CMT’s official account, Stokes bops his head and claps his hands to the beat of “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too),” which Ballerini performed during the ceremony alongside a handful of drag queens — an act of protest against the recent anti-drag laws in Tennessee. At one point, the 30-year-old actor pulls out his phone and starts filming a home video of the three-time Grammy nominee.
Rumors of the pair’s romance started back in January, with Ballerini eventually confirming the relationship in a February episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast. “I’ve never seen his show, but I just knew of him, and I just swan dove right on in,” she told host Alex Cooper at the time. “His handle is ‘@hichasestokes,’ and I said, ‘Hi, Chase Stokes.’”
In addition to performing and being nominated for video of the year and female video of the year, Ballerini also co-hosted the awards ceremony for the third year in a row. She devoted her opening remarks to those impacted by gun violence following the recent school shooting in Nashville. “Tonight’s broadcast is dedicated to the ever-growing list of families, friends, survivors, witnesses and responders whose lives continue to forever be changed by gun violence,” she said, also telling the audience about her own personal experience with the issue.
“I pray deeply that the closeness and the community we feel through the next few hours of music can soon turn into action, like real action that moves us forward together to make change for the safety of our kids and our loved ones,” she added.
The country star also subtly shouted out her beau in her opening monologue, celebrating country music from “Nashville and Austin to Yellowstone and the Outer Banks.”
Watch Chase Stokes dance along to his country star girlfriend’s CMT Music Awards performance below:
