NEED TO KNOW
Chase Stokes is speaking out after fans flooded Kelsea Ballerini’s comments section to name-check him.
Ballerini released an EP, Mount Pleasant, on Friday, Nov. 14, and posted a TikTok promoting one of the tracks, “People Pleaser,” on Nov. 17.
In the comments of the video — which saw the country singer, 32, transform into a glamorous red dress and bold lip look while singing along to the lyrics — Ballerini’s ex-boyfriend, Stokes, who she recently reunited with two months after their breakup, slammed fans spreading negativity.
“These comments are f—ing weird,” Stokes, 33, wrote. “Grow up.”
The Outer Banks star was presumably responding to the many comments on Ballerini’s post that referenced both him and his ex-girlfriend and costar, Madelyn Cline.
In response to Stokes’ comment, fans began debating what had sparked his involvement, and one alleged that an Outer Banks fan had been posting photos of Stokes and Cline, 27, in the comments section of Ballerini’s posts — and encouraging others to do the same — and that Stokes asked the fan to stop. “OBX fans were posting nonsense and Chase called them out so they deleted it,” the fan wrote.
Chase Stokes/Instagram
One fan wrote, “So now it’s ok for Kelsea to be calling Madelyn a red flag and how she goes around to many [guys]. Wow, I’m sure Madelyn is pissed at you both, Chase and Kelsea. Idiots.”
That comment seems to reference the vulnerable lyrics of “Emerald City,” one of the songs off Ballerini’s latest release. In the song, she sings about being jealous of another woman, who she says “got around” and is “pretty,” which left her feeling “envy.” Fans have been speculating that the track is about Stokes’ ex, Cline.
Stokes’ comment on Ballerini’s post comes days after he reunited with the singer in Dubrovnik, Croatia — where Outer Banks has been filming — on Nov. 7. An onlooker told PEOPLE that the exes were “holding hands…and talking closely” at a restaurant.
“After they got up, they walked together hand in hand towards Old Town. They looked very cute,” the onlooker said.
Taylor Hill/WireImage
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PEOPLE initially confirmed the news of the couple’s breakup after nearly three years together in September.
Sources close to the pair told PEOPLE at the time, “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.”
This is not the first time the stars have taken to TikTok to weigh in on their relationship. In September, shortly after news broke of the breakup, Ballerini addressed “speculators, ‘sources,’ and hidden cameras outside the hair salon” in the caption of a TikTok as she made reference to the coverage of their split.
She sang along, seemingly in frustration, to Ariana Grande’s 2020 track “Shut Up” in the video, and in the caption, asked for everyone to “let us be, please,” which seemed to be directed at those continuing to speculate about her breakup from Stokes.
