Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Celebrity Dating Chase Stokes Says He's 'Absolutely a Fan' of Girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini: 'Who Isn't?' The Outer Banks actor and the country musician began dating in December 2022 By Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 3, 2023 10:52AM EST Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/WireImage, Taylor Hill/FilmMagic Chase Stokes is singing his praise for Kelsea Ballerini. While appearing on the Today show Friday, the Outer Banks actor, 30, opened up about his relationship with girlfriend Ballerini, 29. After co-host Sheinelle Jones pointed out that that star will be serving as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live over the weekend to Stokes, she asked him if he was a fan of the Rolling Up the Welcome Mat artist. "Absolutely, I'm a fan," he said. "Who isn't a fan?" Jones, 44, then addressed viewers at home, telling them, "For those of you who don't know, they're dating," before she called Stokes and Ballerini "a beautiful couple." "Thank you," Stokes said. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes Share a Kiss at New York Rangers Game in N.Y.C. Stokes and Ballerini began dating in December 2022, the country artist revealed on the Call Her Daddy podcast last month. She was previously married to fellow country star Morgan Evans, though she filed for divorce from him in August 2022 after nearly five years of marriage. Their split was finalized that November. Ballerini also revealed on the podcast episode that she slid into Stokes' DMs after the two began following each other on Instagram. "I've never seen his show, but I just knew of him, and I just swan dove right on in," she said, referring to Outer Banks. When host Alex Cooper asked her what she said to the actor, the "Yeah Boy" singer shared that she kept it simple: "His handle is '@hichasestokes,' and I said, 'Hi, Chase Stokes.' " Kelsea Ballerini; Chase Stokes. Neilson Barnard/Getty, Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Stokes' Today show outing came about after he and Ballerini attended the New York Rangers game against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Thursday night, where they were captured sharing a kiss while in their seats during the sporting event. For the date night, which marked their first public outing as a couple, Ballerini kept it casually cool in an all-black ensemble made up of a jacket and pants. Stokes, meanwhile, opted for a brighter color palette, wearing a yellow-and-black jacket over a white T-shirt, which he accessorized with a pearl necklace and brown hat. RELATED VIDEO: Netflix's New Teen Treasure Hunt Drama Outer Banks Is Here! Meet Hunky Star Chase Stokes Stokes also chatted about season 3 of his popular Netflix series Outer Banks while on the Today show Friday. Nothing how it is "kind of wild" to see the fan love that the series has received over the years, Stokes told Jones, "It's been such a journey." "We started this thing with no expectation, and now to have the show doing what it's doing is bizarre, but [I'm] very, very grateful," he added. Outer Banks season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix. Today airs weekday mornings (beginning at 7 a.m. ET) on NBC. Close