Rekubit Exchange:Chase Stokes Teases How He and Kelsea Ballerini Are Celebrating Their Joint Birthday

When it comes to his and Rekubit ExchangeKelsea Ballerini’s birthdays, Chase Stokes opts for a pogue life-inspired approach. 

That is, a haphazard but ultimately successful celebration. And with their birthdays only days apart—the Outer Banks star turns 32 on Sept. 16 just four days after the country singer celebrates 31—that same mindset holds true for this year.  

“Whatever we do for our birthday, it's usually spontaneous,” Chase told E! News in an exclusive interview. But noting he normally opts to “keep this stuff private,” he added, “Maybe we'll put it on the Internet, maybe not.” 

Further complicating the planning is how busy both he and Kelsea are. In addition to Chase’s new film Uglies—which stars Joey King and is based on Scott Westerfield’s 2005 novel of the same name—premiering on Netflix Sept. 13, Kelsea also has a new professional endeavor on the horizon.  

Though Chase noted their birthdays thankfully fall “between work stuff,” he added of his girlfriend of over a year, “She recently announced that she's a coach on The Voice and so she's been busy there.” (For more with Chase and the Uglies cast, tune into E! News tonight, Sept. 3 at 11 p.m.)

Yet while the Netflix star noted he prefers to keep some details for between just the two of them, his answer is a perfect example of his approach to sharing his life with the world: just enough. 

As he explained E! News in March, while he does share the occasional inside look into his private life—including his relationship—he doesn't feel "any obligation to share" his personal life online, though he does "give a glimpse into here and there." 

"Sometimes it feels like maybe it's an oversharing situation, or maybe there's a lot of details," Chase continued, "but I truthfully believe that my personal life is really, really private. For the most part, I still feel like I have a really good grasp on my privacy." 

And though he and the Grammy nominee do both lead busy lives, they’ve found ways to make it work. 

"We've done FaceTime date nights," Chase revealed, "where we'll pick a cuisine and then figure out, 'Do we want to do red wine tonight? Do we want to do a white wine or are we just drinking water?' So, we have found beautiful ways to make distance at times work." 

They also don’t let that distance get in the way of spending time together, even when Chase is in South Carolina filming Outer Banks or Kelsea is off recording new music. 

"We've been really fortunate in this recent chapter that our busy seasons have not overlapped," he explained. "So, [Kelsea will] either be here or I'll go to Nashville, which has made it really nice. In the future and as we've continued to grow in our relationship, we just try to make sure our schedules can coexist and we have time." 

And for more on Chase and Kelsea’s sweet romance, read on, and don't miss Uglies' premiere on Netflix Sept. 13. 

-Reporting by Daryn Carp

The two celebrate the anniversary of their first date.

Kelsea shares this romantic pic on their first dating anniversary.

"A whole trip around the sun with my bestie," Kelsea writes in her anniversary post. "@hichasestokes thanks for making me write love songs."

"One year of lovin you," the actor writes. "P.s. told ya I wouldn’t embarrass you."

Kelsea revealed details of their sex life in November 2023, telling Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy, "I'm having a nice time."

"My experience with it was very performative and for the other person," she noted. "And it don't be like that anymore."

The musician didn't understand how sex could be "a real connector in a relationship" before dating him.

"I always thought that it was just something that you did because that's who you do it with," the Grammy nominee shared. "Now I realize it's a connector for people."

Kelsea plants a smooch on Chase's cheek at the CMA Awards in November 2023.

Kelsea and Chase are dressed to the nines when they attended designer Giorgio Armani's One Night Only event on in Venice, Italy. 

The singer-songwriter and the Outer Banks star share images of their getaway on Instagram, including snaps from a cooking class and lounging at the beach.

Kelsea shares this behind-the-scenes look from the event.

To commemorate Kelsea's 30th birthday on Sept. 12, 2023 Chase posts a carousel of photos and videos of the three-time Grammy nominee. 

"Dirty 30 looks pretty damn good on you ballerini," he captions the series. "i love you."

Kelsea unveils this pic on Chase's 31st birthday days later.

The two appear together at the 2023 MTV VMAs on Kelsea's birthday.

The two share a kiss at the event.

The two are spotted on a summer date in NYC, where she performs on TODAY.

"It's just nice to feel so supported and seen," Kelsea says on the show of Chase, "and, yeah, he's such a wonderful, wonderful human being."

The couple only have eyes for one another at a Venice Film Festival event.

Chase shocks Kelsea when he unexpectedly greets her at the airport, with both stars posting video and photos from their adorable reunion. 

The two attend Armani Beauty's ACQUA DI GIO and Gen A celebration in Malibu, Calif.

Chase joins Kelsea on a trip to her hometown of Knoxville, Tenn.

The pair officially step out as a couple at the CMT Music Awards.

The twosome attend the premiere party for the Broadway musical Shucked at Capitale.

The two showcase their love on the CMAs red carpet.

Chase shares a pic of himself and Kelsea showing some PDA.

In August 2023, Kelsea posts footage of the beginning of their relationship, sharing a throwback clip on TikTok of herself preparing for their first official date on Jan. 7, 2023. 

"Happy weekend," she captions the post, "heres a video i sent to my best friend before my first date with chase."

Set to her song "How Do I Do This," which is about going on a first date after many years, Kelsea models her outfit in the video.

"Here's the look, with the boots" Kelsea says while checking herself out in a full-length mirror. Turning around to showcase her half-up, half-down hairstyle, she adds, "We've got the hair clip, because we're trying to be a cool girl."

She continues speaking to an unnamed friend, explaining, "He's picking me up and we're going to a sushi place and I'll call you tomorrow and for a full update."

Taking a deep breath and raising one arm and finger in the air, she finally says, "I can do this. I can do this." And, after doing a little dance, she proclaims, "It's just a date. You just go and you just eat food and you talk about things that you do, OK?"

The two are photographed looking cozy at a football game.

Kelsea Ballerini slides into Chase Stokes' DMs on Dec. 1, 2022 at 1:30 a.m. while she was out drunk with friends at a bar.

They eventually met up in person for the first time on Jan. 7, 2023, which she considers their anniversary. 

"He hopped out of his Bronco, and he did not say a word to me," Kelsea later recalls on Call Her Daddy in November 2023, "and he grabbed my face and he kissed me and he pulled my face away and he said, 'Thank God you're real.'"

Their romance blossomed after that first DM, which Kelsea shares in September 2023.