One of country music’s hottest young couples has split. Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans, who tied the knot in Dec. 2017, are officially over. Kelsea announced the news herself with a post on her Instagram Story on Aug. 29. “This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce,” she wrote. “This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth and effort that has ultimately come to an end.”
She added, “Its extremely difficult to find the words here, but I feel extremely grateful for the years of marriage to Morgan and hopeful for the next seasons. With very active schedules coming up, please be mindful that we are both fragile, actively healing and showing up the best we can.” And according to her divorce filing on Aug. 26, which HollywoodLife obtained, she cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split.
Kelsea and Morgan, who are nine years apart, met while co-hosting an awards show in Australia, where he’s from, during the spring of 2016. By December of that year, they were engaged. The two tied the knot in Mexico just under one year after the engagement. As an aspiring country singer at the time, Morgan had recently moved to Nashville, where he and Kelsea began their lives together.
After tying the knot, Kelsea and Morgan became a staple couple at country music award shows and other high-profile events. However, during the summer of 2022, fans began to wonder if something was going on between the lovebirds. After months without any social media posts together, buzz about a possible breakup began. Some social media users even pointed out that Kelsea didn’t appear to be wearing her rings in some online photos. However, both Kelsea and Morgan kept tight-lipped about the state of their relationship for quite some time.
Although Morgan and Kelsea’s relationship was lived in the public eye, Kelsea was very adamant that there were parts of their lives that would not be publicized. She often shut down questions on social media about when the two planned on having kids and starting a family together. “I’m sure you mean well, but it’s incredibly insensitive to ask or assume if another woman is pregnant or not,” Kelsea tweeted at a fan after the 2020 CMA Awards. “I’m not, by the way. Just carrying around my organs. But if I were, I’d want to share that in my own time, when I felt ready.”