Kelsea Ballerini made it clear that she doesn’t “buy into the bulls**t” rumors that pitted her against boyfriend Chase Stokes‘ ex-girlfriend Madelyn Cline. Since the two Outer Banks co-stars spend time together on set, Kelsea, 30, explained how her first meeting with Madelyn, 25, went.
“I met [Madelyn], and I talked to her, and she’s lovely and I think she’s wildly talented,” Kelsea said during her November 29 appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “I think the internet did its best to make it really weird, and it just didn’t work for them. I’m stoked to be on set and vibe with everyone.”
The “Penthouse” artist added that she considers herself a “girls’ girl” who does not “buy into the bulls**t” speculation that she and Madelyn despise each other for their respective connections to Chase, 31. When it comes to Chase and Madelyn’s on and off-screen bond, Kelsea admires how well they work together.
“I think [Chase and Madelyn] have a beautiful working relationship, and I’m excited to hang with her,” Kelsea pointed out. “People want drama, they don’t want consistency and happiness.”
The “Peter Pan” singer concluded that if she ever did feel “insecure” about Chase and Madelyn’s past, that would indicate “way more about my insecurity with myself and my relationship” than it would about the former couple. “And I don’t feel insecure with my relationship, and I don’t feel insecure about myself,” Kelsea concluded.
Madelyn and Chase previously dated on and off from 2020 to 2021. They portray love interests on screen in Outer Banks. Madelyn and Chase’s respective characters, Sarah Cameron and John B., fall in love in season 1, and their rocky relationship is expected to continue into season 4, which has resumed production.
Though they never revealed the reason for their breakup, Chase explained how they maintained their on-screen chemistry following their split.
“Mads and I have been working together now for 30 episodes, and we made a promise to each other before we even started dating that the work was always going to come first,” the Valencia College graduate told Entertainment Weekly in February. “No matter what happens in our personal lives, and the ways that life sometimes takes you in different directions, that we’re always going to honor the work.”
For Madelyn’s part, the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery actress told PEOPLE earlier this year that their cast and crew “is still very much a family” and noted she was “just happy that we are able to remain professional.”
As for Kelsea, the award-winning country music super star finalized her divorce from hex-husband Morgan Evans in 2022. They were married for nearly five years.