How Morgan Evans Split Affected My View of Divorce

Learning from experience. Kelsea Ballerini candidly discussed how her split from Morgan Evans changed her outlook on her parents’ divorce.

“I have a lot more grace for them,” the country artist, 32, told the New York Times for a profile, which was published on Monday, March 20, about watching her mother and father part ways when she was 12 years old.

Ballerini noted that songwriting became an escape as she dealt with the end of her marriage to Evans, 37, adding, “It’s the truest love in my life.”

The Tennessee native explained how her personal life influenced her music after releasing her album Subject to Change late last year. “I don’t know if I would have written a song like ‘Blindsided’ had I not been responding to something that was already out there,” she said, referring to Evans’ track “Over for You,” which he released in September 2022.

The Australia native, for his part, recently recalled how his divorce played a role in the song‘s conception. “Having gone through a situation like that — seeing that it helps other people going through situations like that — yeah, it’s really a big deal,” Evans shared on an episode of The Bobby Bones Show in February. “It felt good to do that and just be honest and not try to cover things up.”

Ballerini broke the news in August 2022 about her and Evans’ breakup after nearly five years of marriage.

“Friends, I’ve always tried my best to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way, while also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold,” the singer wrote via her Instagram Story at the time. “This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce.”

She concluded: “This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end. It’s hard 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.”

Since then, a source recently told Us Weekly that the pair faced many “issues” in their marriage before pulling the plug.

“Kelsea was very young and naive when she met Morgan, they clicked right away, but their relationship was always an emotional roller-coaster,” the insider revealed, noting that their “intense romance” went through periods of “friction, tension and toxicity.”

According to the source, Ballerini was “not ready” to expand her family with Evans. “Morgan [had] been ready for a long time,” the insider added. “They had been having issues, relating to each other and trouble being kind to each other, but the disagreement over kids was the nail in the coffin.”

The songwriter has since moved on with Chase Stokes after reaching out to him over social media.

“His handle is ‘hichasestokes’ and I just said, ‘Hi Chase Stokes,’” she shared during an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in February. “I have my s–t together and for me to share that with anyone is a gift. I want to be with someone that feels the same way about their life. … I’m a relationship bitch.”