Kelsea Ballerini recently opened up about her divorce from Morgan Evans in a big way.
Ballerini appeared on the February 22 episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and spoke about the end of her and Evan’s marriage, how that relationship has evolved for her, and how she finds love again.
Read on for some of the biggest moments from Ballerini’s new interview and how Evans reacted to them.
On how her relationship with Evans started and what she thinks went wrong
Ballerini recalled first meeting Evans, a country singer, in March 2016. Things moved pretty quickly when Evans proposed in December of that year — after just nine months of dating.
The “Mountain With a View” singer said she’s attracted to Evans because he comes from a “loving family” and she comes from “a really, really broken family.”
“I thought I had my whole life under control. I thought I knew exactly what love is and what I brought to a relationship and what I needed from a relationship,” Ballerini said. “And I haven’t.”
Taylor Hill/Getty Images, FILE
In this November 13, 2019 file photo, Morgan Evans and Kelsea Ballerini attend the 53rd Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I was a reflection of everyone who came before me, and I was really good at being who people needed me to be,” she continued.
Ballerini said she vowed never to get married because of her parents’ “nasty” divorce, but the couple married anyway in December 2017, a year after they got engaged.
She claimed that things started falling apart when she started feeling “upset” with Evans. The singer said she felt like her then-husband wasn’t prioritizing her in their busy life, as she claimed she was for him. She said that feeling led to “a lot of nights sleeping on the couch” because “there was such a sense of separation” between them.
Ballerini also claimed the couple had a “fundamental disagreement” when it came to children.
“It’s like he wants something out of life that I don’t want,” she said. “I’m not there, and whether I get there or not, I don’t think it’s because of that person if it is.”
“I think I got married because of my parents. I think I got divorced because of me,” she continued. “I think choosing to get out of this marriage was kind of a paraphrase of what divorce looks like and what it means.”
About their divorce and telling their sides of the story through songs
Ballerini said she and Evans had a “really nice conversation” about divorce in August 2022, the same month they publicly announced their split.
“I was just very honest. I just said I loved what this brought into my life and I respect you and I respect myself and that’s why I can’t be in this marriage any longer,” she said. “And I really want to do that together and I really want to honor the good that we’ve experienced by doing this the right way.”
“It was wonderful. we cried We hugged. It was cute,” Ballerini continued. “And then something changed and… I haven’t spoken to him since.”
Ballerini claimed Evans released his song “Over For You” within weeks of that conversation, a move that infuriated her.
Michael Buckner/Diversity via Getty Images, FILE
Kelsea Ballerini arrives at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 5, 2023 in Los Angeles.
“I felt really used in that moment,” she said.
In the divorce proceedings, the “Blindside” singer claimed that Evans gave her the choice of either giving him half of her home, which she claimed he didn’t contribute equally to the purchase, or going through alimony proceedings despite a prenuptial agreement. She chose the former rather than the latter.
“Hurt people hurt people,” she said. “I totally understand that and I have grace, I really do because I know he was hurt and is hurt but how have I been married to that person for so long and I had no idea that there was that bit of character in that person.” stuck? That’s what’s hard for me.”
Ballerini said she knew the blame for the end of their relationship wasn’t just on Evans, saying, “I think anyone who looks at the demise of any type of relationship and just points the finger has a lot to deal with.” to do himself.”
The couple’s divorce was finalized in November.
Months later, on Valentine’s Day 2023, Ballerini released an EP titled “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat,” chronicling her side of a broken relationship.
About dating Chase Stokes and if she would ever get married again
Ballerini also said during Wednesday’s podcast interview that she was “ready to open up again” and start dating again because she had already mourned her previous marriage while she was still in it.
Confirming she’s not single, the “Leave Me Again” singer said she’s “having fun” and “just agrees” with Chase Stokes, revealing she’s slipped into the “Outer Banks” actor’s DMs to take her shot.
“I’ve never seen his show, but I just knew him and just jumped in,” she said. “His name is @hichasestokes and I said, ‘Hi, Chase Stokes.'”
Getty Images for the Recording Academy | Getty Images for Netflix
Kelsea Ballerini attends the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 5, 2023 in Los Angeles. | Chase Stokes attends the Netflix premiere of Outer Banks Season 3 on February 16, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Ballerini said she’s learning “really a lot about myself and how I show up in a relationship and how I show up for myself,” and called this stage in her life “a really beautiful reawakening.”
She said she doesn’t see herself getting married again at this time.
“I love the idea of a partnership … I don’t know if I still believe in the legality of anything, and I think if you want to be with someone, it should be a daily decision,” she said, noting that feeling – to borrow the title of their latest album – is “subject to change”.
How Evans reacted
The Australian singer released a statement on Instagram on Tuesday, a day before the podcast episode aired, saying: “It’s really sad for me, this person that I’ve spent so much of my life with and I love with all my heart loved to see things said that aren’t reality and leave out what really happened.”
“She knows I’m not the type to speak publicly about things like this,” he continued. “If that’s what she needs to heal, I hope it helps.”
Evans asked his followers not to be “mean” to Ballerini or each other in the comments, adding, “Life is too short.”
A representative for Evans declined to comment further on the matter.