Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans’ Relationship Timeline: From Taking Shots to Marriage and More

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans' Relationship Timeline: From Taking Shots to Marriage and More

Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans’ romance began with a meet-cute worthy of a rom-com and they made fans swoon for years until their 2022 split. The “Peter Pan” singer found her man through music — after cohosting an award show in his native Australia in 2016. Tequila shots after a successful show is what ultimately sealed the deal for the pair and on their wedding day in December 2017, the couple toasted with tequila alongside their guests in Mexico. The duo’s romance hasn’t been without its hiccups, however, with Ballerini previously joking that Evans burned the pancakes while asking her to marry him in December 2016. “Loving him has been the greatest gift of my life. And now I get to do it for life,” she wrote via Instagram at the time after trolling the “Love Is Real” crooner for his kitchen proposal. When Evans released his Things That We Drink To album in October 2018, he revealed that a lot of the songs paid homage to his relationship with the “Half of My Hometown” singer. “It’s my story. It’s leaving behind everything and everyone you know to chase down a Country Music dream on the other side of the world. It’s the excitement of the unknown, its the fun, it’s the loneliness & it’s the struggle,” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “Its losing someone and finding the strength to keep your head up and make them proud. It’s meeting a girl, falling hopelessly, and marrying the love of your life.” [jwplayer iRtoUgkR-zhNYySv2] The “Hole in the Bottle” songstress later revealed that she had an “instant connection” with Evans, which played a part in their whirlwind romance. “I’ve always loved the idea of relationships and love and all that, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do the marriage thing,” Ballerini told Access Hollywood in August 2020. “My parents got divorced so I was kind of always really aware of that. As soon as I met him, he was just careful with the way that I love. And I always felt very safe loving him.” Three years into their marriage, Evans gushed over his wife via Instagram. “Best 3 years of my life. Luckiest guy in the world. Happy Anniversary baby,” he wrote alongside a cozy couple snap in December 2020. Nearly one year later, the “Day Drunk” crooner praised Ballerini for bringing out the “artist and poet” in him in celebration of her birthday in September 2021. The “I Quit Drinking” singer then returned the favor by pointing out a sweet gesture her husband did on her special day. “It’s the running through a restaurant with a dozen roses today for me 😍,” she replied. Less than one year later, however, news broke that Ballerini filed for divorce. "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. This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce,” the “Heartfirst” singer wrote via Instagram Stories. “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.” Scroll down to relive Ballerini and Evans’ sweetest relationship moments:

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March 2016

The musicians met cohosting Australia's Country Music Channel Awards. The pair’s romance began after Ballerini asked Evans to take a shot once the show ended, which led to their first kiss the same night.

Credit: Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram

December 2016

The duo got engaged on Christmas day, less than one year after they started dating.

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December 2017

Nearly one year after their romantic proposal, the couple said “I do” in front of family and friends in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Credit: Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock

August 2018

“Today, my guy’s song is the number one song in country music. I’ll spare you the sap, but to watch his journey with this song the last few years has made my heart explode from happiness,” the Tennessee native wrote via Instagram after Evans’ “Kiss Somebody” soar to the top of the charts. “You did it, babe. #KissSomebody #Actuallyjustkissme.”

Credit: Frank Micelotta/Picturegroup/Shutterstock

October 2018

The twosome collaborated on Evans’ “Dance With Me” after the Australian singer previously sang backup vocals on his wife’s Unapologetically album.

Credit: imageSPACE/Shutterstock

June 2019

The couple hit the CMT Awards together in coordinated white outfits.

Credit: Shutterstock

November 2019

The twosome walked the carpet at the 2019 CMA Awards — but Ballerini later revealed they weren’t on good terms at the time.

During an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in February 2023 after their split, Ballerini said she “had to show up” with Evans after sleeping on the couch the night prior so people “don’t ask questions” about their marriage. She reflected on seeing the photos of the pair “walking the carpet with bags under our eyes.”

In her song "Blindsided," Ballerini referenced the awards show and her emotional performance of "Homecoming Queen."

“Like that one time in 2019, before that big show, we had a big fight,” she sings. “I slept on the couch and then the next night you put on your suit/ I put on a smile and sang about how it's OK to cry, dying inside.”

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

October 2020

“During this whole process, Morgan and I always kind of said we’re never gonna write together because, I don’t know, we just respect each other so much as songwriters,” Ballerini exclusively told Us Weekly of rerecording her self-titled album as an acoustic record amid the COVID-19 crisis. “I was worried that I’d get in the room and be like, ‘Oh, it’s weird that I’m writing a love song about you, with you.’ Like, I just thought I’d be so in my head about it. But we ended up starting to write together the last few months and it’s been so much fun.”

Credit: Courtesy of Morgan Evans/Instagram

October 2020

“Yesterday we moved out of our first place together. Almost 3 years of marriage in there. So many great memories,” Evans wrote via Instagram in honor of the couple’s move from an apartment in downtown Nashville into their first home in the suburbs. “Grateful for everyone! We look mega sleepy in the photo, cause we took it at 5am as we left for the airport, but it had to be done. Onto the next adventure.”

Credit: Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram

December 2020

“In our third year of marriage we were quarantined ... and we got better at Mario Kart, communicating, making dinner, and being best friends,” Ballerini wrote via Instagram. “Happy anniversary.”

Credit: Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram

December 2020

“Blurry, merry, and very chilly. Sending love to you and your families this Christmas and wishing you a feeling of joy and magic that we all desperately need this season,” the “Miss Me More” singer wrote alongside an Instagram photo with her husband on Christmas. “And may your dogs not always look at you with disapproving judgmental glares...”

Credit: Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram

January 2021

The lovebirds went to the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee to “reset” after the ups and downs of 2020.

Credit: Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram

April 2021

The “Dibs” singer shared a series of cozy photos with Evans in honor of his 36th birthday, calling him “my guy.” The snaps included the couple jet skiing, boating, eating popcorn at the movies and enjoying ice cream.

Credit: Shutterstock

June 2021

Ballerini attended the CMT Awards without Evans.

“2021, I host the CMT Awards and he just wasn’t there. I was like, ‘You cannot come.’ It was so bad,” Ballerini said on “Call Her Daddy” two years later. “I had to work and I had to show up and I knew that if he was there — we were in and out of separation and just not good — and I was like, ‘I don’t want to fake it.’"

Credit: Courtesy of Morgan Evans/Instagram

August 2021

Evans wore a shirt with his wife’s face on it to kick off the Jonas Brothers’ Remember This tour, which featured Ballerini as the special guest, in Las Vegas. “So glad I got to see the first weekend of her tour, the show is out of control great and I can’t wait to see a bunch more!!!” he captioned a cheeky photo with his love.

Credit: Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram

September 2021

“You can’t take the country (or the glitter) outta my girl 🤠,” the “We Dream” crooner captioned a snap of the pair wearing matching cowboy hats in Connecticut just days after Ballerini’s 28th birthday.

Credit: Courtesy of Morgan Evans/Instagram

October 2021

The pair goofed off on a trip to Virginia Beach, Virginia, riding around the beach town on a peddle cab.

Credit: Eric Jamison/AP/Shutterstock

March 2022

Ballerini slayed the ACM Awards red carpet in a Saint Laurent black gown while her husband donned a matching black suit. The Tennessee native later took the stage with Dolly Parton for a duet.

Credit: Mark Humphrey/AP/Shutterstock

April 2022

The “Peter Pan” songstress gushed over her husband ahead of the CMT Music Awards, which she cohosted with Anthony Mackie and Kane Brown. During an appearance on E! News’ Daily Pop, Ballerini revealed that Evans is always by her side — or backstage — when she emcees an event.

“When I’m wearing that many hats [he has to be there]. He’s very steady, he’s very calm, and I’m like the Energizer bunny,” the Tennessee native explained. “I’m like always like, ‘Ah, what’s next?’ He’s very good at keeping me steady. Especially on a night like Monday, it’s gonna be needed.”

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

April 2022

After testing positive for COVID-19 days prior to cohosting the CMT Music Awards, Ballerini helped run the show from her and Evans’ home. While Evans didn’t appear on camera during the show, he did pose for photos with his wife on their makeshift red carpet, which was located on their driveway.

“My kinda carpet ✌️ @cmt #cmtawards,” the Aussie singer captioned a series of photos via social media, including one of him drinking a hard kombucha while wearing shorts and a T-shirt on the pink carpet. Evans didn’t put on shoes for the snaps, as opposed to Ballerini who wore a white Michael Kors suit.

Credit: Jamie Schramm/Country Music

July 2022

“We don’t [write together]," Ballerini shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! about working solo on her music. “You know, because we do the same thing all the time so we already bring it home. Imagine, like, them coming home and you’re, like, ‘Hey, like this hook? You want to write it?’ It’s just too much.”

 She added: “We both show each other everything. We’re pretty brutal. So I can only show him something if I’m like, ‘I know I love this, so even if he thinks it sucks, I’m still going to hang my hat on it.’ But I think you have to have that with anyone in your inner circle. You need that brutal honesty to you know, to know if it’s good or not.”

Credit: Courtesy Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram

August 2022

Ballerini filed for divorce on August 26, which was also listed as the date of separation, per court documents obtained by Us. She asked her fans for support on August 29. “With very active schedules coming up, please be mindful that we are both fragile, actively healing, and showing up the best we can,” she wrote via Instagram Stories.

Evans, for his part, spoke out about the end of their marriage later that day. "I am very sad to confirm that after almost 5 years of marriage, Kelsea and I are parting ways. I wish it were otherwise but sadly it is not," he shared via social media.

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October 2022

After releasing his new song "Over For You," Evans opened up about how he was inspired by his personal life.

"I recorded this vocal on the same day we wrote the song,” he shared in a press release for the single. "It was a difficult time in my life and writing this helped me process a lot of what I was going through."

Evans added: "I’d like to thank everyone that has reached out the last few weeks, both those with messages of support and those sharing their own stories."

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

November 2022

Us confirmed that both musicians signed a marriage dissolution agreement in late October, inching them closer to finalizing their divorce.

In November, Us confirmed the musicians reached a settlement for their divorce two months after the “Yeah Boy” songstress initially filed.

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November 2022

Ballerini detailed her emotional last day in her marriage to Evans during an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. "The truth is that this morning I started my day at the courthouse finalizing my divorce,” she told the crowd. “And then getting nominated for a Grammy, and then getting the keys to my dream home, and now standing in the circle of the Opry."

The “Peter Pan” songstress added: "And s--t, if that ain't country music, I don't know what is."

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February 2023

Ballerini dropped a six-song EP titled Rolling Up the Welcome Mat with telling lyrics, seemingly slamming Evans’ breakup anthem “Over For You.”

“And now you’re saying that you’re lost / And that’s lost on me,” the lyrics read. “Years of sitting across from me in therapy / I know the truth is hard to hear, but it wasn’t hard to find / Baby, were you blindsided or were you just blind?”

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February 2023

After she dropped Rolling Out the Welcome Mat and went on “Call Her Daddy,” Evans slammed his ex.

“It’s really sad for me to see this person, who I spent so much of my life with, and loved with all my heart, saying things that aren’t reality and that leave out what really happened,” he wrote via Instagram. “She knows I’m not the type of guy to speak on those things publicly. If this is what she needs to heal, I hope it helps.”

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock ; Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock

February 2023

After Ballerini unfollowed her ex on Instagram, Evans released a five-part docuseries about his life on the road post-split, revealing how he processed his feelings while performing live and writing "Over for You."

“It’s starting to feel more … like my story now and not something that I’m watching happening," he said of releasing the track.

Elsewhere in the documentary, Evans poked fun at his split from Ballerini. “I can’t believe it’s almost over. Isn’t that the way life goes? Crazy isn’t it? You look forward to it for f—king so long and get all hyped up and have … fun doing it … and some of the days feel long,” he said while reflecting on his 2022 Australia/New Zealand tour, quipping, “And then before you know it, you’re divorced.”

Credit: Ed Rode/AP/Shutterstock

March 2023

"Kelsea was very young and naive when she met Morgan, they clicked right away, but their relationship was always an emotional roller-coaster," a source exclusively told Us, noting that their "intense romance" went through periods of "friction, tension and toxicity."

According to the insider, the former couple's "main issue" was about having kids. "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 source added, referring to Ballerini not being "ready" while Evans wanted a family for "a long time."

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March 2023

Ballerini threw shade at Evans during her SNL debut with a new outro to her "Blindsided" track. "Now you're singing out loud on the radio. But you're the only heart that breaks," she sang at the time. "You would've searched the whole world over. Yeah, sure. OK."