Chase Stokes fired back in an Instagram comment, reigniting debate among country fans over who gets to tell the story of the public split. In a recent episode (March 3), Evans said he was blindsided by the breakup.
"I definitely wasn’t expecting it, and it took me by surprise… That whole time is such a blur. It almost feels like somebody else,” explained Evans. “Maybe that was me being naive. I just look back, and I’m like,’ Oh my God.’ Yeah, it was just kind of a whirlwind, life-changing moment.”
Evans also opened up about the backlash after the divorce, and touched upon Ballerini’s divorce-inspired EP.
“In my case, it didn’t feel like it necessarily had a lot to do with me,” said Evans. “I think maybe I was presented, or made out to be, or became an archetype for any guy that had done any woman wrong during that period of time. Like, some of the stuff was just like...’what? What are you even talking about?’ And like you say, it doesn’t not hurt...especially if it was real vicious or something. And then I’d click on whoever said it and just have a look and just be like, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s OK. That looks like somebody going through a tough time.”
After a clip of that interview circulated on Instagram, Stokes, who dated Ballerini on and off after her 2022 divorce, called Evans “the most pathetic excuse of masculinity” in the comments before deleting the post.
Bones later weighed in to defend his guest and push back on the quick public takedown.
In an Instagram video, Bones told Stokes, “If you’re going to come that hard, maybe don’t take it down. Nothing bad to say. I don’t know him. I’m sure he’s probably a good guy.”
But he wonders “why certain people can talk about things and other people can’t,” referencing the interview about the divorce, which Ballerini has spoken about on several occasions. Evans touches upon the split in his latest project,
Steel Town.
Bones believes that anyone who calls out another person as “less masculine” is “maybe insecure in their own masculinity. I just felt it was weird. Why would you challenge someone’s masculinity? By the way, Morgan Evans is like 6’2 and freaking strapped,” he added.
Fans who have followed the split since 2022 have largely chimed in defending Evans’ right to speak, noting that Ballerini’s
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP and onstage comments already gave her side of the story.
“Didn’t KB write an entire EP about her side of the divorce? An EP that definitely could’ve (& did) come across unkind. She even made a statement at a concert & said she wished she would’ve been softer about things she stated because she knew that EP hurt a lot of people.. love KB & Morgan. Chase seems like he’s crashing out a bit,” one social user wrote. Another urged balance, “There are always 3 types of truth – his, her, and in the middle. We need to support both of these humans. Always be kind ❤️”
Ballerini has not publicly weighed in, and Stokes has not expanded on his deleted comment. How do you feel about this? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by sending us a message on social media
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