Chase Stokes Says He 'Crashed Out' and Got a Buzz Cut, Debuts New Look with Kelsea Ballerini Relationship Update
- - Chase Stokes Says He 'Crashed Out' and Got a Buzz Cut, Debuts New Look with Kelsea Ballerini Relationship Update
Michelle LeeJanuary 1, 2026 at 7:12 AM
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Chase Stokes/Instagram (2)
Chase Stokes debuts new look as he hard launches relationship with Kelsea Ballerini -
Chase Stokes has a new look
The Outer Banks star debuted a bold hair transformation while announcing his rekindled relationship with Kelsea Ballerini after they split in September
"2026 my year of growth, my year of truth. Starting here, starting now," he wrote
New year, new relationship, new look.
Chase Stokes shocked fans when on Dec. 31, he and Kelsea Ballerini announced that they're officially back together after going their separate ways this past September. And along with the update on his love life, the Outer Banks star debuted a dramatic hair transformation.
Photos shared to Instagram showed the 33-year-old actor without his long wavy locks, which have been a signature look of his for the past seven years thanks to his portrayal of John B. Instead, he can be seen with a shorter buzz cut-like hairstyle, which has a bit of a backstory.
Chase Stokes/Instagram
Chase Stokes debuts new haircut ahead of 2026
"Crashed out so hard I shaved my head (again)," he captioned a picture that he shared to his Instagram Stories. "Time to be funny on social media now."
Stokes also dedicated an Instagram post to his rekindled romance with Ballerini, sharing a carousel of the pair — who first sparked dating rumors in January 2023 — cozying up to one another with a sunset in the background.
"Something I’ve learned this year: don’t take advantage of the most beautiful things that in 33 years of life are fleeting. Take accountability, learn from mistakes. Lean into love and say it often," he wrote. "2026 my year of growth, my year of truth. Starting here, starting now. Happy new years."
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Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram
Kelsea Ballerini shares her thoughts on recoupling with Chase Stokes
Ballerini, 32, also reflected on their reconnection and acknowledged their hard times. "Messy year for the heart, messy year for the outside coming in, messy year for the way it became an out of our hands portrayal of it," she wrote on her Instagram Stories.
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PEOPLE confirmed that the Uglies star and "Cowboys Cry Too" singer split in the fall after nearly three years of dating. Although, a source told PEOPLE that the two were spotted "holding hands at the table and talking closely" at a restaurant in Dubrovnik, Croatia. In the weeks following, both shared Instagram posts hinting at their status, Stokes writing on his Instagram Stories, "Don't believe the media. I'm blocked, I did nothing wrong," and Ballerini writing, “trying to make my personal life personal for now.”
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Recently, Stokes opened up to PEOPLE exclusively about turning over a blank page in his life after wrapping up the series finale of Outer Banks following the show's five-season run.
"I always reference Robert Pattinson after he finished Twilight and [the] Harry Potter [franchise] and how he took creative risks, but really challenged himself as an artist. That's the blueprint for me," he says. "I want to show people that the floppy-haired beach boy from the Netflix young adult show is now 33 years old. And at the end of the day, all I want to do is challenge myself."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
