Kelsea Ballerini is a 29-year-old country music star (and a Virgo). She met Morgan Evans in late 2016 and they were married in December 2017, when she was just 24 years old and her career was already starting to get piping hot. She didn’t want kids right away. Last summer, Kelsea and Morgan announced their split, and their divorce was finalized last November. I don’t follow the ins and outs of country music gossip, but was the divorce a huge story, or was it more like… minor gossip of “yeah, it seemed like they were having problems?” In any case, months after her divorce, Kelsea is talking about what went wrong, and her story about freezing her eggs and not telling him is really interesting. (Update: okay, this was confusing, I genuinely thought she was saying she froze her eggs, but she was saying she was thinking about freezing her eggs and not telling her husband.)
Kelsea Ballerini knew her marriage to fellow country star Morgan Evans was over when their opposing views on family planning came bubbling to the surface. The “Blindsided” singer, 29, revealed on Wednesday’s episode of Call Her Daddy that the breaking point of her nearly five-year-long marriage was realizing that she “wasn’t ready for kids,” while Evans, 37, was eager to become a father.
“That was something that we had talked about early on, and that was something that I was changing on,” she explained to host Alex Cooper. ”Cause he was ready. He was like, ‘I don’t want to be an old dad,’ is what he kept saying. And I was like, ‘I’m not there yet, and I can’t do that to save this and give you something that I’m not ready for.'”
Ballerini recalled visiting her doctor to look into freezing her eggs — and not telling Evans about the trip. She eventually took him to dinner and said she wanted to freeze her eggs when she turned 30, which was still a year and a half out. “It was not a good day,” she said. “And I think that was when I was like, there’s a fundamental difference here that has happened, that has shifted. And it’s no longer like, I don’t see this person, I miss this person, I’m alone, I’m lonely. It’s like, he wants something out of life… [and] I’m not there…. And whether I’ll get there or not, I don’t think it’s with this person if it is. And I think internally in hindsight, that’s where I went like, ‘I think maybe we need to rethink this, Kels.'”
Ballerini said the egg-freezing conversation confirmed that she and Evans “were on different pages,” and she eventually filed for divorce in August. Their split was finalized in November. Elsewhere in the podcast, the “Heartfirst” singer said that she was the one to finally pull the plug, and that the pair had endured separations and “years of couples therapy” before making their split official. She also confirmed that she has since moved on with Outer Banks star Chase Stokes, whom she met after sliding into his Instagram DMs.
The “when will have children/how many do you want” conversation is so important and everyone should have it way before y’all get married. Kelsea definitely says she changed her mind, which is her right, but the whole… egg-freezing thing is interesting. She was preparing for her future without him! Anyway, now Morgan is mad about this interview and he made a statement on his IG. Morgan is acting like she threw him under the bus when really she was talking about how she changed her mind and what she wanted changed during the marriage?? Anyway, the country music peeps are fighting!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- 174800, Kelsea Ballerini, Morgan Evans at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada – Sunday April 15, 2018. Photograph: © Joe Sutter, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000,Image: 514946552, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Joe Sutter, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CA, USA – FEBRUARY 10: Morgan Evans and Kelsea Ballerini arrive at the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency),Image: 531638731, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289 – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For querie, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- 174804, Kelsea Ballerini, Morgan Evans at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards 2018 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada – Sunday April 15, 2018. Photograph: Ã?© CPA, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 533370595, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: CPA, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Singer Kelsea Ballerini arrives at the Michael Kors Collection Fall/Winter 2020 Runway Show – February 2020 during New York Fashion Week held at the American Stock Exchange on February 12, 2020 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Image Press Agency),Image: 563537002, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Kelsea Ballerini attends Bloomingdale’s 150th Anniversary and Harper’s BAZAAR global Icons portfolio on September 9, 2022 at Bloomingales in New York, New York, USA.,Image: 721770039, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Kelsea Ballerini, Credit line: Robin Platzer / Twin Images / Avalon
I believe she cheated on him also.
with Drew Taggart
She didn’t freeze her eggs. She said she visited her doctor to get information on freezing her eggs in a year, which is different. I’m sure she wanted to have all the information before having the conversation with her husband, don’t see the problem here. They had a major incompatibility.
Yeah, she didn’t freeze her eggs without telling him. She got info about freezing her eggs so when she brought it up with her husband, she’d know what she was talking about.
Yeah, the headline “got her eggs frozen without telling him” threw me. That is not the kind of process you do without your partner noticing if you’re living together. It takes time and involved medications and injections, care with diet, no alcohol, and things like that, and aftermath of the egg extraction is usually painful.
Yeah that was my thought when reading the headline… how could he NOT notice that process??
It does seem like the headline is misleading and I think there is confusion over what she said happened. Are there other parts of the podcast that weren’t quoted where she stated that she did the retrieval?
Either way, it sounds like they made the right decision to part ways.
Yeah, it’s a complicated process. Before reading the article, I wondered how she could have pulled that off without him noticing but I see that she only had a conversation with her doctor. That’s not a big deal and if he reacted very badly then she was probably right to determine that they were incompatible. I also think it’s really smart of her to freeze her eggs while she’s still young and she shouldn’t need anyone’s permission to do that. She can still conceive naturally after freezing her eggs. This just gives her more options for the future.
Right? Hi honey, I”m just injection hormones and I’ll be gone for half a day for a minor surgical procedure, but don’t worry about it, nothing to see here!
Her body, her eggs. So what if she had frozen them without telling him? I don’t see the issue here…
It sounds like his issue is he wants kids yesterday, so maybe he wasn’t upset about the freezing in and of itself, but rather that her wanting to freeze told him that they were not in the same path.
Like so many arguments, it’s not about the thing itself, but what the thing represents.
I agree, Talia. I don’t think that’s what happened here, but if a woman wants to freeze her eggs, she has every right and no obligation to get permission or notify anyone. Women shouldn’t be shamed for planning for the future.
And for the record, she’s not a bad person because she changed her mind about when/if she wants kids.
Agree with @Talia. Plus, fertility is a different timeline for women than for men. He may feel wounded, but she was taking care of herself. Good for her.
Thank you! There is a huge difference between discussion the option to freeze your eggs and actually doing it. I think the headline and article need to be updated because they are very misleading.
There seems to be some confusion. The quoted article says that she had a conversation about freezing her eggs, and told her husband about the conversation after the fact. Unless there is more that wasn’t included, she didn’t actually freeze her eggs behind his back.
Well, I am not going into any other things, I don’t even know who she is. But my eggs are my eggs, and I don’t go behind anyone’s back if I decide to freeze them? It’s not like they’re embryos.
This headline is a lie and should be changed.
Totally agree! Inaccurate. Also, speaking to a doctor about a medical procedure before bringing it up with your spouse is not shady behavior. I find it weird that the author frames it as such.
Not shady but also not the sort of behaviour I would want in a loving relationship. Having children is a big thing, I do feel sorry for this guy who is older and ready for kids to then be told his wife is not ready and will not be ready anytime soon. I would have found that hard.
That said, of course she can change her mind about her timing. Sounds like they had more issues than just disagreeing about time to start a family, like lack of trust and communication
I have noticed a lot of times it is not that they do not want to have kids. It is that they do not want to have kids with you. I have seen so many people who did not want kids change relationships and immediately have kids with their new partners. Anyway, I know nothing about these two but they sound poorly matched. Best for both of them to be apart
I was gonna say, if they had been in years of marriage counseling maybe she just didn’t feel like their marriage was strong enough to withstand coparenting. But that’s a hard thing to admit to oneself and I’m sure she doesn’t want to say it publicly.
I don’t think she did anything wrong by simply speaking to her doctor about it, then talking to her husband about it. The headline is wrong.
Uhhh whoa. You should change the headline. She didn’t freeze her eggs and not tell him, she had a consultation about it. Huge difference. Change the headline.
This headline is incorrect and misleading – it needs to be corrected. Getting medical information and having a conversation with your partner about it sound like a normal course of action. This shouldn’t be further stigmatized.
Wait. No. She didn’t freeze her eggs without telling him. She talked to her doctor about it, then talked to him. It’s entirely reasonable to have your doctor be the first person you talk to about what is, after all, a medical procedure.
I’ve also heard the cheating rumors, and it sounds like these two are just on completely different pages, but there’s nothing wrong with asking your doctor if something even makes sense before you raise the subject with your parter.
The way both of them talk about “years and years” of this and that, they were only married 5 years! Sounds like they had one good year, then she turned 25 and matured enough to realize they wanted different things, and he was wondering where the fun 24 year old breeder he married went. Sorry if that’s rude, he sounds like an asshole and she sounds like she grew up.
I disagree. She says that she is the one who changed her mind about when she wanted to start a family. That’s her right to do, but he’s allowed to be upset about the change because when / if to have kids in a relationship is something you really need to be on the same page about, and they weren’t anymore.
There’s not really any assholes here, just a couple that didn’t work out.
Wow! A breeder. That’s harsh. It sounds like they both agreed to start a family soon after they married. If that was their agreement then I find your assertation offensive. Just because he wanted to start a family with her doesn’t mean he sees her only as a breeder, and it’s offensive to ascribe that to him when she herself never says it. She completely has the right to change her mind, and move on. And he has the right to be disappointed that she changed her mind. I see nothing wrong on either side in this situation.
Oh, and change the title of the story. My goodness. That title is the definition of clickbait!
A lot of these comments seem harsh to me…where did she say he was *mad at her* because she was thinking about freezing her eggs, or told her she shouldn’t, etc…..?
How I read it, it was that her considering freezing made it clear that were not on the same page, and that was sad/upsetting to both of them. I can’t imagine someone not being upset over that realization…?
The headline here is complete misinformation, you have an obligation to change it. She never said she froze her eggs, it actually sounds like she chose not to. Do better!
Gonna jump in here with the “change the headline” folks. Actually freezing your eggs and getting info about it are two different things. Y’all need to change this headline.
It’s sad overall. Based on the original podcast, they both wanted to have a family when they first married and later she changed her mind about having children (or who knows not wanting to have children with him). And he’s been ready to be a dad. Yesterday, there were also rumors that she cheated on him during their marriage – which isn’t a good look either for her . He seems to be quiet the past couple months about this and she’s been talking a little too much .
When will 30-something men realise that if they want children, they should not be marrying women in their early 20s. We have sh!t to do, y’all! 30-something guys wanting kids need to start dating 30-something women instead of cradle robbing.
Whoa, slow down a little bit.
A 32 year old and a 24 year old getting married isn’t cradle robbing.
Her eggs, her choice.
That said, that’s not even what happened here.
This was a couple who wanted different things in life and broke up. It’s actually an extremely relatable and reasonable thing. I’m glad for both of them that they didn’t compromise on something clearly so important to them both.
This is such a weird article- especially with a completely misleading headline.
Her body, her eggs, her choice 100%.
The one part that I wonder is what their actual conversations on kids looked like. It sounds like she changed her mind on having kids soon, and he didn’t. And that is fine, people can change their mind. I wonder how vocal she was with him re changing her mind? If she was so sure that she wanted to wait that she was looking into freezing her eggs, and yet maybe hadn’t made that as clear to him? I could see him not taking that news well. But that is a big jump for me to make.
His statement makes me think that they are splitting up for reasons that aren’t “we are on different pages re kids”. The kids reason is so understandable, and certainly ENOUGH. No one is at fault if they want different things. And admittedly, I am in a very cynical place in life right now and that may be why I am reading this from such a mean perspective, but I have to wonder if his position is more “We split up because she cheated and also wasn’t honest about how soon she wanted to start a family, she gave me the impression she just needed a little more time but she actually had already decided she wanted to wait long enough that freezing her eggs was something she wanted to look into and she looked into it before she admitted that to me.”
I don’t know these people or their music, but unless Kelsea says elsewhere in the podcast that she actually froze her eggs without telling her husband—vs simply getting a Dr’s consult, which she has every right to do—this headline is wrong & needs to be changed ASAP. Multiple commenters have pointed this out since the story was posted earlier this morning & I keep coming back to see if it’s been changed. I’ve been reading Celebitchy since day 1, & I’m incredibly disappointed that you’re relying on non-factual, click-baity headlines. Don’t you get enough traffic just by endlessly rehashing royal nonsense? Stooping to a flat-out lie for clicks is beneath you. Do better.
Having been through changing minds on having kids, I have to wonder if it isn’t more common and not really talked about. My husband and I both went into our marriage agreeing we wanted kids someday. We had the same vision on number and spacing. But the “I’m ready to have kids now” moment just didn’t come. He realized first that he didn’t want to, and I had something like a couple of years mulling and mourning over that idea: he didn’t want kids anymore, but I still wanted them in theory, even if I wasn’t at that “I’m ready now” moment. Eventually, I was happy to also own the idea of “yep, we’re not having kids and this is best for us.” I also had to admit to myself that part of thinking I’d have kids was societal expectation. I still find child development and pregnancy fascinating, but I also accept I don’t need to be personally immersed in the experience. People change their minds/get to know themselves better, and sometimes the context of the relationship has an influence on that self knowledge and those desires.
What am I missing here? Freezing her eggs costs her husband nothing. It’s her body. They were her eggs to freeze whenever she chose, regardless if she told him before or years later. They were her eggs, her body. It’s not like she froze or saved his sperm without consent. Now that would be very bad.
She didn’t freeze her eggs at all, actually (that we’re aware of)
People are misinterpreting what she said. She didn’t say he was upset that she was considering freezing her eggs, but rather that her wanting to do that showed that they were not on the same page, because he wanted kids already, not to wait longer.
This is sometimes where the age difference in a couple could cause issues. They’re only 8 years apart but he obviously wanted kids and she had time to wait. He felt his clock was ticking while she wasn’t ready. If she wants to freeze her eggs, yeah that could be a difficult conversation because that shows she really wants to delay having kids. You always hear about women’s biological clock but it rarely occurs to us that men think about their age when it comes to parenthood as well. Talk about incompatible differences.
Right? 24 and 32 could easily be worlds apart in terms of family planning. Also, while it’s important to talk about these issues with your partner before making a commitment, it’s not a crime to change your mind! Many people change their minds dramatically about how many kids they want once they actually become parents. When fertility issues arise people vary in terms of how far they are willing to go to have biological children. It’s good to have some idea of what you want but life happens. These two just seem ill suited.