Kelsea Ballerini jokes she 'slid into boyfriend Chase Stokes' DMs' (2024)

Kelsea Ballerini joked about how she 'slid into boyfriend Chase Stokes' DMs' during a humorous 'mindreading' skit to kick off the 2024 CMT Music Awards in Austin on Sunday.

The Miss Me More songstress, 30 - who took on hosting duties during the star-studded festivities - also involved other celebrities during the opener, such as Keith Urban and Jelly Roll.

Shortly before the ceremony, the singer and Outer Banks actor, 31 - who were confirmed to be dating in February 2023 - notably shared a passionate kiss while walking the red carpet at the Moody Center.

Ballerini took to the stage wearing a dazzling, sheer dress that offered a sultry flare as well as a sparkling, closed-toed pumps.

She explained to the crowd, 'You know, sometimes the camera just lands on you and people misinterpret your reactions. Trust me - you may think you know what's going on in our heads, but really you don't.'

'So, right now, we're gonna find out what the stars in our audience are really thinking. That's right - we're reading minds in here.'

Kelsea then first directed the attention to fellow country artist and nominee, Lainey Wilson.

Suddenly, a voiceover by Wilson could be heard inside the venue, which said: 'She's not reading my thoughts right now, is she? Mic check, mic check. Uh-oh!'

Ballerini then told the live audience, 'See? I told you! It works! The lovely Carly Pearce is here!'

The singer could be seen sitting next to Trisha Yearwood and Carly's thoughts sounded throughout the arena: 'Oh my gosh! It's Trisha Yearwood!'

Yearwood's mind could also be heard and she humorously said: 'Oh my gosh! I'm Trisha Yearwood?'

Jelly Roll was the next celebrity to have his thoughts revealed, and he humorously could be heard thinking: 'Listen, nobody knows this, but my real name is actually... Angelo Rollingsworth.'

Kelsea then brought the focus to her boyfriend, and said, 'And, would you look at that! We've got Chase Stokes from Outer Banks in the house! Who wouldn't want to read their boyfriend's mind?'

The actor - who was sitting behind her during the skit - held a worried look on his face. 'First she slides in my DMs and now she's in my thoughts. Oh, are you thinking what I'm thinking? Oh, God!'

'Will circle back. And, hey, look! Keith Urban is here!' Ballerini continued. The camera jumped to the singer who briefly held a shocked looked on his face.

'I was told I would be next to Jelly Roll. I am not happy,' his thoughts said. However, the camera panned back to show that he was next to Buc-ee. 'Actually, I am happy. What up, Buc-ee?'

Urban - who was not accompanied by wife Nicole Kidman at the event - flashed a smile and excitedly hugged the mascot from the famous country store and gas station chain.

'Everyone loves Buc-ee's, am I right?' Kelsea asked the crowd and then revealed her own thoughts.

'Right now I can tell you what I'm thinking, and that's that I can't wait to hear all the music and find out all the winners. So, y'all, let's get it going!'

Moments before the fun opener to start the ceremony, Ballerini was seen strutting onto the spacious stage while holding a microphone in her hand.

The audience jumped to their feet to cheer on the songstress, including Chase who could be seen holding a bright smile on his face while supporting his girlfriend as she took on hosting duties.

The blonde beauty also received three CMT nominations, such as Video of the Year and also CMT Performance of the Year for the track, If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too).

She also took to the stage to perform a re-imagined version of her debut single, Love Me Like You Mean It.

'I wanted to bookmark it and wanted to find a way to honor that and also challenge myself to reconstruct it as a 30-year-old,' she recently told Billboard.

'The message of it is still something I believe in, which is that you accept the love that you believe you deserve and we're all deserving of good, loyal love. But how I would sing it now sounds different than how 19-year-old me recorded it...'

Ballerini also recalled attending the CMT Music Awards when she was just a child.

'As a fan, it was one of the craziest moments of my life, so it feels very full-circle to go from the kid outside the barricade to being the host of the show.That's not lost on me and I'm very excited to be here.'

While on the red carpet, Kelsea stunned in a vibrant red dress that contained both sheer and lace details.

The ensemble had a plunging neckline and was held up with thin straps that wrapped around her shoulders and neck.

She wore a pair of open-toed, red heels to coincide with the color scheme of her outfit and allowed her locks to flow down in elegant waves past her shoulders.

The star was joined by Stokes who was dressed to impress in a plain white shirt as well as black trousers. He layered the look with a white suit jacket that was left unfastened at the front.

The lovebirds were seen sharing a passionate kiss for the cameras as the pair posed for memorable photos together.