Bobby Bones stepped in to defend Morgan Evans after their interview — which mentioned the musician’s ex-wife, Kelsea Ballerini — received backlash from Chase Stokes.
“If you’re gonna come that hard then maybe don’t take it down. Also, nothing bad to say about this person,” Bones, 45, said in an Instagram video on Wednesday, March 4, in response to Stokes’ heated comment.
Bones clarified that he doesn’t “know” Stokes, 33, personally, adding, “I’m sure he’s probably a good guy. Mostly, like, in my heart, I just wonder why certain people can talk about things and other people can’t.”
Stokes called Evans, 40, out after the singer made a rare comment about his divorce from Ballerini, 32, while on “The BobbyCast” podcast, saying in the Tuesday, March 3, episode, “I definitely wasn’t [expecting our divorce], and it took me by surprise. But yeah, that whole time is such a blur. It almost feels like somebody else, just from where I’m sitting now. I just look back and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God.’ … Yeah, it was just kind of a whirlwind, life-changing moment.”
Evans also admitted that he felt mischaracterized in the aftermath of the split.
“In my case, it didn’t feel like it necessarily had a lot to do with me,” Evans added. “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?”
He concluded: “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.’”
Stokes, for his part, posted a since-deleted comment in response to Evans’ interview, which read, “This is about the most pathetic excuse of masculinity ive ever seen. Get a f***ing life.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Ballerini for comment.
“The only people going ‘you’re less masculine’” are the “people who are maybe insecure in their own masculinity,” Bones added on Wednesday while defending Evans’ ability to speak out about his personal life. “He wrote a record about his life, and part of that record, just a part, a small part of the record, is about a divorce that he went through. The whole record is not that. Most of the record’s not that, because there’s parts about his traveling around the world, his new relationship, which, she’s awesome — like, all these positive things.”
Ballerini announced in August 2022 that she and Evans had called it quits after nearly five years of marriage.
“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,” she wrote via her Instagram Story at the time. “This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce.”
Ballerini concluded: “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. With very active schedules coming up, please be mindful that we are both fragile, actively healing, and showing up the best we can.”
After their split, Ballerini found love with Stokes, and the duo dated off and on since January 2023 before officially calling it quits last month.
Evans, for his part, has since moved on with fellow country singer Laci Kaye Booth.
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