"How was I married to this person for this long and I had no idea that that bit of character was tucked within that human being?" said Kelsea Ballerini on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.
update 2/21/2023 10:40 p.m. pt
Morgan Evans seemingly responded to Kelsea Ballerini claims about their marriage and relationship ahead of the full episode of her "Call Her Daddy" interview, which is now streaming.
The "Young Again" singer appeared to be suggesting that Ballerini's version of events "aren't reality" and are incomplete. At the same time, he appeared to be staying out of the fray, offering no counter-version.
"It's really sad for me to see this person, who I spent so much of my life with, and loved with all my heart, saying things that aren't reality and that leave out what really happened," he wrote. "She knows I'm not the type of guy to speak on those things publicly."
The Australian singer stayed true to that sentiment, offering no further details as to even what exactly he's referring to, though it's easy to infer he's responding to Ballerini's recent comments in the released clips from the interview, as well as her new EP, "Rolling Up the Welcome Mat."
"If this is what she needs to heal, I hope it helps," Evans continued. He then shifted his comments directly to his followers, noting, "All I ask is that if you're on my pages, please don't be mean. Don't be mean to Kelsea, don't be mean to each other."
He concluded his message with, "Life's too short."
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
original story 2/21/2023 2:04 p.m. pt
Kelsea Ballerini is speaking out about her divorce from Morgan Evans.
In a preview clip for Wednesday's episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, the country singer shared insight into her and Evans' marriage troubles ahead of their split, revealing that she spent "many" nights sleeping on the couch.
Ballerini, 29, filed for divorce from Evans, 37, in August 2022 after almost five years of marriage.
Kelsea Ballerini Explores Morgan Evans Divorce in New Short Film
View Story"When did you realize the two of you were not on the same page about what marriage looked like?" asked "Call Her Daddy" host Alex Cooper, to which Ballerini replied, "Longer than I give myself credit for. A long time."
"There were separations, there was years of couples therapy," she said. "There was like, many a night of sleeping on the couch. This was just a relationship that took work for a long time."
The "Peter Pan" singer said she remembered the first night when she realized what her marriage had become is not what she wanted.
"I slept on the couch the night before the CMAs," she told Cooper. "And I remember I went to rehearsal at the arena and texting him and him being like, 'I'll just see you at the carpet.'"
The Grammy nominee didn't specify which CMA Awards she was referring to. However, in her song "Blindsided," which is featured on her recently-released EP, "Rolling Up the Welcome Mat," Ballerini recalled having to sleep on the couch following "a big fight" the night before a "big show" a few years ago.
"Like that one time in 2019, before that big show, we had a big fight/I slept on the couch and then the next night you put on your suit," she sings. "I put on a smile and sang about how it's okay to cry, dying inside."
At the 2019 CMA Awards, Ballerini performed her hit, "Homecoming Queen," which she appears to be referring to in "Blindsided."
In the preview clip, Ballerini went on to open up more about why she ended up spending nights sleeping on the couch after Cooper pressed further.
"There was just such a sense of disconnection," she told Cooper. "We hadn't seen each other, there was a lack of effort to see each other. I was getting resentful because any time we did see each other, I felt like I was carrying that load, and I was tired. I was just tired of showing up in that way all the time and not feeling like I was seen or matched."
"And then I was also tired from like, traveling all the time and giving so much of myself because that's what I want to do to honor my career, too," she added. "And I think I just felt really depleted and not understood."
Ballerini and Evans tied the knot in December 2017, when the former was 24. The "Miss Me More" singer announced the divorce news back in August, calling it a "difficult decision" which was "the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end."
At the time, she added, "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."
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Meanwhile, in a promo clip for her "Call Her Daddy" podcast appearance, Ballerini admitted that she "didn't want to have a wedding."
"I swore I would never get married," she explained. "I think he loved me more at 23, and I love me more at 29."
After Cooper described Ballerini and Evans' split as "nasty," the former agreed, saying, "Yeah, it did," before she threw shade at her ex.
"As he's putting out a song about being blindsided, he's taking half the house that he didn't pay for," she said, appearing to allude to Evans' song, "Over For You."
"How was I married to this person for this long and I had no idea that that bit of character was tucked within that human being?" she said.
Also in the episode teaser, the "Half of My Hometown" singer shared her thoughts on dating again, and revealed her relationship status.
"I've never really dated! I don't know how it works," said Ballerini, who sparked romance rumors with "Outer Banks" star Chase Stokes last month.
When asked if she's "single" at the moment, Ballerini replied with a laugh, "Am I single? Am I single? God. Um ... nope."
"So you're dating Chase Stokes?!" Cooper asked before the clip ended.
Ballerini's full "Call Her Daddy" episode drops Wednesday at midnight.