Why Madelyn Cline & Chase Stokes Broke Up — Insider Claims She Was 'Over It' For A Long Time Before Their Split
OBX will never be the same...
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock "Outer Banks" stars Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline's breakup is still a sore point for fans of the Netflix show.
The co-stars, who have returned as John B. and Sarah Cameron for the third season of the show, sparked breakup rumors back in 2021.
People confirmed that Cline and Stokes were broken up in November 2021.
Cline, 25, and Stokes, 30, confirmed their romance in June 2020 after meeting on the set of their show in 2019.
Their short but sweet romance was beloved by fans who still feel bewildered about how the two, who seem to have great chemistry on-screen, could have broken up in real life.
Why did Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline break up?
"Madelyn and Chase are no longer together," a source told People on November 1, 2021. "They were trying to work things out privately but broke up a couple of months ago."
Cline and Stokes allegedly broke up because of their 'busy schedules.'
“They both have busy schedules, which made it hard for them to spend a lot of time together,” a source told Us Weekly. “They have no bad feelings toward each other and remain friends.”
According to Us Weekly, the two were "trying to work it out for quite some time" before their split.
At the time of their break up, Cline had been filming "Knives Out: Glass Onion" in Greece, which may have contributed to their conflicting schedules.
Stokes and Cline were rumored to have broken up in September 2021.
The first sign of trouble came when the two had not been seen together in quite some time — though Cline did wish Stokes a "happy birthday" via Instagram on September 16.
Alleged witnesses told Instagram gossip page DeuxMoi that Stokes had been seen at a Venice Film Festival after-party chatting and flirting with a girl and apparently looked “very much single.”
Photo: @deuxmoi / Instagram
These rumors were compounded by videos of Cline hanging out with "13 Reasons Why" star Ross Butler during Milan Fashion Week.
Butler and Cline were seen hanging out on and off for several weeks, though Butler maintained they were just friends.
In November 2021, E! News reported that Cline was having "a single girl moment" and had been done with Stokes for a long time.
According to the insider, the then 23-year-old actress "has been over it for a long time and talking to other people casually."
Cline was later linked to influencer Zack Bia in December 2021. However, fans were kept on their toes once again when a cast photo was shared in February 2022 showing Cline and Stokes holding hands.
It's unclear if this was just "Outer Banks" season three promo — the two play a couple on-screen — but fans of the real-life couple were still holding out hope for a reconciliation.
Stokes opened up about working with Cline post-breakup.
While doing promo for the third season of their hit show, Stokes told Entertainment Tonight in February that things were smooth on set.
"Mads and I have been working together now for 30 episodes, and we made a promise to each other before we even started dating that the work was always going to come first. And that no matter what happens in our personal lives, and the ways that life sometimes takes you in different directions, that we're always going to honor the work. That stayed 100 percent truthful this season," Stokes stated.
“Regardless of now not being together in a personal relationship, I'm still always going to be one of her biggest fans, and I'm super, super proud of all of her accomplishments inside the show and outside the show.”
Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Cline revealed how she was dealing with the public attention on their split.
"I realized the negative side effects of that while going through the breakup, realizing I had let people in and then felt like I couldn't get anybody out," Cline told the outlet.
"It just hit me like a freight train. I wanted us both to move on and be happy. People see the need for sides. There are no sides—there's no winning or losing in a breakup."
Cline and Stokes are now both dating other people.
Stokes confirmed his relationship with country singer Kelsea Ballerini in January 2023.
Cline has been linked to musician Jackson Guthy since July 2022.
Alice Kelly is YourTango’s Deputy News and Entertainment Editor. Based in Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.