Chase Stokes Got A Large Back Tattoo After His Kelsea Ballerini Breakup
Well, this certainly sends a message.
Chase Stokes has been in a very public breakup and makeup cycle with Kelsea Ballerini recently, and he’s dealing with all that drama with some new ink. On March 12, tattoo artist Daniel Winter shared photos of a freshly inked tattoo that Stokes now has on his back, stretching from one shoulder to another. And the biblical quote sends a clear message on how Stokes is handling things at the moment.
Just underneath his neck, Stokes now has the phrase, “They will judge us by our fruit,” tattooed on his back. The statement seems to be a reference to one of Jesus’ quotes in the Bible — in Matthew 7:16, the prophet tells his disciples that they will recognize true believers from false ones “by their fruit.” The basic meaning is that actions speak louder than words, and a person’s true character is deeper than outer appearances.
Stokes already has a large collection of tattoos all over his body, including a matching Virgo tattoo with his ex, Ballerini.
The timing and meaning of this new piece of body art feels significant. Stokes has spent the last several months in the public eye like never before, due to his turbulent relationship with Ballerini.
The couple had been together for about three years before it was first reported that they had separated in September 2025. What followed was a wildly unpredictable rollercoaster, in which they publicly reunited and broke up again several times. The latest update on their relationship is that they are currently not dating, having reportedly split in February.
Throughout the drama, Stokes has made a few potentially regrettable social media posts that he’s quickly deleted. Earlier this month, he attacked Ballerini’s ex-husband Morgan Evans in a since-deleted comment, calling him a “pathetic excuse of masculinity” and telling him to “get a f*cking life” after he spoke about his divorce in a recent interview.
But based on the message of his new ink, it sounds like Stokes wants people to look beyond his brash social media messages and understand that there’s something deeper going on than what things appear to be.
