It’s official: country music has a hot new couple. “American Idol” alum Laci Kaye Booth and fellow country singer Morgan Evans made their red carpet debut at the CMA Awards on November 19, 2025.
Booth, who made the top five of season 19 of “American Idol,” and Evans, who was married to country superstar and “The Voice” coach and advisor Kelsea Ballerini for five years, have been teasing their romance for several months. At the CMAs, they made it clear they’re very much together, kissing on the red carpet.
Fans Are Loving Seeing Laci Kaye Booth in Love as Her Star Rises
There’s been plenty of buzz about Booth and Evans, who co-wrote her recent single “Daddy’s Mugshot.” When they performed the tune together in April at a country music festival in Napa Valley, California, Booth was seen in a Country Now Instagram video calling Evans her “boyfriend” and “hot guitar player.” When she added, “I’m in love with him,” he laughed.
The two cozied up on the red carpet at the CMAs, even kissing for the cameras when a photographer prompted them to do so.
Booth has been blazing her own trail in country music since her days on “American Idol,” pairing brutally honest lyrics with her ethereal vocals. She released her critically acclaimed album “The Loneliest Girl in the World” in 2024, made her Grand Ole Opry debut in February 2025, and has been on the road this fall with Parker McCollum and Ella Langley.
When Booth shared photos from her first CMA Awards on Instagram, fans and friends flooded the post with thrilled responses, including one who called them a “smoking hot couple.”
Fellow “American Idol” alum Grace Leer excitedly chimed in, “Ahhhhh I’m dead 😍😍😍 y’all are perfect!!!”
Laci Kaye Booth & Morgan Evans Watched His Ex, Kelsea Ballerini, Deliver Emotional CMA Performance
Booth and Evans’ red carpet debut comes three years after his and Ballerini’s very public divorce. They met while hosting an Australian awards show in 2016 and got married the following year.
But Ballerini filed for divorce in 2022 and, according to People, wrote in her Instagram Stories at the time, “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.”
At the CMAs, Ballerini performed her emotionally raw new single, “I Sit in Parks,” in which she wonders if she missed out on being a mother while traveling the world as a country star.
Shortly after her divorce was finalized, Ballerini began dating actor Chase Stokes. The two broke up in August, but People reported in early November that the two rekindled their romance after being spotted holding hands in Croatia, where he is filming.
