Madelyn Cline has admitted she found it “difficult” to work with her ex Chase Stokes after their break-up.
The 28-year-old actress appeared alongside Chase for five seasons of “Outer Banks” but found it tough to work with him after their high profile split.
The couple first met while auditioning for the Netflix adventure drama in 2019 and soon began dating, publicly confirming their relationship in June 2020. The ex couple continued to play an on-screen couple until the recent fifth and final season.
How Madelyn Cline Found A Healthy Way To Work With Her Ex
Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes dated between 2020 and 2021, but had to continue playing a couple on Netflix’s “Outer Banks” even after they broke up in real life.
On the red carpet, Madelyn told The Hollywood Reporter: “There were moments when it was difficult, absolutely.”
Despite this, the former couple and co-stars found a healthy way of working together. “But once the dust kind of settled, we were able to just revert to the friendship that we always had,” Madelyn explained.
She did have just one question for Stokes.
“At some point, you look at each other, and you’re like, ‘Are you ready to stop being miserable? Because I’m ready.’”
Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes Agreed To Not Let Their Personal Lives Het In The Way
GettyThe exes have tried to not let their break-up cause any issues when making “Outer Banks. Madelyn told Cosmopolitan in 2023, “We always said that the job remains untouched. Nothing else, personal or negative, will touch the job.”
The “I Know What You Did Last Summer” actress added: “And while that’s not always easy, our job is to leave the show better than we found it, to leave the season better than we found it. And I’m really appreciative of that.”
Stokes felt the same way as his ex, telling Entertainment Weekly in 2023: “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,” he added.
Madelyn Cline Admitted She Didn’t ‘Understand’ How A Hard Public Relationship Would Be
In a 2025 appearance on the Therapuss podcast, Madelyn reflected on the effects of having such a public romance with a co-star.
“I think at the time I didn’t realize what the repercussions of inviting so many people into, let’s be honest, something that’s intimate,” she explained. “I didn’t understand it; I was so in love.”
She believes fans were invested in her relationship with Chase because of their “Outer Banks” characters. “I think they loved it because of us, but they also loved John B and Sarah first and foremost. You look at any public breakup and you know, so many people are invested and of course, that was really hard.”
Even she and Chase struggled to separate themselves and their characters, feeling lost outside of their relationship. “But, also like any breakup, you grow out of it, which is great.”
She did admit there was a period of time where she didn’t know “which way was up” and “which way was down” because “Outer Banks” and her public relationship became her “identity.”
Chase would go on to have another high profile relationship, dating country music star Kelsea Ballerini, splitting in February 2026 after nearly four years on/off together.
