The Pogues Aren’t the Only Ones in Love! Meet the Outer Banks Cast’s Real Life Partners
As much as Outer Banks is about finding treasure, it also is about the relationships between all the Pogues — and the cast have some of their own experience to draw from.
In season 1, John B (Chase Stokes) and Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) find an unexpected romance as they break socioeconomic barriers and date despite their families’ troubled past. Stokes and Cline took that chemistry into real life when they started dating, too, but after nearly two years, the couple called it quits.
Stokes has since moved on after confirming his relationship with country star Kelsea Ballerini in January 2023, and Cline has been linked to DJ Zack Bia and comedian Pete Davidson. She reportedly started dating the latter in September 2023 before their breakup in early 2024.
In season 4, the first part of which was released on Oct. 10, all the Pogues have finally coupled up: John B and Sarah, Kiara (Madison Bailey) and JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant). In real life, many of them have partners of their own.
Here’s everything to know about the real-life partners of the Outer Banks cast.
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Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini
After calling it quits with Cline in November 2021, Stokes was linked to Ballerini in January 2023 after she slid into the actor’s Instagram DMs. The two have been vocal about their relationship since, frequently posting in support of one another on social media.
In September 2024, Stokes told PEOPLE that the two never go more than three weeks without seeing each other.
“The amount of effort that we put into our careers, we should be doubling that in our personal lives,” he said. “It’s about really putting in effort, and it’s not always easy and it’s not always convenient, but having a big, beautiful life didn’t come from convenience or ease.”
Ballerini has also had only positive things to say about Cline, who she called “so hot” in an October 2024 TikTok while helping promote season 4 of Outer Banks. “We stan Sarah Cameron and Madelyn Cline in this house,” she added.
The singer also put drama rumors to bed on a November 2023 appearance on Call Her Daddy.
“I met her, and I talked to her and she’s lovely, and I think she’s wildly talented. And I think the internet did its best to make it really weird, and it just didn’t work for them,” Ballerini said of meeting Cline. “I think they have a beautiful working relationship and I’m excited to hang with her. I’m vibing.”
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Madison Bailey and Mariah Linney
Bailey has been dating her girlfriend, basketball player Mariah Linney, since 2020, when they first met via TikTok. Their relationship soon got “very serious,” with Bailey telling Entertainment Tonight in June 2020 that she wasn’t anxious about posting her on social media early on.
“I had zero hesitation to post on social media about it because I was like, ‘No matter what happens, you will be in my life forever.’ I care about her so much,” she said. “She’s very gentle-hearted, kind, loving, and you see that in the way she loves basketball [and] her family. You see her loyalty and dedication in the things that she cares about. I think I am in love.”
Linney joined Bailey at the season 3 premiere of Outer Banks in February 2023, writing on Instagram that she “can’t be more proud.”
“Being able to witness my partner be a literal shining star was such a beautiful genuine moment that i will cherish forever,” Linney wrote.
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Rudy Pankow and Elaine Siemek
Like Bailey, Pankow has been dating his girlfriend, Elaine Siemek, since 2020. The two met on the set of Outer Banks, where Siemek works as an assistant to showrunner Jonas Pate.
Pankow and Siemek first debuted their relationship in November 2020. The following year, Pankow defended Siemek online amid ongoing “harassment” towards his girlfriend.
“It has gotten to the degree where lies are being spread and accusations are being said that go beyond the normal ‘hate,’ ” he wrote on Instagram. “Not only is she not what she is being accused of being, she is the complete opposite and actively is so.”
Pankow came to Siemek’s defense once again in October 2024, explaining why he made a public statement in an interview with Cosmopolitan ahead of the release of season 4 of Outer Banks.
“I think a lot of people can intertwine a narrative and what they want to believe. And they take it out on someone that doesn’t deserve it,” the actor said. “That’s unfortunate and it’s hard. And what’s even more unfortunate is that it’s not in my control. That’s why I spoke up — no one should go through something like that.”
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Madelyn Cline
Since her breakup with Stokes, Cline has been linked to a number of stars, most notably Davidson. Though she’s remained mum about her breakup with the SNL alum, telling NYLON in an October 2024 interview that she’d “rather not” discuss their relationship, Cline did admit it was easy to poke fun at it.
“The jokes write themselves,” she said.
Like Stokes, Cline has shared that she had prioritized maintaining a professional relationship with her costar since their breakup.
“We had a working relationship before we had a personal relationship, and our job from day one has always been to leave the show better than we found it,” Cline told Entertainment Weekly in February 2023.
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Drew Starkey
In the show, Daviss’ Pope finally breaks the ice with Cleo and at the very end of season 3, the two share a kiss. However, in his personal life, Daviss appears to be single, though fans have jokingly tied him to Grant.
Source: People
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