Madelyn Cline reveals hard truth about her ‘difficult’ split from Outer Banks’ Chase Stokes

Sarah Cameron and John B got their happily-ever-after in Outer Banks, but Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes’ relationship was much more complicated off-screen, and now the actress has opened up about their difficult split.

Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes dated in real life before splitting in 2021, then had to carry on playing a couple as if nothing had happened. And now that Outer Banks has officially wrapped with its fifth and final season, Madelyn has been looking back on what that period was actually like.

Madelyn Cline says working with Chase Stokes after their split was ‘difficult’

Madelyn and Chase first got together after Outer Banks season one and went public with their relationship in June 2020. They broke up in November 2021, after a little over a year together.

The awkward part was that their characters, Sarah and John B, were still very much in love. So, while Madelyn and Chase were figuring out their own relationship, they also had to keep filming romantic scenes together for Outer Banks.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Madelyn admitted that it was not exactly easy. She said, “There were moments when it was difficult, absolutely.”

“But once the dust kind of settled, we were able to just revert to the friendship that we always had,” Madelyn explained. “At some point, you look at each other, and you’re like, ‘Are you ready to stop being miserable? Because I’m ready.’”

Madelyn says the public breakup was ‘really, really hard’

Madelyn has actually spoken about the split before. And her comments make it pretty clear that the breakup was about more than just losing a boyfriend. In a 2025 appearance on the Therapuss podcast, she reflected on what it was like having such a public relationship while also being at the centre of Outer Banks.

“I think at the time I didn’t realise what the repercussions of inviting so many people into, let’s be honest, something that’s intimate,” she said. “I didn’t understand it; I was so in love.”

She added, “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.”

Madelyn also admitted that she and Chase still shared something huge because of the show. “It was really, really hard to separate,” she said. “But, also like any breakup, you grow out of it, which is great. But there was a period of time there where I truly did not know which way was up, which way was down because Outer Banks and that public relationship was kind of my identity. And I was like, ‘Who the f*ck am I?’”

They had one rule when they went back to work

Madelyn had explained that she and Chase agreed not to let their personal lives affect Outer Banks. She told Cosmopolitan in 2023, “We always said that the job remains untouched. Nothing else, personal or negative, will touch the job.”

She 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.”

Chase has also spoken about the importance of keeping things professional after their breakup, and the two clearly managed to do that. They continued playing Sarah and John B for several more seasons, despite their history off-screen.

Madelyn also made it clear that she didn’t want the breakup turned into some sort of celebrity battle. “My thing is, I don’t owe anyone an explanation,” she said. “I am a really private person. There’s a part of me that is for me and nobody else.”

She then added, “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.”

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