Who Is Chace Crawford Dating? Everything to Know About His Girlfriend Kelsey Merritt

Chace Crawford is taken!

The Gossip Girl hunk is currently dating Kelsey Merritt, a Filipino-American model born and raised in Pampanga, Philippines. Her father is an American of German, French and Irish descent, while her mother is Filipina.

During an interview with Valeria Lipovetsky on the "Not Alone" podcast, Merritt spoke about her biracial identity and how she once felt she was not fully accepted by either race.

"What is fascinating is that growing up biracial in the Philippines, I was always the white girl. I got to New York, and I was always the Asian girl. It got convoluted for me because I grew up the white girl and the Asian girl, so it was really weird to experience that,” she said.

The model added she fully identifies herself as Filipino and that she knows Filipino culture "by heart."

"But if I could choose for myself, I would say Filipino," she declared.

According to Flaunt, Merritt used her earnings as a model to study communications at Ateneo de Manila University, one of the top-ranked private institutions in the Philippines.

After earning her degree, she moved to New York City and continued pursuing a modeling career.

Just one year after moving to the U.S., Merritt made history as the first Filipino-American to walk the Victoria's Secret runway show.

The Fil-Am beauty documented her journey on Instagram, including in a September 5, 2018, photoset from her Victoria's Secret callbacks.

"WE DID IT PHILIPPINES!!!!!! 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭" she shared in an emotional Instagram post announcing the milestone. "What an honor it is to be the first Filipino to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2018!!! Ahhhhhh I can't believe this!!"

"But most of all thank you to all my followers you guys are my rock!!! I couldn't have done this without you guys. Thank you for your never ending support I LOVE Y'ALL para sainyo to!!!💕🇵🇭🙏🏼 #VSFashionShow," Merritt concluded her message.

In an interview with The New York Post, the fashion model said she could not believe she was "making [her] runway debut there," adding, "I feel like I won a beauty pageant."

Merritt also became the first model from the Philippines to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

As of press time, Crawford's girlfriend has 2 million followers on Instagram, where she shares stunning fashion moments and vacation snapshots.

Before dating Crawford, Merritt was in a romantic relationship with Olympic swimmer Conor Dwyer.

"Who wouldn't be a fan of Kelsey?" he gushed during a 2019 interview with the Philippine digital lifestyle publication ABS-CBN Lifestyle. "We've been together almost a year now. I have to say [I like] just how sweet and humble she is as a person. She hasn't changed a bit. I really appreciate and adore how sweet and kind she is."

At the time, Dwyer revealed he met Merritt during a vacation in Costa Rica.

However, things appeared to fizzle out around June 2022, when Dwyer unfollowed Merritt on Instagram.

In recent years, Merritt has also been linked to other celebrities, including Glen Powell and James Marsden.

Although it is unclear when exactly Crawford and Merritt first met, multiple outlets confirmed they began following each other on Instagram in November 2024.

In January, they were spotted strolling around Los Angeles.

After months of speculation, Merritt and Crawford seemed to confirm their relationship when they attended Tiffany and Co.'s Blue Book: A Sea of Wonder jewelry collection event at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in April.

Two days before the gathering, they were pictured kissing during an outing in New York City.

The What to Expect When You're Expecting actor went Instagram official with Merritt when he celebrated his 40th birthday in July.

The since-expired photos on his Instagram Stories featured a mirror selfie with Merritt and a solo photo of the Victoria's Secret model holding a birthday cake with the text, "Happy birthday, darling."