Who is Chase Stokes’ mom?

As if he wasn’t adorable enough, Outer Banks star Chase Stokes had to go and raise the stakes (the stokes?) by giving a shout out to the woman that gave him life; his mother Jennifer Canning, who helped the actor’s career out when he needed it the most.

Stokes appeared on Today on Oct. 3 and talked about all things Stokes – his famous girlfriend, country singer Kelsea Ballerini, his role as John B Routledge of the Pogues, and of course, his love for his number one gal: his mom.

“There’s a reason you’re sitting here,” host Hoda Kotb tells the immaculately dressed Stokes. “And it goes way back to when you were a kid.”

Kotb tells the young actor that it just takes one person to think “you got it” and for Stokes, that person was very, very close to his heart. Stokes called his mom “his rock” who pushed him to pursue his dreams no matter what.

“When I didn’t feel like I was enough she always made me feel like I was enough.” He relates a story that a lot of us have gone through when we were younger, a story about being broke, being down to your last dollar and needing something, and someone coming out of the woodwork to help.

In Stokes’ case, he needed to take an Uber to an important meeting with producers from Outer Banks, and his mom showed up for him, gave him a $100 and told him, “don’t screw this up.”

“There was no question. No hesitation. It was what moms do. They show up. When we don’t think we can show up for ourselves, and she’s done that my whole life and continues to do so,” the actor said.

Stokes has had the ability to pay that kind of blind faith forward now that he’s a star. He took his mom to Venice for the Venice Film Festival as a date, and she got a first hand look of just how famous he’s become. Apparently, it took her aback a little, but she quickly adjusted to the new reality of her son’s superstardom.

When she gave him that money, by the way, Stokes said he was basically destitute, using an LA Fitness on Hollywood Boulevard as a shower. Every penny he earned he put towards trying to get a break, and it would not have happened had his mom not helped him out. Considering his current level of success, and how bright the future looks for the young star, that $100 investment was 100% worth it.