Haliey Welch
American internet personality (born 2000s) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Haliey Welch (/ˈheɪli/ ⓘ HAY-lee; born 2002 or 2003) is an American Internet personality commonly referred to as Hawk Tuah Girl. She became an internet meme after being interviewed in a viral 2024 TikTok video in which she used a catchphrase, hawk tuah, an onomatopoeia for spitting as a form of oral sex, specifically fellatio. She is also known for her podcast Talk Tuah and a cryptocurrency coin which faced criticism following release.[1]
Haliey Welch | |
|---|---|
Welch in November 2024 | |
| Born | 2002 or 2003 (age 21–22) |
| Other names | Hawk Tuah Girl |
| Occupation | Internet personality |
| Years active | 2024-present |
| Known for | Viral interview and catchphrase |
TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 1.8 million |
Instagram information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 2.5 million |
Last updated: March 16, 2025 | |
Early and personal life
Welch is from Belfast, Tennessee, and worked in a bedspring factory prior to internet fame. As of 2024, she lives with her paternal grandmother in Nashville, Tennessee,[2] who also raised her.[3]
On Howie Mandel Does Stuff, a podcast hosted by Jewish-Canadian comedian Howie Mandel, Welch performed a five-minute DNA saliva test live which revealed she allegedly had 97.7% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.[3] The test's efficacy was questioned by the Jewish website Jewlicious.[4] Regardless, unsubstantiated claims were made on Twitter alleging that she was a Mossad operative performing a psyop and that she was the daughter of an Israeli Jewish billionaire.[5] Welch herself claims no knowledge of her family's heritage.[3]
In 2024, Welch claimed in a conversation with Whitney Cummings that her mother, who she is no longer in contact with,[3] was a crack user and she herself was born a crack baby.[6]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
Hawk tuah
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Interview with Haliey Welch, by Tim & Dee TV, published June 24, 2024. |
On June 11, 2024, a vox pop YouTube channel, Tim & Dee TV owned by Tim Dickerson and DeArius Marlow, released a video featuring an interview with Haliey Welch in the Broadway district of Nashville, Tennessee, United States.[7] Welch and another woman approached Dickerson and Marlow and asked to be interviewed.[7][8] The interview began with what Dickerson and Marlow considered tamer questions, such as, "What makes you wifey material?"[7][8] Eventually, Dickerson and Marlow stated, Welch encouraged Marlow to "spice up the questions".[7][8] Marlow responded by asking, "What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?" Welch's reply, in a strong Southern accent was, "You gotta give 'em that 'hawk tuah'[a] and spit on that thang", referring to spitting on someone's penis as a form of fellatio, for lubricatory purposes.[9][10]
The next day, Marlow uploaded the clip to TikTok and almost immediately other accounts across social media began reposting the video after scrubbing off the "Tim and Dee TV" watermark.[7] Dickerson and Marlow estimated that they filed at least fifty copyright claims in the days after they first published the clip.[7] The original video had gone viral, receiving millions of views across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, spawning remixes and remakes of the original audio, and gaining Welch the nickname Hawk Tuah Girl.[11] The video and the phrase turned into a meme.[12]
Popularity
Initially, Welch was mortified that her clip had gone so viral. "The first week of it, I was so embarrassed," Welch said. "I wouldn't come out of my house. I went to work, but that's about it. Other than that, I didn't go anywhere. But I went from being embarrassed to living in the moment." She had seen vendors selling unofficial regalia of her viral moment and decided to capitalize on the moment herself. She said "If everyone else is making money off of it, I might as well, too."[2] Ultimately, Welch created an Instagram account and soon gained a sizable social media following and media attention.[13] Dickerson and Marlow indicated they were happy for Welch but were upset for not receiving credit for Welch's fame.[7]
She quit her job at the bed spring factory on June 27, 2024,[14] and partnered with a local apparel brand to begin selling Hawk Tuah merchandise, earning over $65,000 within a couple of weeks.[15][16] On June 29, Welch joined Zach Bryan on stage during his concert in Nashville, Tennessee, to perform Bryan's song "Revival".[17] A few days later, Welch joined Shaquille O'Neal during his DJ set in Nashville.[18] On July 2, Welch signed for representation with The Penthouse.[19][20] On August 15, she threw the ceremonial first pitch of a New York Mets game,[21] On December 11, she was featured on a comedic segment of the late-night television show Jimmy Kimmel Live! In 2025, Welch announced an upcoming documentary, DocTuah, about her rise to fame.[22]
Talk Tuah
Welch premiered a podcast with Jake Paul's company Betr, Talk Tuah, in on September 3, 2024.[23][24] It has featured guests from the start; the first episode features comedian Whitney Cummings.[25] From there, the show has featured a guest on almost every episode, including rapper and singer-songwriter Wiz Khalifa, business mogul Mark Cuban, and Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa.
In September 2024, a fake screenshot of an NPR article went viral on Twitter, claiming that former President Donald Trump had canceled a guest appearance on the podcast because of an assassination attempt in Florida.[23]
Since October 2024, a satirical self-described "companion podcast" titled "Talking Talk Tuah" has been posted weekly, in which hosts Cam George, the cameraman of Podcast But Outside, and Peter Ditzler review Talk Tuah and other events involving Haliey Welch.[26] The podcast's creation has no association with Welch, though other guests have featured on the podcast, including Brent Weinbach.[27]
In November 2024, a fake screenshot of a CNN article went viral on Instagram, claiming that more than 75,000 of the votes counted in the 2024 United States presidential election were write-ins for "Hawk Tuah" and "Talk Tuah".[28]
Other ventures
On November 14, Welch released a dating advice app, Pookie Tools. To build the app, Welch partnered with Ben Ganz, founder of Ultimate AI Studio, an AI automation platform.[29]
Meme coin scandal
In December 2024, Welch released a cryptocurrency meme coin on Solana called $HAWK token. The coin reached a market capitalization of nearly $500 million before plummeting to $25 million,[30] with at least one investor filing a complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.[31] This led to Welch and her team being accused of performing a pump-and-dump scheme[1] and the coin being accused of being an exit scam, including by cryptocurrency journalist Coffeezilla, who also accused Welch and her team of insider trading.[1][32][33] Welch's team has denied the accusations.[34]
Later that month, a lawsuit was filed against the $HAWK creators in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York for unlawfully promoting and selling cryptocurrency that was allegedly never properly registered.[35] Welch, who was not named in the suit, responded to the litigation, saying that she "take[s] this situation extremely seriously" and pledging to be "fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting" the legal parties involved.[36]
Notes
References
External links
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