Latest news with #HalieyWelch
Express Tribune
21-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Haliey Welch breaks silence on failed Hawk Tuah crypto coin and FBI investigation
Haliey Welch, best known as the viral 'Hawk Tuah Girl,' has broken her silence about the failed launch of her namesake cryptocurrency, $HAWK, saying she had no knowledge of crypto and was misled into promoting the coin. In a recent episode of her Talking Tuah podcast, Welch said, 'I couldn't tell you how crypto worked the day that coin launched… I got talked into it and trusted the wrong people.' Finally Sharing my Side Tune in tomorrow at 12 PM CST — Hailey Welch (@Hay_welcch) May 20, 2025 The Solana-based meme coin briefly skyrocketed to a $500 million market cap after launching in December 2024 but quickly became worthless, prompting investigations by the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Welch explained that during this time, her legal team advised her to stop broadcasting and cooperate with authorities. 'They interrogated me… They went through my phone. So they cleared me,' she said, confirming she was never named in the ongoing class action lawsuit. Welch emphasized that she earned only a marketing fee and made no profit from the coin's rise and fall. 'All the money I got went to PR, lawyers—everything. I came out with nothing,' she added. She also expressed remorse for fans who lost money, saying, 'It makes me feel really bad that they trusted me.' Following the coin's crash, Welch received threats and even had FBI agents show up at her grandmother's house. Despite the trauma, she said she has been fully cleared and is ready to move forward. 'It was definitely scary… but legally, I wasn't in any trouble. It was just a big mess.'
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
‘Hawk Tuah' Creator Haliey Welch Says FBI Approached Her Over Failed Crypto Launch
Haliey Welch, the internet creator best known for her viral 'hawk tuah' meme, addressed her controversial failed cryptocurrency coin launch for the first time on an episode of her 'Talk Tuah' podcast Tuesday, stating the FBI and SEC both approached her to investigate after the value of her coin inflated and immediately crashed, though she denied wrongdoing. Welch denied responsibility in the sudden crash of her Hawk Tuah coin and denied she intended to scam her followers, stating she 'trusted the wrong people.' Though she did not name names on the advice of her lawyers, Welch said she launched the coin because she was approached by an unnamed cryptocurrency company, which offered her a deal to launch her own coin, though Welch admitted she knew little about cryptocurrency at the time. Welch said her profile on X was managed by the cryptocurrency company, which gave her lines to say, which she would take videos of herself reading. Once the Hawk Tuah coin crashed in December after reaching a high of $500 million in market capitalization value, Welch said the FBI knocked on the door of her grandmother's house, asked Welch questions and investigated her phone, after which Welch said the investigation was picked up by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which she says also examined her phone. Welch said the agencies cleared her of wrongdoing, and she said she was not named in any lawsuits in the aftermath of the coin crash. Welch said she did not profit off of her Hawk Tuah coin, stating the only money she made was a marketing fee from the company she partnered with, though that money was used for lawyers and crisis public relations management after the value of the coin crashed. Welch announced the launch of her Hawk Tuah coin ($HAWK) in December, which was widely viewed as a 'memecoin,' a cryptocurrency that is created for entertainment purposes and is inspired by an internet trend. Memecoins are typically considered more volatile and are risky investments because they depend on short-lived internet memes. Within one day of the coin's launch, $HAWK plummeted from a $500 million value to $25 million, leading to accusations—which Welch has denied—that the coin was launched as a 'pump and dump' scheme, in which the value of a crypto asset is quickly inflated and then sold off. Some crypto influencers slammed Welch over the launch, including Coffeezilla, a crypto YouTuber with more than 4 million followers, who said in an X space conversation with Welch and her team that the Hawk Tuah rollout was 'one of the most miserable, horrible launches I've ever seen.' He accused Welch and her team of insider trading, which they denied. Welch rose to fame last summer as the creator of a viral catchphrase: 'Hawk Tuah,' a euphemism for oral sex. Welch used the phrase in response to a man-on-the-street TikTok interviewer, who asked her what 'move in bed makes a man go crazy.' The TikTok went viral, and Welch was quick to capitalize on its success. She launched a merchandise line inspired by the phrase and curated a popular social media presence, in which she fraternized with celebrities. She made high-profile public appearances, throwing out the first pitch at a New York Mets game in August and was parodied on Saturday Night Live. She launched her 'Talk Tuah' podcast in September, attracting guests including billionaire Mark Cuban, Wiz Khalifa and JoJo Siwa. The podcast was a surprise success, and in February, market research firm Edison Research said 'Talk Tuah' was the No. 1 new podcast of 2024 measured by weekly audience numbers. Welch's podcast went on a months-long hiatus following her crypto chaos, during which time she did not post on social media. 'Hawk Tuah' Creator Haliey Welch Criticized For Memecoin Launch After Price Crashes (Forbes) The 'Hawk Tuah' Creator's Podcast Ranks No. 5 On Spotify—Here's How She Kept The Meme Going For Months (Forbes)
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Hawk Tuah star Haliey Welch breaks silence with unbelievable response to career-ending crypto scandal
Haliey Welch has broken her silence on the cryptocurrency scandal that almost ended her career last year. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the 22-year-old said that her feelings had been 'hurt' by the controversy, which resulted in many of her fans losing money on her ill-fated $HAWK memecoin. 'Half of those people that done it were, like, my fans. They trusted me, like, guiding them to it,' she told the publication. 'And I don't know… it really hurt my feelings when it turned out the way it did. I wish it hadn't have happened.' Elaborating further, Welch admitted that she doesn't really even 'understand' crypto but had learned a valuable lesson from the ordeal. 'You got to be really careful what you tie your name to, and you definitely need to know what you're getting yourself into when you agree to do it. That's something I definitely should have done beforehand,' she said. 'I just feel really bad for anybody that lost money. All my comments, if you read those, people are like, "Oh, well, I lost a lot of money in this. Now my kids have to go without stuff." I don't know. It makes me feel, like, really sorry for it.' The group behind the social media star's memecoin - which dramatically crashed just hours after its launch - was sued last year after failing to register the cryptocurrency, according to court records. Memecoins are types of cryptocurrency inspired by viral internet memes. They originally started out as a joke and were used for entertainment purposes, but have now ballooned in value in recent years. Welch's $HAWK memecoin peaked at a market capitalization of $490 million shortly after its launch on Wednesday, before plummeting to 91 percent within three hours. She and the group behind the coin were then accused of a 'rug-pull,' where the creators of a meme-based cryptocurrency project suddenly abandon it and abscond with investors' money, leaving the token worthless. Although Welch herself wasn't named in the lawsuit, the backlash she received following the crypto crash caused her to exit the public eye for months. She also temporarily stopped her hit Tawk Tuah podcast, which at one time was the most popular non-political podcast in America. Talk Tuah was originally under Jake Paul's company Betr, but he parted ways with Welch after her crypto controversy. Welch has since relaunched the show independently. When contacted for comment by last December, Welch said she was 'committed' to resolving the crypto scandal. 'I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community,' she said. 'I am fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted, as well as to help uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable, and resolve this matter.' On March 31, the SEC closed an investigation into Welch, finding 'no evidence' against the influencer. Speaking to Fortune last year before her memecoin launch, Welch insisted that the venture was 'not just a cash grab.' She also said that crypto was 'a good way to interact with my fans' and that she'd become interested in it through rapper Lil Pump. Welch first showed interest in crypto back in September, when she bizarrely appeared as a keynote speaker at the Forbes Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul, South Korea. The Tennessee-born blonde first skyrocketed to fame in June after a clip of her giving a humorous sex tip during a street interview in Nashville went viral. She quickly amassed millions of followers on social media and launched a successful merchandise line. Her Talk Tuah podcast also became one of the most popular shows in the country, and at one point was ranked third in the US behind Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.
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Express Tribune
06-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Haliey Welch addresses $HAWK meme coin scandal and its impact on her career
Haliey Welch, the viral star known as "Hawk Tuah Girl," has opened up about the controversy surrounding the $HAWK meme coin that led to significant financial losses for many investors. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Welch discussed the aftermath of the December 2024 crypto crash, which saw the coin's value plummet by 93%, and how it affected her mental health. Welch, who initially gained fame from a viral interview in which she shared an intimate anecdote, promoted the $HAWK coin, which quickly surged to a $490 million market cap before crashing. The coin's collapse prompted a lawsuit from investors, alleging that they were misled, and Welch has since cooperated with the legal team involved. 'It really hurt my feelings when it turned out the way it did,' Welch said, expressing regret over the loss experienced by her fans, some of whom had trusted her endorsement of the coin. She admitted that she didn't fully understand the mechanics of the cryptocurrency world and felt sorrow for those who lost money due to the investment. "I feel sorry for everybody that just lost money," she added. Following the incident, Welch chose to step back from public life for a period, taking a much-needed mental health break. During this time, she refrained from releasing episodes of her podcast Talk Tuah, which she had launched in the wake of her viral fame. She acknowledged the pressure that came with the scandal and the strain it placed on her well-being, adding that she struggled with mental health even before her rise to internet stardom. As she returns to the podcasting world, Welch says she is more cautious about who she partners with, ensuring greater scrutiny for future collaborations. She also emphasized that she hopes to make her podcast more authentic to herself, making it more "girlier" and in line with her evolving vision. Welch's transparency about the situation reflects her efforts to regain trust and continue her career with greater awareness.
Fast Company
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
‘You got to be really careful what you tie your name to': The Hawk Tuah girl is planning a rebrand
Haliey Welch, better known as the 'hawk tuah' girl, is ready for a rebrand. After being thrust into the spotlight in 2024 thanks to her now-iconic 'hawk tuah' catchphrase—featured in a video interview uploaded by the Tim & Dee TV YouTube channel—Welch experienced a crash course in the highs and lows of viral fame. In early December, she announced the launch of her own cryptocurrency memecoin, $HAWK. The coin quickly tanked, leaving fans upset and prompting an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 'Anyhoo, I'm gonna go bed,' Welch said as she ended a livestream on X on December 4. She wasn't heard from again until three months later, when an Instagram Reel circulated highlighting headlines surrounding her absence. In the video, a voiceover says, 'The Hawk Tuah Girl has died,' before Welch wakes up from what appears to be a dream.
