‘Hawk Tuah’ girl Haliey Welch says she is ‘fully cooperating’ and wants to ‘reveal the truth’ after failed crypto launch

At the end of a whirlwind year that saw her transform from a viral star to a business mogul, Haliey Welch, also known as the “Hawk Tuah Girl,” is facing backlash for promoting a memecoin that crashed.

Welch announced on December 4 that $HAWK had gone live. About two weeks later, her investors, who lost a combined $151,000, filed suit against memecoin’s sellers, alleging that they illegally sold securities that had not been registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

On Friday, Welch posted a declaration the X says she is “committed to assisting the legal team representing the affected individuals.”

So who is Haliey Welch?

Welch had her breakout moment in June when she was approached on the street by content creator DeArius Marlow to mention “one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time.”

“You gotta give them the ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thang,” Welch replied, mentioning the creepy onomatopoeia that turned into a viral catchphrase over the following weeks.

The original TikTok post has since generated 9.7 million views, but it has been reshared by other accounts so many times that the numbers can’t capture the ubiquity of “hawk tuahs.”

Since then, Welch has copyrighted the phrase, landed his own representation, quit his day job, thrown the first pitch at a Mets game and inspired a costume for Spirit Halloween. She also started a podcast called “Talk Tuah”, launched an AI powered dating app called “Pookie tools” and of course her brand borrowed the $HAWK memecoin.

What is a memecoin?

A memecoin is a form of cryptocurrency that is inspired by a meme. According to Coindeskthe virtual tokens represent an idea and their value fluctuates based on the attention the idea receives. They rose in popularity since Elon Musk endorsed Dogecoin.

Memecoins are notoriously risky and volatile as an investment, and since they are typically inspired by the enthusiasm of online communities, they appeal to buyers mostly for entertainment purposes. Still, they offer an opportunity for early buyers to take advantage of a meme craze.

What happens to $HAWK?

Shortly after the release of $HAWK on December 4th, the memecoin’s value skyrocketed and then quickly collapsed. Many who bought it reportedly lost a large amount of money lawsuit filed on 19 Dec.

The investors are suing the Tuah the Moon Foundation, which raised funds from the $HAWK token; OverHere crypto team Welch partnered with and influencer Alex Larson Schultz, also known as Doc Hollywood, who promoted the memecoin online. Welch is not mentioned by name.

Mashable reported that sources close to Welch claim she received a sponsorship fee to promote the memecoin and brand it with her viral catchphrase, but she did not have a role in its creation or development. Some speculate that what happened could have been a cryptocurrency scam known as a “carpet cover.“

How does Welch react?

Welch and OverHere, the crypto team she collaborated with, hosted a Dec. 5 Spaces stream on X, where listeners heavily criticized them. Before they gave answers as to why $HAWK crashed, Welch was apparently interrupted the stream. The sound of the interruption went viral on TikTok.

“Hey, guys!” she said on the stream.”I hate to interrupt you, Nick, but good morning. Anywho, I’m going to bed and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

That was the last the internet heard from her until December 20, when she issued a statement on X.

“I take this situation extremely seriously and want to reach out to my fans, the investors who have been affected and the wider community,” she wrote. “I am fully cooperating with and committed to assisting the legal team representing the affected individuals, as well as helping to uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable, and resolve this case.”

She encouraged those affected to contact an attorney and provided a link to do so.