What's New
Haliey Welch, better known as the "Hawk Tuah Girl," has disappeared from the internet after people accused her of releasing a meme coin that scammed fans.
Welch has become an avid social media user since her sudden rise to fame, but she hasn't posted online or released a new episode of her podcast in two weeks. The last post she shared was on December 5, when she retweeted a post from the X account (formerly Twitter) belonging to overHere. This is the company that launched Welch's Official "Hawk Tuah" meme coin, with the post denying claims of insider trading.
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Welch for comment on Thursday outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
Welch became an online sensation after she was quizzed on her sex life by YouTubers Tim & Dee TV. When asked what makes a "man go crazy" in bed, she replied: "You gotta give 'em that hawk tuah and spit on that thang." She has since transformed her newfound fame into a successful merchandise line and the Talk Tuah podcast, which has featured notable guests like entrepreneur Mark Cuban and Wiz Khalifa.
For the last couple of months, Welch has been busy building her empire, which has included launching her $HAWK coin on December 4. She has since gone radio silent after she received extensive backlash when her meme coin crashed, with its value plunging by $440 million in just 20 minutes. This led to allegations of insider trading and rug-pulling. In the cryptocurrency world, rug-pulling is when developers abandon a project after raising assets, leaving people with worthless tokens.
What To Know
A meme coin is a type of cryptocurrency inspired by internet memes or jokes. These coins often gain popularity due to social media trends, celebrity endorsements, or the humor associated with their branding rather than any intrinsic utility or technical innovation.
Welch previously told Fortune that her meme coin is "not just a cash grab." However, she and her team watched the coin initially skyrocket to a $500 million valuation before plummeting to under $60 million, with people online alleging insider trading and "sniping" tactics, where early adopters monopolize tokens to drive up prices before cashing out.
Welch denied this claim in a post on X that said: "We tried to stop snipers as best we could through high fees," which have since been dropped.
In a follow-up post, she retweeted a post from overHere that attempted to assure investors that the token allocation follows the published plan and the team wasn't engaging in suspicious activities, like dumping tokens for profit.
However, a community note was eventually added that reads: "96% of the token supply has been sniped and is slowly being sold on the community. Buying this highly speculative coin might result in loss and high due diligence is recommended."
Blockchain data revealed that 96 percent of the token supply was held by just 10 addresses at launch, fueling allegations of foul play. Welch and her team said no tokens were sold by insiders during the launch. "The team hasn't sold one token, and not one influencer was given any free tokens," Welch wrote on X, addressing the claims.
What People Are Saying
Coffeezilla, a prominent crypto YouTuber with over 3 million subscribers, criticized the meme coin rollout during an X space conversation with Welch and her team.
A clip of the exchange was shared by the X account DramaAlert with the caption: "Hawk Tuah PRESSED by Investigator Coffeezilla for scamming millions allegedly."
In the video, Coffeezilla called it "one of the most miserable, horrible launches I've ever seen." He also accused Welch and her team of insider trading and called the meme coin a "scam," allegations they firmly denied.
The most recent post on Welch's personal Instagram and the account associated with her Talk Tuah podcast is a video of Welch chatting with influencer Brooke Schofield, who appeared on an episode of her podcast. Fans have flocked to the comments, calling out Welch and urging her to address the situation.
"Ain't posted since lol," one person commented, with another writing: "Where did the money go, Hailey?"
"Talk tuah lawyer," someone else wrote, while another posted: "How's the silence- not even a damage control statement."
A fifth person added: "I like you but you better distance yourself from these crypto guys and get the best lawyer. Even so you might be going to prison."
While the backlash has been swift, there are some people who are standing up for Welch. One person posted on X: "I think she'll bounce back. This was pretty much the definition of "15 minutes of fame", but she handled it quite well and got a good team around her. Don't think we've seen the last of her just yet."
After someone accused Welch of "rug-pulling millions in a meme coin," a different X user denied this claim, writing: "That's not even how any of this works. You guys are just stressing her out because you all put too much money into a MEME COIN and she had no control over that or the price when people started to "cash out" and some lost money that way. She did nothing wrong."
"Good for her and anyone who bought the coin deserves it," someone else said.
What Happens Next
It's unclear whether Welch and her team will face legal consequences as currently, there is no clear evidence of wrongdoing or illegality. While Welch has not been formally charged, her reputation has taken a massive hit.
However, as Welch has a podcast and various other endeavors she's started, it's unlikely Welch will be silent forever. Fans are hoping a statement will be imminent.
English (US) ·