Hawk Tuah Girl's Dramatic Image Revival Attempt Ends in Disaster
Hawk Tuah girl Haliey Welch's rollercoaster journey has been nothing short of a wild ride. From skyrocketing to global stardom with a viral video to facing accusations of deceiving her fans with a meme coin she endorsed, her story is a whirlwind of highs and lows.
Welch was on a winning streak, making waves with a series of podcast appearances before launching her own podcast, Talk Tuah. The podcast quickly amassed 200,000 followers and featured A-list guests like Mark Cuban, Wiz Khalifa, and Whitney Cummings, elevating her status in the influencer world.
With a devoted fan base and a trendy line of Hawk Tuah-themed merchandise, the 22-year-old influencer seemed to have it all – until she ventured into the murky waters of cryptocurrencies.
Haliey's glamorous influencer lifestyle came crashing down when her meme coin, HAWK, failed spectacularly. The cryptocurrency, heavily promoted by Welch, initially surged by a staggering 900% on its launch day, reaching a market cap of $490 million (£390 million).
However, the euphoria was short-lived as HAWK's market cap plummeted to $60 million within hours – a jaw-dropping 91% drop in value. Many of Haliey's loyal fans found themselves at a loss, with some claiming to have lost their entire savings in what is known as a "rug pull" – a sudden and deliberate collapse of a cryptocurrency.
Investors are now taking legal action against the creators of the coin, seeking damages exceeding $151,000 (£120,000) collectively. Despite not being directly implicated in the lawsuit, Haliey has maintained a low profile since the HAWK debacle, with her last Talk Tuah podcast episode dating back to December 3, ironically titled 'how to avoid getting cancelled'.
In a bid to salvage her tarnished reputation as a relatable influencer, Welch recorded a podcast with crypto personality Richard Bengston, also known as FaZe Banks in the online world.
During the recording, FaZe and his team noticed a surge in messages inquiring about the podcast and a sudden spike in investments in the coin. Interpreting this as a potential setup for another rug pull once the episode aired, they promptly canceled the podcast, citing their agreement to withdraw from the project.
Subsequently, the episode was mistakenly uploaded to the Talk Tuah YouTube channel before being swiftly taken down, as clips of Haliey tearfully explaining her side of the story circulated online. Welch's representatives clarified that the premature posting was an inadvertent error by Betr's editor, who had queued the episodes for release pending approval.
The Hawk Tuah team refuted allegations of leaking plans to record the podcast online, which could have facilitated a "pump and dump" scheme upon the podcast's release.
Frustrated by the leak, FaZe vented on X, stating, "These incompetent individuals leaked and/or engaged in insider trading of the token. We observed an unexpected surge in the coin's trading volume along with random messages inquiring about the podcast.
"It was evident that her team was not as reliable as claimed. They mishandled the situation, leading us to cancel the episode on the spot."
Content creator Threadguy, known as Michael Jerome, who was also featured in the leaked episode, expressed his frustration in a profanity-laden livestream. He criticized the mishandling of the podcast, emphasizing that it was not meant to go live.
In the leaked episode, Welch disclosed that the coin was pitched to her as a 'long-term investment' that would revolutionize the crypto landscape. She expressed regret for the negative impact on investors, acknowledging that things did not unfold as planned.
She admitted that her 'biggest mistake' was placing trust in an individual who was a 'friend of a friend' when entering into the crypto deal. Reflecting on the situation, she remarked, "I should have conducted more thorough research on him."
