After a year and a half out of the public eye, "Hawk Tuah Girl" Hailey Welch broke her silence, describing her side of the viral crypto crash.
In 2024, ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’ Haliey Welch abrupty left a crypto Q&A to “go to bed," and she was never heard from since. That is, until March 2026. In a shocking interview that occurred more than a year after her abrupt disappearance, Welch finally detailed her side of the story.
In the interview, the influencer emphasized that she didn't understand crypto and was exploited by those in control. While the case is still ongoing, Welch told Callaghan that she has cooperated fully with the investigation and that she "doesn't have anybody's money."
On March 21, 2026, Welch sat down with Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan to talk about what actually happened during her failed 2024 crypto venture, $HAWK.
Initially, it felt like an exciting project, she explains. Soon after, however, Welch realized that her "crypto guy" was in over his head, and hired a friend to help. "He just didn't know a whole lot about, and then he screwed us like really bad," she said.
The day of the launch, Welch asserted that one of her crypto guys was acting strange. "The guy that was in the room with us, the one that was like operating the coin, we noticed he was like pacing around everywhere like nervous. And I was like, is that normal? Like why is he acting like that?"
Hours later, she realized that the coin was failing and that she might be in big trouble. "I pull up TikTok and the next thing I know, oh yep, Haley Welch is going to jail."
The huge internet backlash—which included pleas for money and death threats towards Welch and her family—became overwhelming. Not only that, a FBI investigation was lauched to identify where the fraud occurred.
Welch said she was just the face of the coin and that she had no knowledge of its inner workings. "I did not control the coin myself. I'm I'm not smart enough to do that. I don't know anything about it," she emphasized. "But that's just one of those things like you have your face on it, your name on it, and then somebody else runs it. I didn't have any part in it, but everybody in their mama thinks I did."
The crypto guys behind the meme coin
According to a lawsuit filed by 12 plaintiffs who suffered a $151,000 collective loss by the coin, the "crypto guys" were cryptocurrency traders named Alex Larson Schultz and Clinton So.
Welch said she's fully cooperating with the subsequent investigations and ongoing legal proceedings, and hopes she can move forward very soon.
"I didn't have anything to do with it besides putting my name on it and being gullible," Welch said.
Who is Hailey Welch?
On June 9, 2024, Welch was thrust into the limelight when a YouTuber approached her in Nashville during CMA Fest.
The host asked Welch, "What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?" Welch replied, "You gotta give 'em that hawk tuah, and spit on that thang, you get me?" before demonstrating the move for the YouTuber. The clip immediately went viral, making Welch a household name.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Welch via direct message on Instagram and TikTok. The creator did not immediately respond to the request for comment.
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