On June 11, 2024, a vox populiYouTube channel, Tim & Dee TV, released a video featuring an interview with Welch. During the video, she was asked a series of not safe for work questions including, "What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?". Welch, in a heavy Southern accent, replied by proclaiming, "You gotta give 'em that 'hawk tuah' and spit on that thang," referring to a spitting sound made during oral sex.[3][4][5] The original video went viral, earning millions of views across TikTok and Instagram, spawning remixes and remakes of the original audio, and earning Welch the nickname Hawk Tuah Girl.[6]
Initially, Welch was mortified that her clip had gone so viral. "The first week of it, I was so embarrassed," Welch said. "I wouldn't come out of my house. I went to work, but that's about it. Other than that, I didn't go anywhere. But I went from being embarrassed to living in the moment." She had seen vendors hawking unofficial regalia of her viral moment and decided to capitalize on the moment herself. "If everyone else is making money off of it, I might as well, too."[7]
She quit her job at the bed spring factory on June 27, 2024,[7] and partnered with a local apparel brand to begin selling Hawk Tuah merchandise, earning over $65,000 within a couple of weeks.[8][9] On June 29, Welch joined Zach Bryan on stage during his concert in Nashville, Tennessee, to perform Bryan's song 'Revival'.[10] A few days later, Welch joined Shaquille O'Neal during his DJ set in Nashville.[11] On July 2, Welch signed for representation with The Penthouse.[12][13]
Welch premiered a podcast with Jake Paul's company Betr, Talk Tuah, in September 2024.[14] It was ranked number five in Spotify's top podcasts charts shortly after release.[15] On November 14, Welch released a dating advice app, Pookie Tools. To build the app, Welch partnered with Ben Ganz, founder of Ultimate AI Studio, an AI automation platform.[16]
Meme coin scandal
In December 2024, Welch released a cryptocurrencymeme coin on Solana called $HAWK token. The coin reached a market capitalization of nearly $500 million before plummeting to $25 million,[17] with at least one investor filing a complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.[18] This led to Welch and her team being accused of performing a pump-and-dump scheme[1] and the coin being accused of being a rug pull scam, including by cryptocurrency journalist Coffeezilla, who also accused Welch and her team of insider trading.[19][20][21] Welch's team has denied the accusations.[22]
Later that month, a lawsuit was filed against the $HAWK creators in the United States district court in New York for unlawfully promoting and selling cryptocurrency that was allegedly never properly registered.[23] Welch, who was not named in the suit, responded to the litigation, saying that she "take[s] this situation extremely seriously" and pledging to be "fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting" the legal parts involved.[24]
