On social media, many viewers were stunned after the ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl responded to the cryptocurrency controversy in a wild comeback video.
Haliey Welch, known as the “Hawk Tuah girl,” has finally addressed the controversy surrounding her cryptocurrency.
The 22-year-old went viral for her NSFW clip and quickly built an online empire.
Her rise to fame led to social media success, a podcast with Jake Paul’s Betr media, and a clothing brand.
However, her ventures took a hit when she launched her $HAWK memecoin in December 2023.
Fans claim major fiancial losses after Welch’s cryptocurrency nosedive
The $HAWK coin skyrocketed to a $490 million market cap shortly after launch, according to Crypto Times. But within hours, its value plummeted by more than 90%, as reported by Bloomberg Law.
Some investors claimed they lost their life savings. One person wrote, “I purchased your coin $HAWK with my life savings and my children’s college fund.”
Welch faced accusations of misleading her fans and betraying investors. The backlash forced her to go silent on social media.
Welch’s statement and social media disappearance
In December, Welch released a brief statement on X (formerly Twitter), which she later deleted. She wrote:
“I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community.
I am fully cooperating with and committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted. I want to uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable, and resolve this matter.”
Following her statement, rumors swirled about her disappearance, with speculation ranging from legal trouble to personal issues.
Welch’s comeback video sparks online frenzy
On March 25, Welch made a dramatic return to Instagram with a video captioned, “What’d I miss?”
The video begins with her pretending to be asleep while voiceovers claim she has died. She then wakes up and humorously addresses other rumors, including speculation that she is pregnant.
She playfully showcases a faux baby bump while rinsing an infant’s sippy cup.
She also jokes about being jailed, using a clip of Joe Rogan asking, “What’s going on with that ‘Hawk Tuah’ chick? She going to jail?”
Social media react to Welch’s return
Welch’s video quickly went viral and sparked a wave of reactions from fans.
In the comment selection, many fans expressed excitement over her return.
One person said: This might be the most important day in online history.
A second wrote: Not the comeback we wanted but the comeback we needed.
While a third commented: Good news! Glad you’re back. You’re entertaining, uplifting, and fun to watch!
Someone else said: Her 15 minutes of fame is up. It’s the Tourette’s girls’ time now.
Another added: How is that her fault if you invest it’s on you noone else
If your gonna throw your life savings at a meme coin off of a meme video well kinda serves you right, did you think you were going to score a date buddy…. she robbed ya didn’t even have to put out …. score set. Someone said.
The legal fallout and allegations against the memecoin creators
Although Welch is not named in a lawsuit filed last year, she initially promoted the $HAWK coin on social media and her podcast. The coin launched on December 4, allowing immediate trading.
However, within hours, its market value dropped below $100 million, allegedly causing investors to lose more than $151,000 combined, per Bloomberg Law.
The lawsuit claims that overHere Ltd and its founder, Clinton So, created the Tuah The Moon Foundation to sell 17% of the HAWK tokens to select investors.
Despite this, the complaint alleges that the company made no real effort to limit sales to non-U.S. investors.
“The project clearly was intended to take advantage of the American market,” the lawsuit states.
Welch has yet to directly address the legal case but continues engaging with fans online.
Whether her comeback will help repair her reputation remains to be seen.