Haliey Welch, aka the 'Hawk Tuah girl,' learns firsthand what it means to go viral (2024)

Melonee HurtNashville Tennessean

Haliey Welch used to wake up at 3:30 a.m. every morning to go to work at a spring factory in Belfast, Tennessee.

But on June 9, while kicking it on Broadway in Nashville during CMA Fest, a YouTuber caught a clip of her cracking a sexual joke and posted it online.

Now, Welch is sleeping in.

She has an online audience in the billions just from media impressions alone. That's not even counting TikTok or Instagram views, which are so massive they're hard to quantify. She's appeared on stage with Zach Bryan at his show in Nashville, and she hung out with Shaquille O'Neal at JBJ's on Broadway.

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Prior to the now infamous viral video, Welch had no social media presence. Now she's arguably the most famous girl on the internet.

The USA TODAY Network sat down with Welch, now known as the "Hawk Tuah" girl, and learned the truth about her amid a social media frenzy of rumors about the 21-year-old. It was her second-ever interview, after sitting down with Brianna LaPaglia (aka Zach Bryan's girlfriend) for her "Plan Bri" podcast.

Who is the 'Hawk Tuah' girl?

Welch lives with her "granny" about 60 miles south of Nashville, Tennessee. She's never driven on the interstate, and she's never been on an airplane.

Now she's having to navigate media outlets staking out her grandma's home, trolls on the internet saying mean (and untrue) things about her, and people faking her identity and selling merchandise bearing her likeness that she didn't authorize and doesn't profit from.

She may be small town, but she's savvy. Welch is taking what started as embarrassment and is turning it into a career. She's assembled a team consisting of an attorney, a management company and a PR firm. That team is entertaining appearances with price tags north of $25,000 each, according to her manager, Jonnie Forster, owner of Los Angeles-based management firm The Penthouse.

"Right now, she can make more money holding up a can for five minutes than she made all last year," Forster said.

Welch said she never thought anyone would ever see her now infamous video. But right after it was posted in early June, she saw how many hits it was getting.

"The first week of it, I was so embarrassed," Welch told The Tennessean. "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."

Once she saw the merchandise being made and sold online by other people, she thought, "If everyone else is making money off of it, I might as well, too."

She quit her job at the spring factory on June 27.

Did 'Hawk Tuah' girl get fired from her teaching job?

Despite this and many other rumors circulating about Welch online, she did not get fired from a teaching job. She's never been a teacher, and she wasn't fired from her real job. The TikTok video of a man claiming to be her father, a preacher, is also fake. Her father is not a preacher and not the man in the video.

These are the not-so-fun things about being thrust into a limelight you didn't know was coming.

"The negative comments do bother me," she said. "I mean, you go through there and you're like, 'well, you don't know anything about me.' I just make funny jokes. That's just how I joke around. That's my sense of humor."

This is where Forster and entertainment attorney Christian Barker come in.

"We're here to protect the hawk from the vultures," Forster said.

Barker was the first to connect with Welch through work he used to do with the juvenile system in Lewisburg, which is near her hometown.

He met with her and was immediately taken by her personality.

"She's such a sweet girl," Barker said. "She has this interesting spotlight thrown on her, but an opportunity to capitalize on it. She's less salacious and more just funny. She's like the female Theo Von. Once people meet her they are skeptical because of how it came to be, but once they meet her they say, 'wow, this girl has something.' "

What's next for Haliey Welch?

Now it's up to Welch and her team to figure out what to do with her "something."

"After meeting her, we were trying to find out why all the podcasters are calling her 'America's Sweetheart,'" Forster said. "So from a branding and marketing perspective, I was just trying to figure out what is the reason why everyone's fallen in love with this girl."

If you ask Welch why she thinks the viral video struck so many people, she says it's because of her deep Southern accent.

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"The majority of the comments on it are like, 'Oh, we love her accent,' which I admit I have a pretty strong accent," she said. "I've lived with my grandmother my whole life. That's just how I was raised."

Barker said the most important thing for Welch now is to make sure she pivots in a way that's logical.

"She's going to have several unscripted television options on the table as well as a massive merch setup that can help her launch and get paid for the merch that’s out there," he said.

She and her team have created a company, 16 Minutes, which has a hawk wearing a cowboy hat for a logo. Forster said this way, people will know they are buying her merchandise and not a fake.

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What does 'Hawk Tuah' girl want to do with her life?

Right now she's focusing on getting back on social media so people can connect with the real Haliey Welch and not the imposters posing as her online. She's looking forward to her first plane ride to New York and California, both coming up later this month.

One thing is for sure, there's no going back.

"We just want to tell her story," Forster said. "She didn't ask for this. She didn't even have social media. She's kind of the antithesis of everyone who's trying to be a social media star. She's living with her grandma in Belfast and went out partying and said something silly and now everyone's talking about her."

But to Welch, despite everything that's happened in her life the last three weeks, nothing has affected who she is.

"I'm nobody special. I'm just small town girl."

Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network —Tennessee. Reach Melonee atmhurt@tennessean.com, on X @HurtMelonee or Instagram at @MelHurtWrites.

Haliey Welch, aka the 'Hawk Tuah girl,' learns firsthand what it means to go viral (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of hawk tuah? ›

(She was asked what she does in bed to make her man “go crazy,” to which Welch replied that she gives him the old hawk tuah—in layman's terms, she'll “spit on that thang.”)

What did Hawk Tuah say? ›

During the interview, the girl was asked an unexpectedly provocative question: "What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?" Without missing a beat, she responded, "Oh, you have got to give it that 'hawk tuah' and spit on that thang, you get me?" Her enthusiastic and unfiltered response quickly caught ...

Is the Hawk Tuah Red Bull real? ›

As of now, Red Bull has not announced any official collaboration with Hailey Welch. Welch became famous worldwide for giving bold sex tips on the streets of Nashville in a video, which has since gone viral.

What is the story with the Hawk Tuah girl? ›

Otherwise known as Haliey Welch, Hawk Tuah Girl is rising to prominence after being featured in a man-on-the-street interview from creators Tim & Dee TV. In the video, she's asked “What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?” Her response is what's made her go viral.

What does the hawk symbolize in the poem? ›

The Hawk boasts of its superiority and is self-assertive. It is symbolic of we humans who tend do not think beyond what has been defined to us by the society our beyond our perspective. Our ignorance is our bliss as in the case of the Hawk.

What is a hawk tua girl? ›

"Hawk Tuah Girl" is taking it all in, and the sensation has now tapped into the sports world. Haliey Welch has gone viral in recent weeks with her now-infamous phrase, which was her response when she was asked "what move" in the bedroom makes a guy go "crazy."

Where is Hawk Tuah's girl from? ›

Who is the 'Hawk Tuah' girl? Welch lives with her "granny" about 60 miles south of Nashville, Tennessee. She's never driven on the interstate, and she's never been on an airplane.

What is the story of H is for Hawk? ›

H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald is a memoir that tells the author's journey of training a goshawk as a way to cope with the grief of losing her father. It is a captivating and deeply personal story that explores the bond between humans and wild animals.

What does "hawk tua" mean? ›

Her delivery makes it very clear that this is an onomatopoeic term that mimics the sound of collecting saliva and spitting it out. Indeed, she even juts her head forward violently while saying “hawk tuah”, as if about to send a volley of discharge into the microphone in front of her.

What is hawt tuah? ›

Her response: “You gotta give 'em that 'hawk tuah' and spit on that thang!” she says with a country twang in the clip. “Hawk tuah” is meant to emulate the sound of spitting, and … you can come to your own conclusion as to what “that thang” is about.

What animal is on the Red Bull logo? ›

When branding their new product, Mateschitz referenced Krating Daeng's name: in Thai, daeng means red, and a krating (known in English as a gaur) is a large species of wild bovine native to the Indian subcontinent. In 1987, the company sold its first can of Red Bull in Austria.

Who is the Red Bull God? ›

Aquan the Red Bull is a god. He has a temple at Braavos, in the Isle of the Gods. His priests sacrifices a pure white calf in every thirteenth day and offer bowls of blood to beggars.

Who is the coo of Red Bull? ›

Dietrich Mateschitz serves as the CEO / President of Red Bull.

What is hawk tuhh? ›

Hawk Tuhh Girl : The most popular person on TikTok is the Hawk Tuhh Girl, who is known for her Southern accent and her comment, “Spit on that thing!” In the now-viral video, a man was questioned, “What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?” during a street interview.

What is the spiritual meaning of a hawk? ›

Across cultures and time, the hawk's cultural and mythological significance endures as a powerful symbol of strength, grace, and connection to the divine. Its soaring flight and sharp vision have inspired countless tales of prophecy, wisdom, and spiritual guidance.

What does hawk Eye symbolize? ›

Hawk's Eye Stone Meaning and Metaphysical Properties

It's also considered an introspective stone that can help someone overcome challenges and develop intuition. Some also connect hawk's eye with astral travel. Hawk's eye is also connected with having a keen eye for identifying obstacles before they become problematic.

What does a hawk mean in Navajo culture? ›

The hawk was most often seen as a symbol of strength, grace, power, and freedom. They were also potent symbols of courage, and were revered for their hunting abilities. In some tribal lore, hawks were seen as guardian spirits who held secret wisdom. In others, they were a bird thought of a spirit guide.

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