Latest news with #HawkTuah
New York Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Here's the real reason the Coldplay concert cheating scandal went absolutely mega-viral
It was the cuddle – then scuttle – seen 'round the world. The viral infamy that's engulfed Astronomer CEO Andy Byron's cringe moment with his HR chief at a Coldplay concert has been fueled by a thirst to see powerful execs get their comeuppance, media experts said. 'It was a viral antidote to the corporate cringe most people live and breathe,' digital consultant Dan Roy Carter told The Post. 'It was humanizing, humorous and ultimately a moment for the world to laugh at people in perceived positions of authority or power in an unsuspecting setting.' The unifying reaction was a classic case of shared 'schadenfreude,' where glee is derived from an enemy's misfortune, pointed out University of Southern California prof Jonathan Gratch. 3 Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot at the Coldplay concert. Grace Springer via Storyful The enemy in this case: The millionaire execs Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot. 'People hate executives these days and take pleasure in their pain (think Elon),' he added. People couldn't get enough. For instance, the Coldplay scandal has had twice as many social media mentions as one of the last big viral stories: Jeff Bezo's lavish Venice wedding to Lauren Sanchez, according to data compiled by analytics company Sprout Social. Google search volume for Andy Byron was so monumental in the days following the concert that other viral trends like the Hawk Tuah girl, Raygun and the Titan submersible paled in comparison. Footage of Byron, who has since resigned from the company, and Cabot rapidly spread across the internet when the pair was caught getting cozy at the band's Wednesday show at Gillette Stadium. The two were embracing, with Byron's arms wrapped around Cabot's chest, when the camera panned to them – leading the two execs to panic. Cabot's hands flew in front of her face while Byron hit the deck, prompting lead singer Chris Martin to speculate they may be 'having an affair.' 'He ducked down like shots were fired. It was funny to see. It was so childish,' said Carlos Ramos, a New York City music video producer. He added that the internet reveled in the ignorance of the two execs, contributing to the wildfire-like spread of the viral moment. 'They both didn't expect to be on a camera — which is ridiculous in this era — with so many people with phones and cameras. They just froze, caught up in the moment,' Ramos, 50, said. 3 The viral moment has dominated the internet for days. csuarez 'CEOs, HR chiefs are not necessarily popular as individuals or roles, this is where you get a certain amount of 'ooh busted,'' Syracuse professor of communication T. Makana Chock told The Post, agreeing with other experts in her field. She added that people, even before social media, are quick to judge others, adding to the buzz. 3 Even the Phillies took part in the fun. R A W S A L E R T S Chock also stressed the clip 'told a story in a very few seconds' that then allowed social media users to add their own commentary and creativity to the situation. In one popular iteration, the Philadelphia Phillies did a riff off the kiss-cam awkwardness. 'Every so often you get something that carries and develops a life of its own outside of the original context,' she said. 'It's a perfect storm.'
Express Tribune
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Michigan man lists 'Hawk Tuah' boat for sale after viral TikTok fame
A Michigan man is selling his boat named after the viral 'Hawk Tuah' TikTok moment that took the internet by storm. Rob Worth, a 52-year-old software developer from Alpena, has listed his 1996 Tempest 152 for sale at $4,200 — and it's drawing attention thanks to its name: 'Hawk Tuah.' Worth tells TMZ the boat, which has been listed for about two weeks, is in good condition with a recent oil change and new battery. It can reach speeds of up to 50 mph and was renamed at the height of Haliey Welch's unexpected rise to fame. Welch went viral for her infamous 'Hawk Tuah' comment in a TikTok video, which quickly became a meme and cultural catchphrase. Worth, a fan of Welch's viral video, said the name often sparked conversation whenever he took the boat out on the lake. However, he's now looking to upgrade to a larger vessel, prompting the sale. While the listing has attracted some interest, Worth notes that most of the offers so far have been lowball bids. The sale of the "Hawk Tuah" boat is the latest sign of how internet culture continues to influence real-world items and even sales listings. Whether the next owner pops a bottle of champagne or gives it the signature 'spit,' the vessel has already left its mark on the TikTok generation.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Hawk Tuah' girl live event turns messy as she talks about crypto scam, Hollywood ambitions and more
Haliey Welch (famously known as the "Hawk Tuah" girl) recently participated in a podcast at VidCon 2025 . The event which started on a high-energy note soon turned into a chaotic spectacle, as the Hawk Tuah girl faced a lot of criticism, backlash and walkouts for her controversial crypto venture. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The podcast which was held at Spotify's Podcast Theatre featured Welch, along with co-host Chelsea Bardford and comedian . Initially the crowd at the event erupted with a chants of 'Hawk Tuah', but the vibe quickly changed as Cummings repeatedly scolded the audience as asked them to 'shut the f*** up,' tampering the energy and prompting early exists. As the discussion progressed, it touched upon various unexpected topics, including Cummings' raunchy comedy and explicit mentions, which prompted more attendees to leave. The tension rose further when an audience member asked Welch about her failed cryptocurrency, $HAWK. Launched in 2024, the memecoin crash soon after its debut, reportedly costing millions of dollars to the investors and also sparking a lawsuit. In response to the question, Welch said, 'Does this look like the face of a girl who could talk to you about crypto?" She further suggested that if a man had been involved in a similar crypto scandal, he "probably would have been promoted." Apart from the crypto controversy, Welch also talked about her aspiration of joining Hollywood. Cummings encouraged Welch to pursue her Hollywood filmmaking independently and told her not to wait for industry opportunities. " Cummings' candid (and at times explicit) commentary on the industry also contributed to audience discomfort and further departures. By the end of the recording, approximately half of the original audience had reportedly exited the venue.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
"Hawk Tuah" phenomenon turned one this month: Here is what factory worker turned influencer, Haliet Welch, is up to
Credit: Instagram/@hay_welch You blink once, and a year flies by. That's exactly how it feels when you realize that the 'Hawk Tuah' phenomenon—one of the internet's wildest viral moments—first exploded exactly a year ago. What began as a spontaneous comment on a Nashville sidewalk has since transformed Haliey Welch, a factory worker from Tennessee, into an unexpected internet celebrity with a podcast, brand deals, and even a cryptocurrency controversy to her name. A night out turns into internet history It was a regular summer night in Nashville's Broadway district when Haliey Welch and her best friend Chelsea Bradford crossed paths with YouTubers Tim Dickerson and DeArius Marlow, known for their vox-pop series Tim & Dee TV. What started as playful banter took a dramatic turn when Haliey responded to a question with an exaggerated, Southern-laced phrase—what the internet now knows as the iconic 'Hawk Tuah' moment. The phrase 'hawk tuah and spit on that thang,' was meant as an exaggerated, comedic response to a playful street interview question. In Southern slang, 'hawk tuah' mimics the sound of someone clearing their throat to spit—something often said jokingly to show boldness or toughness. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Göttingen: GEERS sucht 700 Testhörer für Hörgeräte ohne Zuzahlung GEERS Undo Haliey used it in a cheeky, over-the-top way to answer what makes her 'wifey material,' blending shock humor with regional drawl. The video, uploaded on June 11, 2023, racked up over 4 million views in its original form. But reposts—many stripped of the original watermark—flooded platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, turning the phrase into an unstoppable meme. Instant fame and a sudden shift in life At the time, Haliey was living with her grandmother and working a minimum-wage factory job. She didn't even have social media. According to Rolling Stone, her family was the first to notice her sudden fame, after seeing the viral clip circulating on Facebook. As merchandise featuring the phrase "Hawk Tuah" started selling fast—one company reportedly sold over 2,000 hats and made £50,000 in weeks—Haliey realized others were cashing in on her moment. Fearing she'd be fired from her job for missing too much work, she decided to take charge of her image. Credit: Instagram/@hay_welch She hired a lawyer and an agent through a family friend's recommendation and signed with The Penthouse agency, known for managing internet influencers and creatives. From there, things escalated fast. Haliey appeared alongside country singer Zach Bryan at one of his concerts and threw the first pitch at a New York Mets game. She became a fixture on various podcasts before launching one of her own, Talk Tuah, co-hosted with Chelsea Bradford. At its peak, the podcast hit No. 5 on the global Spotify charts. Fame, fallout, and the crypto crash In December 2023, the viral phrase birthed a memecoin: $HAWK. Haliey was positioned as the face of the coin, which initially soared to a $490 million market cap. But within hours, the coin's value plummeted by over 95%, devastating many amateur investors. As Metro UK reported, Haliey faced intense backlash and scrutiny, particularly after hosting a crypto Q&A on X (formerly Twitter) where she dismissed tough questions with a now-infamous line: 'Anyhoo, I'm going to bed.' She then retreated from the public eye for several months. Although she was later cleared of any wrongdoing, the experience took a toll on her mental health. Credit: Instagram/@hay_welch What's next for the 'Hawk Tuah' girl? In April 2025, Haliey reappeared, relaunching Talk Tuah and expressing hopes of one day interviewing Britney Spears. She also has a documentary in the works chronicling her rapid rise from obscurity to internet fame and will make a cameo in Chad Powers , an upcoming Hulu series starring Glen Powell. From a viral street interview to podcast host, celebrity guest, and crypto spokesperson, Haliey Welch's journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. One year later, the girl once known only as 'Hawk Tuah Girl' is still learning how to navigate fame in a world where internet moments can change lives overnight—and not always for the better.
Metro
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
A year ago Hawk Tuah girl went viral – Metro catches up with Haliey Welch to find out what happened next
As they roamed the vibrant Broadway thoroughfare in Nashville, Tennessee, it was only ever meant to be a fun night out for Haliey Welch and Chelsea Bradford. But then the best friends encountered a pair of YouTubers and, in an instant, Haliey became immortalised as ' Hawk Tuah Girl '. Within weeks, her throwaway comment spiralled way beyond a meme; 'hawk tuah' was emblazoned on merch, became the foundations of a podcast, and even the name of a (regrettable) cryptocurrency. Today, her infamous phrase has helped Haliey earn around $500,000 (though when asked if this is true, her response is sketchy). Not bad for a 21-year-old just looking to get drunk one summer evening. 'When I saw how big it had become, I was a nervous wreck,' she tells Metro over Zoom, in her prominent Southern drawl. 'It felt like a train had done hit me. Before all this, I always kept to myself.' Tim Dickerson and DeArius Marlow, from popular YouTube series Tim & Dee TV, are the people who 'discovered' Haliey. The pair were college roommates turned content creators, who made relatively tame, vox-pop style videos of people on nights out. After stopping the girls, Haliey asked the pair to 'spice up' the questions. When asked what makes her 'wifey material', she responded with the now legendary: ' You gotta hawk tuah and spit on that thang ' – the onomatopoeic cry of lubricating a penis before oral sex. 'I've said it before, but in a different context,' she laughs. 'Me and my cousins have always said it – if someone makes us mad, we'd say we were going to 'hawk tuah, spit on that bitch' as an insult. 'I guess I kind of phrased it up a little and used it in a different way. But I wasn't being serious when I said it, and I didn't think anything twice about it after I already done the interview.' Tim and DeArius, who were no slouches when it came to content creation, knew such a response would go viral – they just didn't expect how viral. While the original video has 4.1 million views, Haliey's moment was uploaded hundreds and hundreds of times (without the watermark, leaving the YouTubers effectively forgotten. While they haven't shown her any ill will, the pair have claimed in interviews that they should have had more credit). For Hawk Tuah Girl, it was a particularly surreal moment. At the time, she was living with her grandmother and working a minimum wage job in a factory nearby. It was her family who spotted just how famous she was online, after seeing her video plastered all over Facebook – Haliey, at the time, did not have any social media. 'I knew I had to tell my granny before anyone else did. I sat her down and had to explain what hawk tuah was,' she recalls. 'She just giggled about it. Next thing I know, she starts showing up wearing a hawk tuah hat everywhere.' The sudden obsessive popularity led to fast-acting merchandisers creating gear emblazoned with the phrase – and making serious cash from it. Within weeks, one brand had sold over 2,000 'Hawk Tuah' hats, earning around £50,000, according to Rolling Stone magazine. Seeing people profiting off her popularity was like a 'smack in the face' says Haliey – and believing she was about to get fired from her factory job for missing too much work, she decided to make a go of a life of memeing. Going viral Hawk tuah is in no way the first meme that has beguiled the internet – those well-versed in the web's lingua franca will remember memes such as 'damn, Daniel' and 'peanut butter jelly time', but hawk tuah has remained sticky even a year after it was first uttered. 'The typical lifecycle of a viral internet moment is short – usually peaking within a few days or weeks as people react, remix, and share the content, then fading as attention shifts to the next big thing,' explains Megan Boyle, Head of PR at TAL Agency. 'Hawk tuah stuck around as it was the perfect combination of shock value, humour, and authenticity. It was easily remixable, with TikTok duets, reaction videos or captions, which kept it circulating. 'Welch herself leaned into the moment – something many viral stars don't do, but helps keep the brand alive.' 'I met up with a family friend, who recommended a lawyer to me. That led to me getting an agent and having representation,' she explains. As a star on the rise, she recruited The Penthouse agency – whose clientele includes 'a dynamic range of artists and influencers' – and began to court the world of celebrity, as she capatalised on her fame. Not only did she party alongside country singer Zach Bryan at his concert in Nashville, she was also invited to make the first pitch at a baseball game with the New York Mets, while appearing on a series of internet-versed podcasts. Haliey's next move was to launch a podcast of her own, Talk Tuah, alongside best friend Chelsea Bradford, who was by her side when she first went viral. When it peaked at a respectable number five on the global Spotify podcast chats, Haliey looked set to be on a pretty unstoppable run. But then came the introduction of the Hawk Tuah memecoin $HAWK in December. As a spokesperson (and therefore, the de facto face), she was inextricably tied to the currency, and while it hit the $490m market cap shortly after it launched, the coin suddenly lost more than 95% of its value within hours. Some fans blamed Haliey, particularly those who invested a significant amount of money into the memecoin. 'It was the most horrific experience I've ever been through. I had no earthly idea what it was,' she admits. 'It was a gut-wrenching feeling, like you just feel sorry for everybody that supported you through it, and they lost their money putting it in because they trusted you to guide them with something good, and you didn't. You failed.' Haliey, perhaps infamously, did a crypto Q&A on X soon after, and when she asked difficult questions by investors, she responded: 'Anyhoo, I'm going to bed' – only for her to effectively go into hiding for several months. 'It's something I had to sit there and deal with for three and four months,' she explains. 'I thought about it every day when I woke up. And of course, my social media was flooded with it too, but [cryptocurrency] is something I will not ever touch again.' Although Haliey was cleared by authorities of any wrongdoing with the coin, it didn't stop her mental health from free-falling at this time. 'I was overwhelmed. I had moved in with my boyfriend and I just looked after my dog. I tried to keep off social media,' she says. 'There were talks of therapy, but I'm not one to talk about my problems with people, so I decided not to do that. I just tried to cope the best I could.' Even now, after being exposed to international levels of fame, Haliey insists she continues to struggle with being recognised. 'I still find it uncomfortable. I can't even go to the grocery store, as people will say stuff to me,' Haliey admits. 'I come home and barricade myself in the house for a few days. That's really the only time I get away from it.' Thankfully, she has support from her close-knit group of friends that have helped her adapt to her strange and uncanny new life. 'A few people I haven't talked to in years that I went to school with, tried to talk to me and be my friend, which I didn't let slide,' she adds. 'But really, the only major difference is that I don't need to worry about buying groceries.' After some brief time away from the spotlight, Haliey relaunched her podcast this April and now hopes to have fellow Southern country girl Britney Spears on the show one day. Her future career may be on the big screen, too – not only has she got an upcoming documentary about her instant rise to fame, she also makes a brief cameo in Glen Powell's upcoming Hulu series, 'Chad Powers'. 'I had so much fun doing it, it was just such a whirlwind. I am trying to be known as more than the Hawk Tuah Girl – but I know it's part of me now. I've accepted it, but I want to be known as Haliey Welch,' she says. Even so, Haliey won't be heading to LA to chase the glittering lights of Hollywood, as she's still, at heart, a Tennessee girl. 'I like being out in the country, nobody around me except deer. I just love being out here – I could be out in the yard with my ducks or my dogs or my bunny. I have all sorts of creatures that can keep me entertained,' she adds with a smile. While the future may be uncertain, there is one thing that Haliey is sure of. 'The most important thing is that I stay true to myself,' she says defiantly. 'I won't change for nobody.' 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