Draft:Hailey Welch

Hailey Welch (or Haliey Welch), known online as "Hawk Tuah Girl" is a 21-year-old American internet personality and social media influencer.

Welch garnered attention in mid-2024 after a viral video clip from a man-on-the-street interview by Tim & Dee TV. In the video Welch was asked "What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?" to which she responded, "You gotta give 'em that 'hawk tuah' and spit on that thang," making a reference to spitting on a man's genitals before performing oral sex.

Career and cultural impact
Hailey Welch and her phrase "hawk tuah" quickly became an internet sensation and Internet meme. In an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Welch was described as "the most famous person on the planet right now," and people online have begun imitating Welch, using the phrase "hawk tuah" in various ways.

Welch has since leveraged her viral fame into a career in media and entertainment, including selling branded merchandise and making various media appearances. She is currently represented by a management company called The Penthouse.

Brad Hargreaves, a drummer for the band Third Eye Blind, incorporated the Welch's variation of the "huak tuah" slogan into his drum solo during the bands performance at the FirstBank Stadium. One month after Welch rose to stardom, NBA player Shaquille O'Neal mentored her on how to handle fame and navigate her career.

According to an article published on July 9th 2024 by The Washington Post, Welch is actively pursuing reality television. As of July 2024, Welch is currently in talks with undisclosed reality TV show networks to do a show about her life.

Personal life
Hailey Welch is from Belfast, Tennessee. Her given name is spelled Hailey Welch, but following her rise in popularity, she changed the spelling of her first name to Haliey. Following the viral video of Welch, various rumors began circulating online about her. One rumor stated that she was fired from her job, which some users claimed was teaching, while other users online said she was a bartender.

Another rumor claimed her father was a minister or preacher. These initial claims rumors were revealed to be false. Around the time the video came out, Welch worked at a spring factory, and was not fired, but instead had actually quit her job.

During an interview, Hailey Welch told Rolling Stone that her father was not a preacher.

Controversy
Since garnering popularity and becoming enmeshed with internet culture, Hailey Welch has received criticism for things she's said, and a person offer her upwards of $600 for her spit in a jar.

Political controversy
During an appearance on the Plan Bri podcast, Hailey played a version of the party game Smash or pass with the host, who asked whether or not she would "huak tuah" on former president Donald Trump, to which she said "it's a no from me."

Welch was than accused of being "Anti-trump" by far-right activist and columnist Laura Loomer. This accusation generated controversy from both democrats and republicans, as Welch wasn't asked whether or not she supported Donald Trump, but instead, whether or not she would "huak tuah" (i.e. perform fellatio) on him.

Origin of the "hawk tuah phrase"
Another article published by Rolling Stone called into question whether or not Hailey Welch was the original creator of the phrase "hawk tuah." The article highlighted that despite Welch's impact on internet pop-culture, The Iron Sheik, a former WWE wrestler, was the first person to use the phrase "hawk tuah."

The Iron Sheik's context of using the phrase "hawk tuah" was to denote spitting on his opponent, while the context Welch used the phrase in was specifically in relation to oral sex.