Haliey Welch Update: 'Hawk Tuah Girl' Tearfully Addresses Crypto Scandal In Leaked Podcast

Hailey Welch, the influencer at the centre of a recent crypto scandal, has finally broken her silence. In a leaked podcast recording, Welch directly addresses the controversy, sharing her emotional turmoil and giving her side of the story.

Two months after her meme coin fiasco and an extended period of silence, Haliey Welch – better known as the 'Hawk Tuah girl' – quietly released a new episode of her Talk Tuah podcast on 6th February.

However, the episode was short-lived. It has since disappeared from Welch's YouTube channel, seemingly deleted as abruptly as it was uploaded. If she had hoped to bury it before it gained traction, the attempt failed—leaks are already circulating across social media.

Welch Breaks Silence On Crypto Controversy

In the new episode, Welch's main guest is Richard' FaZe Banks' Bengtson, the founder and CEO of the gaming giant FaZe Clan, who is well-versed in the crypto world. Bengtson brought along DeGods creator and meme coin trader Frank (Rohun Vora), and content creator and influencer Threadguy.

Welch recounts the story of her ill-fated meme coin launch, explaining how the deployer's massive 80% share of the supply led to an immediate price crash and the subsequent wave of criticism that essentially forced her into a social media hiatus. 'I'm still a little shook up about it,' Welch said at the beginning of the podcast.

HAWK Token's Rollercoaster Ride

Welch, who rose to viral fame in June 2024 for her 'hawk tuah spit on that thang' catchphrase, launched a meme coin, '$HAWK,' following her newfound popularity. However, the token's value crashed by nearly £362.83 million ($450 million) in just 20 minutes on 4th December, with some investors reportedly losing their life savings, according to Tribune.

The conversation is largely friendly about the meme coin debacle, which has led to a lawsuit against Welch's former business partners. Welch is now cooperating with the lawyers pursuing the case.

'I am fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted, as well as to help uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable, and resolve this matter,' she wrote in an X post in December.

In the interview, Welch suggests she was naive about the meme coin venture, a claim her guests seem to support. After the leak, Banks tweeted that he agreed to the podcast under strict conditions: no leaks for market manipulation and a concrete plan from her crypto team for the funds generated and the future of the HAWK project.

The Podcast That Could Change Everything

Banks said Welch's team assured him the episode would remain unaired without his consent. Despite this, whispers about the upcoming release began circulating, and Decrypt was tipped off about the recording days ago. Banks states that they promptly withdrew their approval upon learning of the leak.

He also alleges suspicious activity surrounding the nearly worthless HAWK token, claiming the 'leak' was used to generate hype. 'Now today, the episode 'randomly' gets leaked,' he said.

'The price of HAWK is pumping, and they completely f*cking fumbled the bag, yet again," Banks wrote. "What a fucking mess. Poor girl, it's a wonder how she found herself in this position in the first place.'

After soaring by over 100% on 6th February, the HAWK token's price cooled, finishing the day with a modest 9% gain at £0.00063 ($0.00078), per CoinMarketCap data.