Haliey Welch Reflects on Lessons Learned From Crypto Controversy

Haliey Welch, the woman who skyrocketed to fame as the "Hawk Tuah Girl," has begun to emerge from the shadows to address the $HAWK crypto coin controversy.

In an interview with Vanity Fair staff writer Chris Murphy, Welch was asked about the crypto crash that resulted in a lawsuit against its creators. "I hate that that's even a thing," she said. "Half of those people that done it were, like, my fans. They trusted me, like, guiding them to it. And I don't know… It really hurt my feelings when it turned out the way it did. I wish it hadn't have happened."

Even though Welch was not named in the suit, she disappeared from the public eye for three months after delivering a statement in December in which the viral star said he was "fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted."

During her time away from the spotlight, Welch said she became a "24/7 dog mom" at her Tennessee home with boyfriend Kelby Blackwell, who is referred to as Pookie on her podcast. Welch tells Murphy that her time away served as a much-needed mental health break.

"I see things a lot differently than I used to," she said. "My eyes are open a lot wider."

When asked what advice she would give to other viral figures, Welch spoke from her own recent experience, saying they should "definitely be careful what you tie your name into and who you trust."

Welch admitted to FaZe Banks in an episode of Talk Tuah in February that she was not well-versed in the crypto space when the $HAWK project was pitched to her.

"So basically how this idea got brought to me, it was supposed to be more of a long-term coin," she recalled. "The guy that ran the account, he was like, 'Oh, we're gonna change the way everybody thinks of crypto, crypto is gonna be a good place.' And I feel really bad for all the people that got affected by it. It just didn't go the way I planned."