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In June 2024, Hailey Welch, also known as the 'Hawk Tuah' girl, went viral after her response to a question asked by TikToker DeArius Marlow in a street interview. The TikToker asked Hailey what move makes a man go crazy in bed to which she responded, “you gotta give him that hawk tuah.”
Recently, the famous phrase or meme came back as 'Hawk Tua' when Miami Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered the third concussion of his NFL career on September 12, 2024, losing to the Buffalo Bills by 31-10.
Internet users responded to the trending term, expressing their opinions on people co-relating the viral meme to Tagovailoa's injury despite there being no connection between Tua and Hailey. One of the internet users took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on the same, stating:
"The viral term ' Hawk Tua ' is trending because an NFL player named Tua got injured during the game. What more do you need to believe we're living in a ridiculous world?"
"Is he related to hawk tua girl?" an X user questioned.
"Everyone rushing to get their “Hawk Tua” post out," another X user mentioned.
"I just saw two hawk tua on my timeline bc tua is having a bad game," an internet user tweeted.
"So if the Atlanta Hawks ever beat the Miami Dolphins… would that mean that they Hawk tuahed on Tua," another internet user commented.
An internet user also mentioned the confusion caused due to people sharing the viral meme in the context of Tua Tagovailoa's injury and performance against the Buffalo Bills:
"Im sorry this is off topic but i have been thinking my entire tl was talking about the hawk tua girl all f**king day. nope. you were in fact not. hope he is ok."
"I was so embarrassed": Hawk Tuah girl Hailey Welch comments on overnight fame
What started as an embarrassment for Hailey Welch, also known as the Hawk Tuah girl, quickly became a business opportunity after her interview went viral. Following her quick rise to fame, Hailey assembled a team comprising a PR firm, a management company, and an attorney.
According to the owner of Los Angeles-based management firm The Penthouse, Jonnie Forster, Hailey is now charging up to $25000 for every appearance.
In her interview with The Tennessean in July 2024, Hailey Welch stated that she didn't think anyone would watch her interview clip, however, it gradually amounted to a lot of likes and views on social media platforms. Welch further told the publication:
"The first week of it, I was so embarrassed. 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 that people were making and profitting off merchandise quoting her famous phrase, Hailey thought she must make money out of it as well. This led to Welch leaving her job at the Spring Factory.
While Hailey Welch and her team have created a company called 16 Minutes, featuring Welch sporting a cowboy hat as a logo, to help people recognize legitimate merchandise, neither Tua Tagovailoa nor his representatives have commented on the memes connecting the NFL player to the viral sensation.
