5 biggest controversies 'Hawk Tuah girl' Hailey Welch has been in centre of

Hailey Welch became popular as the 'Hawk Tuah girl' after a TikTok video of her being interviewed went viral in July 2024. In multiple interviews since then, Welch confided that she was initially embarrassed about the attention the video was getting. But eventually decided to embrace the fame that came with the nickname, 'Hawk Tuah girl.' Within months, she became involved in several different projects.

From amassing a sizeable following on social media and selling her own merchandise to starting a podcast and throwing the first pitch at a New York Mets game, Welch seemed to be on a path of accelerated growth. But things started going downhill soon after the podcaster launched the cryptocurrency meme coin, $HAWK, in December of last year.

In this list, we examine the various controversies that have negatively impacted the Hawk Tuah girl's image and popularity.

Disclaimer: This list contains information from various sources.

$HAWK token, VidCon 2025, and three other incidents involving the Hawk Tuah girl that sparked discussions

1) The $HAWK token scandal

Welch released $HAWK token in December 2024 (Image via Official Instagram Page)

At the height of her popularity, the Hawk Tuah girl released the $HAWK token, a cryptocurrency meme coin on Solana. The digital coin gained attention from fans and other investors as it hit a $490 m market cap. Welch created hype for the Hawk tokens on social media by distributing a few to her fans for free before it was officially launched.

However, people became suspicious when the valuation dropped to around $60m within minutes of the launch. People accused the Hawk Tuah girl and her team of a pump-and-dump, a fraud involving artificially increasing stock prices through deceptive statements to sell cheaply purchased stock at a much higher price. However, Welch's team has denied these statements.

Fans became further disillusioned with the Hawk Tuah girl after a lawsuit was filed against the $HAWK creators for selling cryptocurrency, which was allegedly not properly registered.

2) The DNA test debacle

Welch is from Belfast, Tennessee (Image via Official Instagram Page)

When Welch's popularity grew as the Hawk Tuah girl, she went on to make several appearances. She even joined Zach Bryan, a country singer-songwriter, on stage at a concert. In particular, her appearance on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast gained considerable traction.

Hosted by comedian Howie Mandel along with his daughter, Jackelyn Shultz, the podcast features funny prank calls, animated pop culture discussions, guest interviews, and more. The episode featuring the Hawk Tuah girl made a big splash because Welch took a DNA test that revealed she is 97.7% Ashkenazi Jewish.

Soon enough, several posts were circulating online that claimed Welch was an Israeli Jew, and some conspiracy theorists even went as far as labeling her as a part of the Israeli Mossad’s Psychological Warfare Unit. However, the test results were quickly debunked because no available DNA test could accurately reveal ancestry in less than five minutes.

3) The Sam Darnold dating rumor

Welch is in a relationship with Kelby Blackwell (Image via Official Instagram Page)

Although Welch became viral unexpectedly, she found multiple ways to leverage people's fascination with her. One way was to start her own podcast named Talk Tuah, with Betr, a sports-media and mobile-betting company founded by Jake Paul.

A particular teaser video for an upcoming podcast episode gained huge traction because Welch hinted that she would finally reveal the identity of her partner. As the teaser featured a photo of the Hawk Tuah girl with Sam Darnold, a well-known quarterback, her followers assumed that he was the mysterious boyfriend.

Expectedly, the dating rumors created a buzz among fans, but the real surprise came when Welch finally revealed the name of her boyfriend, and it was not Darnold. It was Kelby Blackwell, a plumber from her hometown.

4) The Pookie Tools controversy

Pookie Tools by Welch has received mixed reactions from followers (Image via Official Instagram Page)

Pookie Tools is an AI-powered dating app released by Welch on November 14, 2024. The name wouldn't come as a surprise to fans following the Hawk Tuah girl's journey, as she has repeatedly referred to her boyfriend as "Pookie". The app aims to help users find their ideal romantic partner.

However, the app sparked debate for its controversial features, such as "height detector" and "baldness predictor". People have been very vocal about the app because they feel that these features would encourage unrealistic beauty standards while reinforcing harmful stereotypes. Many users also raised privacy concerns.

Welch commented that the app was meant to be fun for people to use and that the added features shouldn't be taken too seriously, but many users couldn't help but feel concerned.

5) The VidCon 2025 fiasco

Her comeback hasn't been as successful as expected so far (Image via Official Instagram Page)

After the cryptocurrency lawsuit, the Hawk Tuah girl disappeared from the limelight. But lately, she has been attempting to reconnect with her fans through different activities, which include VidCon 2025. VidCon is an annual convention centered around influencers, online brands, fans, and more.

During VidCon Anaheim 2025, Welch, along with Chelsea Bradford and Whitney Cummings, attended a live recording of her podcast Talk Tuah. The crowd was acting rowdy throughout the conversation, and Cummings shouted back multiple times to quieten them down. When Cummings' raunchy comedy was being discussed, many audience members were seen leaving.

Fans were especially disheartened when Welsh made insensitive comments during the question-and-answer session. She claimed that she didn't look like someone who could speak about crypto, even though it was her cryptocurrency that cost investors millions of dollars. Welsh also hinted that she only faced backlash because she was a woman.

It is uncertain what the future holds for the Hawk Tuah girl, but these controversial incidents have certainly impacted her fan base.

About the author

Meeta is a popular culture writer at Sportskeeda who specializes in listicles. After graduating with English Honors, she began her professional journey in content with Engyne Systems and later joined Digicaptions as an English Editor. Meeta’s next career milestone was joining Eclectic Northeast, where she climbed the ranks from a Feature Writer to Assistant Editor. Her decade-long industry experience and personal interest in all things popular culture eventually helped her identify her expertise and led her to her current role at Sportskeeda.

For Meeta, her myriad industry roles have trained her in carrying out intensive research, content planning and editing. She believes her skills shine brightest when ideating entertainment and pop culture pieces that pique readers’ interests. To deliver on this, she relies on extensive research and acquires ample information on a topic before developing a story on it.

Fully aware of the ever-evolving entertainment sphere, Meeta strives to keep up with the latest developments in the field to ensure her reportage is always relevant. She always relies on her judgment to navigate sensitive information to prevent negatively impacting the reading experience, while simultaneously retaining accuracy and objectivity.

Meeta’s favorite artist is Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, who is a master storyteller in her eyes for his ability to invite viewers to read between the lines. When not brainstorming a new piece, Meeta can be found traveling or preparing for her next trip. Meeta is deeply invested in board games as well, and has even started a board game club with her friends.

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Edited by Meeta Borah