Haliey Welch, aka Hawk Tuah Girl, is ready to move beyond the reputation that made her a viral sensation.
The 22-year-old social media star, who rose to fame after her candid oral sex story took over TikTok in June, spoke out about the nickname during her performance on the dating program West Date Ever.
“We try to distance ourselves from it,” she admitted to host and Summer House star West Wilson. “I’d rather be called by my first name, not Ms. Hawk.”
Although Hailey wants to distance herself from the label, she is still eager to capitalize on her newfound fame.
“We’re leaning toward podcasts and stuff like that,” she explained. “And a reality TV show, we’ve talked about that.”
Haliey Welch, aka Hawk Tuah Girl, is ready to move beyond the persona that made her a viral sensation; (photo July)
The 22-year-old social media star, who rose to fame after her candid conversation about oral sex blew up on TikTok in June, spoke openly about the nickname during her appearance on the dating show West Date Ever on Tuesday.
By the time her date with Wilson was over, Welch admitted it was “probably one of the best” experiences she’d ever had.
In another interview, Wilson indicated that he wanted to support Haliey in ditching the nickname ‘Hawk Tuah’.
“She was almost thrust into the spotlight against her will, so I wanted to make sure she knew I wasn’t going to spread her viral meme,” he told Page Six.
“Everyone has a story and I wanted to learn more about her and help her make ‘Hawk Tuah’ a thing of the past.”
In July, Haliey filed to trademark her signature phrase after she rose to fame giving sex tips on the streets of Nashville.
She formed her own company called ’16 Minutes LLC’ and filed to obtain full rights to use her sensational line on merchandise items including hats and t-shirts.
Welch is seeking to register a trademark for clothing items and entertainment services, specifically comedy shows and podcasts about “comedy and current events,” according to documents seen by DailyMail.com.
As a submission requirement, Welch also submitted a photo of a beige and brown hat with her slogan, “Hawk Tuah ’24. Spit On That Thing,” written in red. The hat was made in collaboration with Tennessee-based hat company Fathead Threads.
“We try to distance ourselves from it,” she admitted to host and Summer House star West Wilson. “I’d rather be called by my first name, not Mrs. Hawk.”
Although Welch enjoys sharing sex advice with millions of people, she keeps her fans in the dark about the name of her company.
16 Minutes LLC, based in Nashville, Tennessee, may be a clever play on her attempts to become more than 15 minutes famous after her viral interview.
The new company’s name could also be a nod to her life-changing 16-word line — “You gotta give him that hawk tuah and spit on that thing, you know what I mean?”
According to TMZWelch and her management team plan to send letters urging traders to stop using ‘Hawk Tuah’ on clothing to make a profit.
The filing, as well as her new company, came as a surprise after she told Brianna Lapaglia about it. Plan Bri Uncut Podcast that she was unsure whether she wanted to be the ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl forever.
On July 1, she announced that she had quit her factory job and gone into management. The clip for Tim & Dee TV, in which she explains how to ‘drive a man crazy in bed’, has been viewed more than three million times on YouTube since it aired on June 19.
As a submission requirement, Welch also submitted a photo of a beige and brown hat with her phrase “Hawk Tuah ’24. Spit On That Thing” written in red, which was made in collaboration with Tennessee-based hat company Fathead Threads.
When her parents were asked what they thought of her viral comment, Welch replied, “They think it’s so funny… they never know what’s going to come out of my mouth.”
Welch initially isolated herself in rural Tennessee, where she lives with her family. Her friends and family built a protective wall around her to shield her from the publicity.
Since she stepped into the spotlight, she says she has received “disgusting” offers from fans trying to reach her through the man she collaborated with to offer special “Hawk Tuah” merchandise.
She said, ‘So, the guy who makes my hats was offered $600 three days ago to spit in a jar and sell it. That’s disgusting! That’s just disgusting, right?’
She joined Lapaglia, aka “Brianna Chickenfry,” just two days after sharing the stage with Lapaglia’s boyfriend Zach Bryan at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.
In the wide-ranging interview, Welch confirmed that she had been drinking that night, but that her comment was meant as a joke and that she “didn’t mean anything by it at all.”
The rising star was then quizzed about who her celebrity crush was, using a game called ‘Hawk Tuah or Nah.’
Welch sells two different types of hats with the text written on them, one with a leather patch and one with an embroidered
Haliey Welch, 23, aka the “Hawk Tuah” girl, spoke to Brianna Lapaglia on the Plan Bri Uncut podcast on Monday
Lapaglia first asked Welch what she thought of her own country singer boyfriend and said, “Be careful.”
Welch and Chelsea Bradford, the friend standing next to her in the viral clip, both burst out laughing before telling Lapaglia, “I love you but valk tuah.”
The pair then showed interest in Morgan Wallen. However, they didn’t recognize who Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Antonio Brown was.
They also didn’t recognize Dave Portnoy, the owner of Barstool Sports, at first. But after Lapaglia showed them a photo, they gave him a “Hawk.”
Welch and Bradford were also coy when asked about professional boxer and YouTuber Jake Paul, but they immediately turned down the offer to sell “tuah” to former President Donald Trump.
The 21-year-old joined Lapaglia, also known as ‘Brianna Chickenfry,’ just two days after Lapaglia joined the podcaster’s boyfriend, Zach Bryan, onstage at Nissan Stadium in Nashville
Lapaglia then asked the internet star how she felt about being known as the Hawk Tuah girl. Welch said she doesn’t want to be called that for the rest of her life.
Welch also debunked rumors about where she and her family worked. The Internet initially reported that Welch was a schoolteacher who was fired after the video came out, and that her father was a minister.
“I worked in a feather factory, I’m not a teacher,” she said.
“My father is absolutely not a preacher, it’s just madness.”
She said she quit her job after becoming famous and now plans to travel the country and “do a show and some podcasts and everything that goes with it.”