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The internet’s beloved Southern sensation, known as the “Hawk Tuah Girl,” has finally resurfaced after disappearing from social media.
Her return to the spotlight is anything but ordinary.
At 22, Hailey Welch became an internet sensation after a spontaneous interview in Nashville, but this time, she’s back for a different reason.
Rather than her usual lighthearted online presence, her name has now been linked to the biggest cryptocurrency scandal of 2024.
Welch, from Belfast, Tennessee, leveraged her social media fame by launching the Talk Tuah podcast under Betr Media and creating her own clothing line.
Rising to stardom through viral memes, she quickly built a devoted fan base that remained fiercely loyal to her.
In December, Welch vanished from the internet, leaving fans intensely speculating about her whereabouts.
Rumors swirled online about her being pregnant, facing legal troubles, or even worse—fueling curiosity and confusion among her devoted followers.
Until now.
On March 25, Welch made her long-awaited return to social media with a playful yet mysterious Instagram video titled “What’d I Miss.”
The video opens with Welch pretending to wake up from a deep sleep before humorously addressing fake death rumors. She then playfully acts out pregnancy and imprisonment, mocking the wild speculation surrounding her disappearance.
“Not the comeback we wanted, but the comeback we needed,” one fan commented, capturing the excitement of her return.
However, not everyone found it amusing.
Many associate Welch with a major cryptocurrency collapse that left investors devastated due to her involvement in the scandal.
In December 2024, Welch introduced the $HAWK cryptocurrency to her followers—an endorsement that would later spark controversy.
Following its launch, Crypto Times reported that $HAWK skyrocketed to a market capitalization of over $490 million—only to crash by more than 90% within hours.
According to Bloomberg Law, investors collectively lost over $151,000, with some even putting their entire life savings and education funds into the project.
One individual, in particular, claimed to have lost both their life savings and college funds after purchasing $HAWK tokens, which Welch had enthusiastically promoted.
Legal records reveal that Tuah The Moon Foundation launched the cryptocurrency through an overseas platform created by overHere Ltd and its founder, Clinton So.
Ongoing legal proceedings accuse the project developers of offering unauthorized financial products and misleading investors by heavily targeting promotions within the United States.
Community president Alex Larson Schultz has also joined the complaint against Tuah The Moon Foundation, as he had publicly endorsed the cryptocurrency project.
However, the lawsuit does not name Welch as a defendant.
In a now-deleted post on X, she addressed the controversy, stating, “I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community.”
She further emphasized that she is “fully cooperating” with legal teams to uncover the truth and ensure that “responsible parties are held accountable.”
For the past 90 days, Welch remained silent, leaving fans and critics alike wondering when she would finally break her silence on the matter.
Welch has reemerged online, making her Instagram comeback alongside a bold comedy performance that directly addresses the scandal.
But for some, the “Hawk Tuah” punchline came at an unbearable cost.
Now, all eyes are on Hailey Welch as the internet watches closely—will her next moves redeem her reputation or sink it even further?
