Hawk Tuah star Haliey Welch breaks silence with unbelievable response to career-ending crypto scandal
Haliey Welch has broken her silence on the cryptocurrency scandal that almost ended her career last year.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the 22-year-old said that her feelings had been ‘hurt’ by the controversy, which resulted in many of her fans losing money on her ill-fated $HAWK memecoin.
‘Half of those people that done it were, like, my fans. They trusted me, like, guiding them to it,’ she told the publication.
‘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.’
Elaborating further, Welch admitted that she doesn’t really even ‘understand’ crypto but had learned a valuable lesson from the ordeal.
‘You got to be really careful what you tie your name to, and you definitely need to know what you’re getting yourself into when you agree to do it. That’s something I definitely should have done beforehand,’ she said.
‘I just feel really bad for anybody that lost money. All my comments, if you read those, people are like, “Oh, well, I lost a lot of money in this. Now my kids have to go without stuff.” I don’t know. It makes me feel, like, really sorry for it.’
Hawk Tuah star Haliey Welch said that her feelings had were ‘hurt’ by her crypto scandal, which resulted in many of her fans losing money on her ill-fated $HAWK memecoin
The group behind the social media star’s memecoin – which dramatically crashed just hours after its launch – was sued last year after failing to register the cryptocurrency, according to court records.
Memecoins are types of cryptocurrency inspired by viral internet memes. They originally started out as a joke and were used for entertainment purposes, but have now ballooned in value in recent years.
Welch’s $HAWK memecoin peaked at a market capitalization of $490 million shortly after its launch on Wednesday, before plummeting to 91 percent within three hours.
She and the group behind the coin were then accused of a ‘rug-pull,’ where the creators of a meme-based cryptocurrency project suddenly abandon it and abscond with investors’ money, leaving the token worthless.
Although Welch herself wasn’t named in the lawsuit, the backlash she received following the crypto crash caused her to exit the public eye for months.
She also temporarily stopped her hit Tawk Tuah podcast, which at one time was the most popular non-political podcast in America.
Talk Tuah was originally under Jake Paul’s company Betr, but he parted ways with Welch after her crypto controversy.
Elaborating further, Welch admitted that she doesn’t really even ‘understand’ crypto but had learned a valuable lesson from the ordeal
The Tennessee-born blonde first skyrocketed to fame in June after a clip of her giving a sex tip during a street interview in Nashville went viral
Welch has since relaunched the show independently.
When contacted for comment by DailyMail.com last December, Welch said she was ‘committed’ to resolving the crypto scandal.
‘I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community,’ she said.
‘I am fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted, as well as to help uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable, and resolve this matter.’
On March 31, the SEC closed an investigation into Welch, finding ‘no evidence’ against the influencer.
Speaking to Fortune last year before her memecoin launch, Welch insisted that the venture was ‘not just a cash grab.’
She also said that crypto was ‘a good way to interact with my fans’ and that she’d become interested in it through rapper Lil Pump.
Welch’s hit Talk Tuah podcast is no longer under Jake Paul’s company following her crypto scandal
Welch first showed interest in crypto back in September, when she bizarrely appeared as a keynote speaker at the Forbes Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul, South Korea.
The Tennessee-born blonde first skyrocketed to fame in June after a clip of her giving a humorous sex tip during a street interview in Nashville went viral.
She quickly amassed millions of followers on social media and launched a successful merchandise line.
Her Talk Tuah podcast also became one of the most popular shows in the country, and at one point was ranked third in the US behind Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.
