From fame to federal probe: ‘Hawk Tuah’ star Hailey Welch breaks silence on HAWK

Hailey Welch, the face behind the viral Hawk Tuah meme, was briefly investigated by the FBI following the collapse of a Solana-based Hawk Tuah (HAWK) meme coin launched in her name. During a May 21 episode of her “Talk Tuah” podcast, Welch opened up about the federal probe for the first time, revealing that the FBI had shown up at her grandmother’s house after the token’s disastrous debut. “The feds came to granny’s house,” she said, recalling how her grandmother called her in a panic, saying, “The FBI is here after you, what have you done?” Welch said she immediately cooperated, turning over her phone and meeting with agents, who questioned her about her role behind HAWK. She described it as a full-blown “interrogation,” adding that she was eventually “cleared” and told she was “good to go.” She also revealed that the Securities and Exchange Commission got involved, requesting access to her phone for a few days. Welch complied and later learned that the SEC had closed the case without pursuing any charges or sanctions. Her lawyer, James Sallah, confirmed that outcome, stating that regulators found no wrongdoing and placed no restrictions on her future involvement with crypto. Welch had “no clue” about crypto On the podcast, Welch admitted that she had “no clue” about cryptocurrencies when she agreed to the project and said she “trusted the wrong people.” “I did not have enough knowledge about crypto to be getting involved with it. And I knew that, but I got talked into it, and I trusted the wrong people,” Welch said. She alleged that a company, whose name she withheld for legal reasons, was fully in control of her X account and posted promotional content on her behalf. Welch insisted she was only paid a flat marketing fee and “did not make a dime from the coin itself,” saying any earnings went toward legal and PR expenses. Despite her claims of limited involvement, blockchain sleuths and angry investors were unconvinced. The HAWK meme coin launched in early December and briefly hit a $500 million market cap before crashing over 90% within minutes. Analytics firm Bubblemaps flagged the token as highly centralized, revealing that insider wallets, allegedly linked to Welch’s team, controlled 96% of the supply and dumped large amounts during the launch window. A flurry of lawsuits As criticism mounted, Welch vanished from social media shortly after a tense interview appearance on December 5 with YouTuber Voidzilla. Her vague sign-off during the interview, “Anyhoo, I’m going to go to bed and see you guys tomorrow”, became infamous as she remained silent for nearly two weeks. She finally resurfaced on December 20, releasing a statement claiming she was fully cooperating with a federal lawsuit filed by Burwick Law on behalf of 12 US residents who allegedly lost a combined $151,000. Welch said she took the matter “extremely seriously” and wanted to help “uncover the truth” and “hold the responsible parties accountable.” While Welch avoided personal legal consequences, alleged HAWK token’s backers, including OverHere Limited, Clinton So, and Alex “Doc Hollywood” Schultz, faced a federal lawsuit accusing them of launching an unregistered security and misleading investors. OverHere later tried to shift blame onto Doc Hollywood, who has since locked his X account and disappeared from public view. Welch’s team has maintained that she did not personally profit from the token and cut ties with the LLC behind it. According to reports, she was never named as a defendant in the lawsuit. By early 2025, Welch confirmed that both the FBI and SEC had cleared her. Despite the fiasco, she has resumed public appearances and continues to host her “Talk Tuah” podcast, though with noticeably more caution around crypto-related ventures. The post From fame to federal probe: ‘Hawk Tuah’ star Hailey Welch breaks silence on HAWK appeared first on Invezz

Source: Invezz