She’s the queen of the internet after her graphic demonstration of a ‘sex tip’ involving spitting went viral, garnering instant mimicry from fans.
But while Hawk Tuah girl Haliey Welch – whose name has commonly been misspelled as ‘Hailey’ – is poised to cash in, it appears she’s finding fame challenging to handle.
After the onslaught of publicity, DailyMail.com can reveal Welch has gone into virtual hiding in tranquil Lewisburg, Tennessee, where she lives with her family in rural isolation on the edge of the small city.
Meanwhile, her friends and associates in the tightly-knit community 60 miles south of Nashville have created a protective wall around her as she processes her new life under the spotlight, however long that may last.
Indeed, even her freshly minted deal with a local hat maker for caps emblazoned with her sex-advice catchphrase is shrouded in an element of secrecy.
Haliey Welch became famous for the video in which she used the term ‘Hawk Tuah’ to describe spitting as part of a sexual act
The $32.70 official headgear proclaiming ‘Hawk Tuah ’24, Spit on That Thang’ sells for $43.70 if they have her original signature on the brim
After the onslaught of publicity, DailyMail.com can reveal Welch has gone into virtual hiding in tranquil Lewisburg, Tennessee, where she lives with family in rural isolation on the edge of the small city
The $32.70 official headgear proclaiming ‘Hawk Tuah ’24, Spit on That Thang’ sells for $43.70 if they have her original signature on the brim.
Yet DailyMail.com can reveal she will not visit the manufacturer to do the signing. Instead, the caps are brought to her at a neutral location.
Welch hit worldwide recognition after she was asked for her tip for ‘making a man go crazy in bed’ during a Nashville street video for Tim & Dee TV, which aired on June 19.
Enthusiastically, and with considerable demonstration to mimic the noise, she revealed: ‘You gotta give ‘em that hawk tuah.’
Hundreds of memes have followed, there’s talk of a Hollywood agent, the phrase was yelled out by a fan as 2024 US Open golf champion Bryson DeChambeau hit a tee shot at the LIV event in Nashville and gymnast Olivia Dunne has joined the craze.
She wrote ‘leave Miss Tuah out of this’ after a GIF of Welch was in the comments when she posted bikini shots of herself with MLB star boyfriend Paul Skenes.
Two other sporting heroes have also got in the mix. Philadelphia Phillies star slugger Bryce Harper went viral himself after appearing to reference the craze when he hit a double in a home game against Arizona Diamondbacks.
Footage showed him making a fist and spitting on it, complete with the phrase Hawk Tuah. Then mixed martial arts hero Conor McGregor tweeted on X: ‘Have we located hawk tuah yet?’
Even her freshly-minted deal with a local hat maker for caps emblazoned with her sex-advice catchphrase is shrouded in an element of secrecy
While Hawk Tuah girl Haliey Welch is poised to cash in, it appears she’s finding fame – some might say notoriety – challenging to handle
Welch hit worldwide recognition after she was asked for her tip for ‘making a man go crazy in bed’ during a Nashville street video for Tim & Dee TV, which aired on June 19
Meanwhile, Welch signed a deal with fledgling local firm Fathead Threads, whose owner Jason Poteete told DailyMail.com he is making an initial batch of 2,000 hats and orders are flooding in from around the country.
His cellphone was ringing constantly when we visited his small manufacturing facility.
Poteete, who started his business in April with a machine that can produce six hats every 15 minutes, politely refused to divulge any personal background information about his new client, believed to have been born in 2004 making her either 19 or 20.
After the deal was inked, he wrote on Facebook: ‘I have been authorized to sell these hats after a conversation with Hailey (sic). She will be receiving a portion of the profits from the sales.’
Chelsea Bradford, Welch’s close pal next to her in the video, was equally reticent to talk about her friend and the night they were asked the explicit question as they partied.
She’d earlier written on Facebook ‘finally giving my girl commission,’ regarding the hat deal.
Her parents at the family home protectively fielded questions by DailyMail.com.
Attempts to speak with Welch have been met with silence.
Since becoming an internet sensation, Welch is working with Tennessee based hat company Fathead Threads to sell her own line of hats
Welch is selling two different types of hats with the phrase written on it, one with a leather patch and one embroidered
Chelsea Bradford (left) has been identified as the friend standing next to Welch in the video
This week, she was holed up at her family’s home and sources have said the attention created by the phenomenal response to Hawk Tuah is making her nervous – despite the money-making opportunities.
And other signs that the internet sensation may be feeling the strain include a post on a recently created Haliey Welch Facebook account reading ‘#hawktuah but i need some peace’.
Several fake social media accounts have sprung up, all misspelling her name as Hailey and there is no confirmation that this one is genuine.
However, it has the correct spelling of her name and includes a photo of Welch with Poteete plus others with friends, including Chelsea. The friends photos were all posted in the past few days, yet there is no indication when they were actually taken.
Amid the frenzy, the chatter of major league Hollywood talent agencies vying for her has been gaining pace, but again without any substantiation.
Welch has already reportedly signed for United Talent Agency, which represents Kevin Hart, according to the New York Post.
Hours after that story appeared, entertainment news website TMZ shot it down. There’s also unsubstantiated talk that Donald Trump’s former literary agent Byrd Leavell was interested in taking her on.
However, despite all the rumors, misinformation and wild speculation, DailyMail.com has been told by a source in Lewisburg that Welch has sought the help of an attorney to negotiate the upcoming minefield in a bid to capitalize as much as possible.
There’s plenty to chase. One social media meme shows an image of two men wearing hockey jerseys with her catchphrase on the backs and the caption: ‘This city is ALIVE.’
Others portray Welch’s face replacing skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk on the cover of his Playstation game, while another edited her on to a scene from The Lion King, captioned ‘Hawk Tuah Matata’.
And there are several non-Welch endorsed hats for sale online, some for as little as $14.99.
Yet while much of the internet has gone crazy for the ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’, the crude advice hasn’t gained a 100 per cent fan base. Shock jock Howard Stern has called her ‘every father’s worst nightmare’.
The 70-year-old radio host said on his SiriusXM show: ‘As a dad myself of three girls, that’s every father’s worst nightmare to see her on Instagram going “yeah you’ve got to hawk tuah on that f***ing thing”.’
He said he’d seen the video of Welch all over Instagram despite not using the app often. ‘I’m on Instagram not much but that hawk tuah girl is everywhere,’ he added.
‘I think if I’m analyzing it, the reason people like it so much is the girl is so uninhibited and it’s just so natural when she says it. It’s like she didn’t even think about (it).’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk