‘You got to be really careful what you tie your name to’: The Hawk Tuah girl is planning a rebrand

Haliey Welch, better known as the Hawk Tuah girl, is ready for a rebrand.

After being thrust into the spotlight in 2024, thanks to her now-iconic “Hawk Tuah” catchphrase—featured in a video interview uploaded by the Tim & Dee TV YouTube channel—Welch experienced a crash course in the highs and lows of viral fame.

In early December, she announced the launch of her own cryptocurrency meme coin, $HAWK. The coin quickly tanked, leaving fans upset and prompting an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“Anyhoo, I’m gonna go bed,” Welch said as she ended a livestream on X on December 4. She wasn’t heard from again until three months later, when an Instagram Reel circulated highlighting headlines surrounding her absence. In the video, a voiceover says, “The Hawk Tuah Girl has died,” before Welch wakes up from what appears to be a dream.

Welch isn’t dead—but she is ready for a reset.

“I’m in the middle of rebranding right now,” Welch said in a recent interview with Connor Richards of PokerNews. “I’ve had a lot of time to think. I want to rebrand.” As for what that will look like? “I guess you’ll have to watch and see.”

Step one is clearing her name. The SEC has officially closed its investigation into the $HAWK coin, finding no evidence of wrongdoing, according to the International Business Times.

Next is telling her story. Welch is the subject of an upcoming documentary developed by Emmy-winning production company Bungalow Media + Entertainment. The film will chronicle Welch’s “unexpected rise to fame, the scrutiny that followed,” and reveal “the incredible power social media has to crown and crucify its internet darlings,” per the press release.

Then comes her return to the spotlight. According to TMZ, Welch will make a cameo in Glen Powell’s upcoming series Chad Powers. She’s also relaunching her podcast Talk Tuah, following her split from Jake Paul’s Betr Holdings.

Vanity Fair recently profiled Welch’s reemergence and the hard lessons she’s learned. “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,” she told the outlet. “That’s something I definitely should have done beforehand.”

The following day, Welch headed to Las Vegas for her first public appearance since the crypto fallout: a Celebrity Poker Tour event. When asked what the event involved, she glanced at her publicist. “I don’t know. I don’t know, really, how it works. I just tell them I’ll be there, and then I kind of be there,” she said.

When Vanity Fair pressed her about the optics of promoting a gambling event so soon after fans lost money on her coin, Welch seemed confused and asked him to repeat the question. Her publicist quickly intervened, requesting they move on.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91328963/the-hawk-tuah-girl-is-planning-a-rebrand?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss