Influencer Haliey Welch, famously known as the “Hawk Tuah” girl from a viral TikTok video, quickly gained a massive following on YouTube with her witty podcast titled “Talk Tuah.” Her episodes have garnered millions of views on YouTube and have reached significant download numbers on Spotify. At one point, as reported by Bloomberg, “Talk Tuah” surpassed established podcasts like NPR‘s “This American Life” and the popular “New Heights” hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce, as indicated by Edison Research’s late 2024 podcast rankings.

David Tishelman, the head of Betr Media—a company that developed “Talk Tuah”—noted to Bloomberg that the podcast resonated widely across various segments of society.

However, things took a dramatic turn for Welch following the troubled launch of her cryptocurrency meme coin, dubbed $HAWK. Although it reached a market cap of nearly half a billion dollars within a day, it quickly crashed, displaying typical signs of a pump-and-dump scheme, as highlighted by futurism.com.

Since then, there have been no new episodes of “Talk Tuah” as Welch navigates legal issues arising from disgruntled investors. This represents a significant and largely self-sabotaged decline from grace that could have been avoided had she not engaged in the controversial venture.

Amid various legal threats, Welch took to X (formerly Twitter) in mid-December, expressing her commitment to addressing the situation and her fans. “I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans,” she stated.

“I am fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing those affected, while also striving to uncover the truth and hold accountable those responsible,” she promised.

Unfortunately, matters worsened. After several weeks of silence, a new episode reportedly “leaked,” featuring an emotional Welch conversing with crypto enthusiast Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengston, who was open to hearing her “perspective on the crypto debacle.

In the video—uploaded briefly before removal—Welch attempted to assert her victim status, claiming she was unwittingly caught up in the scam. She even insisted that her boyfriend, Kelby “Pookie” Blackwell, suffered losses from the ordeal.

“He said, ‘How are you going to take my money?’ He still gives me grief about it,” Welch shared, emotionally agitated. “He says, ‘I wish I had my $300 back.'”

“Oh my God,” she exclaimed, visibly distressed, “I’m going to cry.”

“No, don’t cry,” a clearly uncomfortable Bengston attempted to reassure her. “Don’t cry.”

Despite his seemingly sympathetic demeanor during the episode, Bengston later expressed anger, asserting in a lengthy tweet that the episode was aired without his consent. He accused Welch of misleading him into promoting $HAWK again while acknowledging that her team “fumbled the bag” yet again.

Notable blockchain critic Stephen “Coffeezilla” Findeisen—known for exposing crypto scams—recently disclosed that he was invited to join FaZe Banks and Welch. Findeisen had previously criticized Welch’s questionable scheme on his YouTube channel.

According to him, Welch’s tears were insincere as she strategized to “rehabilitate her image” within the crypto space.

Many observers seem to concur with this view. One Reddit user commented that the podcast was filled with notorious crypto fraudsters, suggesting that Welch was aware of the risks yet proceeded with her launch, now attempting a public relations stunt to mitigate the fallout.

Currently, Welch and $HAWK’s organizers are facing a class action lawsuit from investors in the wake of the cryptocurrency fiasco. The outcome of these legal troubles remains uncertain.

More on the unfolding story: The Hawk Tuah Girl Hasn’t Posted a New Podcast Since Her Crypto Project Imploded