Hailey Welch, a social media influencer popularly known as “Hawk Tuah girl”, stated that the implosion of the memecoin “HAWK” she promoted in 2024 and the resulting public reaction “scared her”.
“I’ve been talked into doing something that I don’t really know anything about, but you have to be very careful what you sign up to” – Welsh he said YouTube Channel 5’s Andrew Callaghan on Friday.
Welsh stated that in 2025 she fully cooperated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation, which cleared her of any wrongdoing, and that she had no funds from the launch of Memecoin or the technical knowledge needed to bring the coin to market.
She added that the total amount lost by “real people” from the failed memecoin launch was not significant, and her lawyer estimated the total dollar amount lost by retail investors at around $200,000.
Despite this, Welsh stated that she received death threats and tried to keep a low profile for several months after the incident, which took a toll on her mental health. She said:
“I started getting death threats and stuff. People were telling me I owed them all this money and I was like, ‘I didn’t do it.’ I’m sitting here and they’re hitting me for it. It’s rough. It’s one of those things where when you leave the house, you put your head down.”
However, not everyone was convinced by Welsh’s statements. “No one should feel sorry for the ‘trauma’” – onchain detective ZachXBT he said.
“Starts posting about meme coins. The whole thing [crypto Twitter] tells her “don’t trigger the token”. And so he releases Memecoin, then blames his partners and disappears from social media, and his followers lose their funds,” he added.
Related: Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Disowns ‘Sanae Token’ After Memecoin Tops $28 Million
Memecoin HAWK crashes and burns shortly after arrival
Memecoin HAWK was launched in December 2024 and reached a market capitalization of over $490 million just hours after launch.
The next day, Hawk fell more than 91%, reaching a market capitalization of approximately $41 million, and was widely referred to as “pulling the rug.”
In December 2024, an investor lawsuit was filed against the team and entities that created and managed the Memecoin launch, but not against Wales, alleging that the entities sold unregistered securities.
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