Who is the ‘hawk tuah’ girl going viral online?

If you’ve been surfing the internet recently, you may have come across the phrase “hawk tuah”. But what is its origin?

The girl known as “hawk tuah”gained widespread attention after her appearance in a street interview was shared on TikTok in June 2024. The video has since gone viral and has been shared across various platforms, including YouTube and X.

Who is the woman and what is the meaning of hawk tuah?

Who is the Hawk Tuah girl?

Hailey Welch, the woman responsible for the popular “hawk tuah”catchphrase on social media, has finally been identified. It was a challenging task to uncover her true identity.

During their time in Nashville, Tennessee, TimandDeeTV stumbled upon the woman and her friend and decided to conduct an impromptu interview for their video.

Upon uttering the phrase “hawk tuah”in the clip, it immediately gained popularity as the newest catchphrase on the internet, causing viewers to become frenzied in their attempts to identify the woman who said it.

Initially, the viral “hawk tuah”girl was thought to be Elayna Robinson, a woman on TikTok. However, she later shared a video disproving this belief.

@elayna.robinson ♬ original sound – elayna.robinson

It has been revealed that TimandDeeTV, the initial interviewers of the “hawk tuah”girl, had tagged two women, Chelsea Bradford and Hailey Welch, in a comment. However, it seems that the comment may have been deleted by now, as users have noticed.

It appears that Chelsea Bradford and Hailey Welch are the viral sensations in the video, as evidenced by the picture of them together on Bradford’s VSCO account.

What does Hawk Tuah mean?

Hawk tuah is known to imitate the sound of spitting. This expression originated from Welch, who uttered it while answering a question posed by TimandDeeTV during their street interview video.

How much has the Hawk Tuah Girl Earned from Going Viral?

Despite the viral video not belonging to Welch, she did not receive any compensation directly from the video. Nevertheless, she has still made a profit from her popular catchphrase by releasing merchandise.

Shortly after gaining popularity, Jason Poteete from Fathead Threads reached out to the hawk tuah girl and together they collaborated on a line of signed hats featuring the embroidered phrase ‘Hawk Tuah 24’ on the front. This collaboration proved to be highly successful.

hawk tuah girl hat — Facebook: Fathead Threads

Special “Hawk Tuah ’24” hats are available to buy.

According to Rolling Stone, the ‘Hawk Tuah 24’ hats are offered at a price of $32.78 each in a variety of 14 colors. Additionally, there is a signed version available for $50. The owner of Fathead Threads states that the shop has sold approximately 2,000 hats so far.

Using only the least expensive option, the total cost would be $65,560. However, as some of the sales included the pricier version, the final amount is significantly greater.

Despite being asked, Poteete refused to disclose the exact amount of profit going to Welch. However, he did express his desire to ensure that she receives a portion of the money being generated from her work.

Poteete informed the magazine that the first viral video had not generated any income for her. She also mentioned that no one had sought her permission before using the video. However, her main concern was ensuring that she received some financial benefit from the situation.

According to Poteete, there has been a huge demand for the merchandise and everyone involved is fully committed to the production and delivery of the popular hats.

Did She Get Fired?

Despite Welch’s growing viral fame, false rumors began to circulate about her employment status. Some reports even falsely claimed that she had been fired from her teaching job as a result of her video. However, this is not the case.

hawk tuah woman in viral interview — YouTube/Tim&DeeTV

The accusations originated from a Facebook page called the Tippah County Tribune. On June 21, the page claimed that a preschool teacher was pressured to resign after a video of her went viral as the ‘hawk tuah’ girl.

According to Epstein Day School Director Carla Reed, we have noticed children imitating the actions of Miss Hailey, whom they see as a role model, after she encouraged them to spit on objects in a YouTube video. While we have great admiration for Hailey, it is not acceptable for one of our faculty members to exhibit such behavior. This was mentioned by the page in a post on Facebook.

Despite initial interest, individuals quickly discovered that the Facebook page was not a reliable source of news as it openly identified as “Tippah County’s #1 Publication For Satirical Laughs”.