Haliey Welch, who went viral for her “Hawk Tuah” quip, opens up about her crypto meme coin that ended in scam accusations and a heavy legal entanglement
Haliey Welch has a lot to explain.
The 22-year-old social media star opens up in a new episode of her Talk Tuah podcast about her involvement in the cryptocurrency scandal that caused her to leave the spotlight just as quickly as she entered it.
In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE, Welch — who went viral overnight for sharing the “Hawk Tuah” sex tip in June 2024 — shares her side of the story, breaking down the timeline of events before and after her crypto meme coin crashed.
“And that’s when we get to the point after the coin launch, the Feds come to Granny’s house and knocked on her door,” Welch recalls in the teaser clip shared with PEOPLE ahead of the full episode launch at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 20.
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“And she called me having a heart attack, said, ‘The FBI is here after you. What have you done?'” she continues in the video, remembering what her panicked grandmother who she’d been living with said to her at the time.
Welch’s latest podcast episode comes approximately one month after she relaunched Talk Tuah on April 8, which marked her return to the scene since Dec. 3 last year. Her crypto controversy began the very next day, resulting in a show hiatus.
On Dec. 4, Welch launched the crypto meme coin, $HAWK, which crashed within 24 hours. She faced accusations that it was a scam in its wake, followed by a legal entanglement that reportedly didn’t involve the influencer herself.
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The coin’s creators were accused by investors of unlawfully promoting and selling the cryptocurrency that was never properly registered with the Security and Exchanges Commission (SEC) in a lawsuit that doesn’t name Welch, reported NBC News on Dec. 20.
At the time, Welch noted that she was “fully cooperating” with attorneys who were representing people impacted by the crypto meme coin crash. On March 27, her lawyer James Sallah, shared an update with TMZ.
“The SEC closed the investigation without making any findings against, or seeking any monetary sanctions from, Haliey. Because they did not bring any action against her, there are no restrictions on what she can do in regards to crypto or securities in the future,” he told the outlet.
Welch remained largely out of the spotlight in the months that followed, ultimately announcing her return to the podcasting world on April 1. She also ended her partnership with the Jake Paul-founded Betr Holdings, Inc.
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“Haliey Welch and Betr Holdings, Inc. have mutually agreed to end their partnership regarding the Talk Tuah podcast and wish each other well in their future endeavors,” the companies shared in a joint statement, per Vulture.
The revival of Talk Tuah was deemed “the start of a new chapter for Welch in reclaiming her voice,” per the podcast’s press release. Episodes span topics across pop culture and entertainment.
