Finally breaking her silence.
For the first time since she went viral this summer, it’s been a while since we’ve heard from the Hawk Tuah girl. Haliey Welch has recently come under fire after being accused of a rug pull with the launch of her new meme coin, $HAWK.
The coin went live on crypto markets back on December 4, and then immediately tanked after launching.
JUST IN: $HAWK (@HalieyWelchX) pumped to $500 million and retraced to $90 million in market cap within 10 minutes 👀 pic.twitter.com/4aWRJRMalH
— BlockNews (@blocknewsdotcom) December 4, 2024
Buyers then alleged that most of the coin was held by “insiders” who sold the coin immediately after it launched, when the price was as its peak, causing the value to quickly deflate and leaving actual buyers with worthless tokens.
🚨🚨WARNING🚨🚨$HAWK token insiders kept over 97% of the supply and are actively selling!!! pic.twitter.com/KhfXwvQDwV
— Beanie (@beaniemaxi) December 4, 2024
Welch held a Twitter space along with those behind the cryptocurrency after the coin launched, attempting to calm down furious investors, but…it didn’t go well.
@defmaxi Hawk Tuah is missing, did she go to jail??? #hawktuah $hawk #jail #missing
Since going to bed, Welch has been radio silent, not releasing any further statements or even dropping any new episodes of her Talk Tuah podcast.
But yesterday, investors in the meme coin filed a lawsuit agains those behind the coin, naming as defendants the Tuah The Moon Foundation, overHere Ltd and its founder Clinton So, and social media influencer Alex Larson Schultz, also known as Doc Hollywood. Notably, Welch herself was not named in the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs are seeking class action status for the lawsuit, claiming that those behind the coin failed to register the cryptocurrency as a “security” in the United States, and after the coin launched, made the Tuah the Moon Foundation an offshore entity that sold off 17% of the coin to escape securities law.
Well today, Welch herself broke her silence on the issue, releasing a statement on social media and through her PR claiming that she is committed to helping those who lost money on the coin:
“I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community. I am fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted, as well as to help uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable, and resolve this matter. If you have experienced losses related to this, please contact Burwick Law using the link below.”
I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community. I am fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted, as well as to help uncover the…
— Haliey Welch (@HalieyWelchX) December 20, 2024
Now, I have a feeling that Welch doesn’t really know a lot about cryptocurrency herself, and likely only served as a spokesperson for the coin in exchange for a sponsorship fee or something like that, which would explain why she wasn’t included in the lawsuit against those who are behind the (alleged) scam.
But there’s no doubt that this is a valuable lesson for all involved. First of all, if you were investing in a Hawk Tuah meme coin to begin with…well, I’ve really got nothing for you.
And second, I’m sure Welch is going to be much more careful about who she lets use her name and image going forward. Cryptocurrency is like the wild west right now, and everybody’s trying to get a piece of the action. It’s no surprise that there are some bad actors out there who are going to take advantage of the opportunity.
