It all makes sense now. (Not really, but let’s just pretend for a minute).
Ella Langley is arguably the biggest name in country music right now, up there alongside names like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Zach Bryan. Her single “Choosin’ Texas” just tied Mariah Carey’s record for the longest-running #1 hit in U.S. history, a record that Ella would claim for herself next week if she’s able to spend her 23rd week at the top of the charts.
Her album Dandelion also debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 album chart, she immediately sold out her massive Dandelion Tour, and just last week Ella dominated the nominations for the 2026 CMA Awards, finding herself up for nine awards including Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year (twice) and Single of the Year (twice).
Of course anytime somebody gets popular, haters and critics start questioning the reason for their popularity, calling them an “industry plant,” or accusing them of actually being the Hawk Tuah girl, Haliey Welch.
Wait, what?
Ok, maybe that last one is a unique experience. But for some reason, it’s become the latest internet conspiracy theory surrounding Ella Langley.
It all started on TikTok (as most things do these days) when someone noticed the similarities between Ella and Welch, who went insanely viral back in 2024 for her man-on-the-street interview about how to please a man in bed. I’m sure you remember it.
@hawktuahdailyy Ya gotta give em that hawk tuah and #spitonthatthang 😂#hawktuah #hawktuahgirl #fyp #viral
Well some people on TikTok think Ella looks similar to Welch, despite obvious differences like the tattoos, Welch’s blonde hair, the voice…you get the idea.
As one guy put it:
“Nobody has ever seen her and Hawk Tuah girl at the same place at the same time.”
@homedecorhomie Am I trippin #greenscreen #hawktuah #ellalangley #conspiracytheory
And of course, as the internet does, people immediately began running with the joke:
@juanitosings
@much Chilll now I can’t unseen this😅🤣 @tedddles Via: @Home Decor Homie
Now, just to set the record straight: No, Ella Langley is not Haliey Welch, who hasn’t really been heard from much since the controversy surrounding her $HAWK memecoin. She’s still posting on her social media and YouTube, though it seems her Talk Tuah podcast was short-lived and it’s mostly just sponsored posts collabing with brand deals. I guess the answer to the question of “How long can you make money being the Hawk Tuah girl?” is at least two years and counting.
Anyway, despite the fact that it’s obviously ridiculous, people seem to be loving the nonsensical conspiracy theory:
“Now I can’t unsee it”
“This is so Hannah Montana of her”
“I know it’s not true, but I’ll spread this rumor anyway”
“This is the funniest take of 2026”
“This is the first conspiracy I’ve ever hardcore believed don’t play”
“Dude I thought the same thing months ago!!! Their talking voice is very similar too!”
“I have Hemroids”
(That last one isn’t relevant at all, it just cracked me up as I was scrolling through the comments on the video. I mean, it makes as much sense as Ella actually being the Hawk Tuah girl).
Welch herself even commented on one of the videos with a line from one of Ella’s songs:
“I just wanna be her so bad it hurts so bad”
The best evidence that Ella Langley is NOT, in fact, the viral TikTok star, is that despite all of her critics and questions about her coming out of nowhere to become one of the biggest artists in the world, Ella actually didn’t come out of nowhere: She’s been putting in work for over a decade now (in fact, our first blog about her was in 2018 when she first started posting her music), and she signed her record deal back in 2023, four years after first moving to Nashville.
So unfortunately for the conspiracy theorists, there’s no evidence other than a slight facial similarity that Ella is the Hawk Tuah girl, no matter how much Welch wants to “Be Her.”
