Hawk Tuah girl Hailey Welch reveals the downsides of finding fame

By Mary Mrad For Daily Mail Australia

00:03 15 Jul 2024, updated 00:54 15 Jul 2024

Hailey Welch, known as the ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl, has revealed the downside of finding fame after video of her giving sex tips on the streets of Nashville went viral.

The 23-year-old told KIIS FM’s The Kyle and Jackie O show on Monday, she doesn’t feel comfortable stepping out in public by herself anymore.

‘It’s really strange, I can’t really go in public by myself anymore,’ she admitted.

‘I’m paranoid of getting kidnapped or something. I’m very paranoid about that. And I’m little too, so I can’t really defend myself with big people or nothing like that.’

Hailey admitted she hires security guards to protect her when she leaves her house. 

She also recalled how she was recently shopping in a Walmart store when a male recognised her.

‘I had a guy come up to me in Walmart a few weeks ago, and he was like, “I know you”. And I said, “No you don’t”, and he like, “Yeah I do, I know you”.’

‘And I was like, “Oh no you don’t”, and I got my bag and went to walk away and he’s like, “I know you, Mrs Hawk”.’

Hailey initially isolated herself in rural Tennessee where she lives with her family. Her friends and family built a protective wall around her to shield her from the publicity.

Since being thrust into the spotlight, she explained she’s received ‘revolting’ offers’ from fans who attempted to reach her through the man she partnered with to offer special ‘Hawk Tuah’ merchandise.

She said: ‘So, the guy that does my hats, he got offered $600 three days ago for me to spit in a jar and sell it. That is revolting! That is just disgusting, is it not?’

She also expressed her frustration at social media users ‘spelling my name wrong’ and making accounts with her photos on. She insists she deleted all of her social media six months ago – long before becoming an internet sensation. 

‘It’s kind of creepy seeing your face on another account that don’t belong to you,’ Hailey added.

She was hailed the ‘queen of the internet’ after being asked for her tips on how to please a man in bed.

Enthusiastically she said: ‘You gotta give ’em that hawk tuah.’

Hundreds of memes followed, there was talk of a Hollywood agent, the phrase was yelled out by a fan as 2024 US Open golf champion Bryson DeChambeau hit a tee shot at the LIV event in Nashville and gymnast Olivia Dunne has joined the craze.

Mixed martial arts hero Conor McGregor tweeted on X: ‘Have we located hawk tuah yet?’

She joined Lapaglia, also known as ‘Brianna Chickenfry,’ just two days after sharing the stage with Lapaglia’s boyfriend Zach Bryan at the Nashville Nissan Stadium.

In the wide-ranging interview, Hailey confirmed she had been out drinking that evening but that her vulgar comment was intended as a joke and that she ‘didn’t mean anything by it.’

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