Though she’s been able to monumentally profit off of her viral fame, Haliey Welch admitted she was “embarrassed” to show her face the following week after her Hawk Tuah interview was released by Tim & Dee TV.
While the internet continues to launch everyday people into stardom like Haliey Welch, also known as the Hawk Tuah girl, the fame can oftentimes be overwhelming – especially when the reason for going viral is based on an inappropriate interview answer.
Haliey proved to be no different from those who weren’t so sure of what to think about their instant fame.
In a viral clip from Page Six, she explained how “embarrassed” she was when her Hawk Tuah video initially circulated the internet in June.
“So the first week, after the first video, I was like, ‘Ok, well, you know it’s just one video – whatever,’” Haliey said.
“He kept going on and posting me, and I was not really doing well the first week,” she admitted as she shook her head.
“Me and my friend Chelsea both, we did not take that well the first week. Like, I was embarrassed to come out of my house, go to work, anything else,” she said.
She went on to say that after that first week of shellshock, she grew to be “unfazed” by the viral fame that she seemingly could not control.
Haliey added that she quickly hired an attorney so that other people weren’t the only ones profiting off of her viral interview with Tim & Dee TV.
Now, she has her own merchandise and has even gotten paid $30K for a club appearance where she celebrated gaining 1M Instagram followers on her account, hay_welch.
She even used her 15 minutes of fame for good by donating PetSmart food and supplies for animals at her local animal shelter.