TLDR
- Hailey Welch, also known as 'Hawk Tuah girl,' uploaded and swiftly removed a podcast episode where she talked about her unsuccessful Solana meme coin.
- The episode showcased influential crypto personalities like FaZe Banks, Frank—the brain behind DeGods, and Threadguy, as they dove into the issues surrounding the HAWK token launch.
- Banks asserts that the episode's release didn't honor the agreed terms and may have been strategically deployed to manipulate the token's market value.
- After the podcast was leaked, the HAWK token's value briefly shot up, doubling before leveling out to show a modest 9% increase.
- Welch is working alongside legal experts to bring a case against her previous collaborators due to the botched token launch.
Another twist unfolded this week in the ongoing drama surrounding the troubled HAWK token project when its creator Hailey Welch, commonly referred to as 'Hawk Tuah girl,' shared and shortly thereafter erased a podcast episode that addressed the disastrous meme coin launch in December of 2024.
Welch's 'Talk Tuah' podcast episode brought together well-known figures in the crypto world, including FaZe Clan's CEO Richard 'FaZe Banks' Bengtson, DeGods creator Frank (Rohun Vora), and online personality Threadguy. This marked Welch's comeback to the public eye following the catastrophic launch of her Solana meme coin two months earlier.
In this fleeting episode, Welch opened up about her ordeal with the unsuccessful token launch, where 80% of the stock remained with the creator and the price plummeted almost instantaneously. Welch admitted she was still reeling from the experience as they conversed.
🚨LEAKED🚨
Full @HalieyWelchX Talk Tuah Episode with @Banks
Hawk Tuah finally wakes up!
00:00 INTRO
00:40 HALIEY MESSED UP
2:26 HALIEY’S OFFICIAL STATEMENT
All proceeds from Hailey's participation in this podcast episode are earmarked for animal charities.
5:00 BEHIND THE SCENES OF $HAWK COIN LAUNCH… pic.twitter.com/PZpbREnQng— Nick O’Neill (@chooserich) February 6, 2025
The abrupt removal of the podcast captured the crypto community's attention, as leaked copies quickly found their way onto social media platforms. This rapid dissemination caused an unexpected surge in market activity, with the HAWK token price temporarily skyrocketing before settling with a more subdued 9% gain.
FaZe Banks took to the platform X (previously known as Twitter) to voice his dissatisfaction with the unfolding situation. He disclosed that certain conditions were laid out for the podcast's broadcast, one of which was that it shouldn't be used to tamper with market dynamics, and Welch's team was expected to devise 'a genuine solution' regarding the project's financials.
Banks stated that his team was assured of having the final say over the episode's release. However, when rumors about the new episode started swirling before its scheduled release, Banks noted they withdrew their consent for it to go live.
In a bid to shed light on Haliey Welch's perspective on the alleged crypto scam, I agreed to make an appearance on her initial podcast return.
I had heavy stipulations including;
To prevent market manipulation by prematurely unveiling the episode's existence before a resolution was secured.
2) Her team finding… pic.twitter.com/X3TW5nZmtR
— FaZe Banks (@Banks) February 6, 2025
The controversy intensified when Banks accused that the episode leak might have been intentionally carried out to drive up HAWK token prices. 'Now, the episode just 'happens' to leak. The HAWK price is climbing, and they've completely dropped the ball, once again,' Banks tweeted.
The leak's timing coincided with a notable increase in trading activities involving the HAWK token. Data from CoinMarketCap illustrated the token price peaking at $0.00078 following the initial surge and the period of cooling down that ensued.
These recent events follow Welch's earlier declaration of her cooperation with lawyers targeting legal action against her past business associates involved in the HAWK token's failed launch. The lawsuit centers on the problematic debut of the token and its repercussions on individual investors.
The podcast detailed that Welch professed a limited grasp of the token launch process she had agreed to partake in. Her guests on the episode seemed to back this claim, although the complete context remains obscure due to the removal of the content.
Attempts by news outlets to gather further explanation have been unsuccessful, with Welch's spokesperson not responding to inquiries about the podcast episode's upload and subsequent deletion.
The HAWK token initially made its debut in early December 2024, becoming mired in controversy when its valuation nosedived soon after the onset of trading. This incident led to widespread critique and prompted Welch's temporary exit from public mediums.
The legal processes related to the token launch are still in motion, with Welch seemingly assisting the attorneys probing her former partners' involvement in the botched project.
The current market conditions, including the total value and trade frequency of the HAWK token, remain far below what they were at the start, despite the fleeting bump in price after the podcast was leaked.
As of February 6, 2025, the HAWK token is still being traded, albeit at a fraction of its initial price. The project's trajectory remains uncertain as involved parties endeavor to rectify the aftermath of both the original launch mishap and this fresh layer of controversy.
This week’s developments have added further intricacy to an already tangled situation, prompting fresh concerns about the lines of communication and the level of openness following the project's fallout.
