Hawk Tuah girl Haliey Welch reveals she was ‘scared’ to talk to Glen Powell

The viral “Hawk Tuah” sensation reflects on her acting debut alongside Glen Powell in Hulu’s Chad Powers and shares how she is handling life after internet fame

A little over a year after she became an internet sensation with her viral “Hawk Tuah” video, Haliey Welch is taking her first step into Hollywood. The 22-year-old Tennessee native recently made a cameo in Glen Powell’s upcoming Hulu football comedy series Chad Powers.

Haliey Welch became known as the Hawk Tuah girl on the internet after a viral interview in 2024. (Instagram/hay_welch)

Speaking about her experience, Welch admitted she was “starstruck” by the Twisters and Top Gun: Maverick star. She told People magazine that she is a huge fan of Powell and added, “I am not even going to lie to you. I was scared to talk to him, but him, his whole team, they were all great. They were really sweet.”

The Chad Powers series

Created by Powell and writer-producer Michael Waldron, Chad Powers is based on Eli Manning’s fictional alter ego. The comedy follows disgraced college quarterback Russi Holliday, who reinvents himself as “Chad Powers” to walk onto a struggling southern football team and reignite his career.

Welch’s cameo played on her viral persona with Powell’s character recognized as the ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl. In the show, Welch’s character bristles at the nickname, though in real life she said she has learned to embrace it. She told People, “Most people that do call me ‘Hawk Tuah’ do know my name.”

She noted that she is happy the public is nice and wants a picture with her. “I am grateful they are here,” she observed.

All about the ‘Hawk Tuah’ moment

Welch gained fame in June 2024 when a candid response during a Nashville street interview catapulted her to virality. Since then, she has launched a podcast, appeared on talk shows, and even weathered a crypto scandal.

Welch now has 2.3 million Instagram followers and 1.8 million on TikTok with fans turning into her projects even after the collapse of her Hawkcoin cryptocurrency venture. Despite not being found at fault, Welch said she learned from the experience to be more thoughtful with partnerships.

Hailey said she would tell herself to be careful who you trusts and what you puts your name on.

Hailey's upcoming projects include a Twitch livestream, Talk Tuah LIVE, set to debut September 29th, and a docu-series called DocTuah about her rise to online fame from a small-town nobody.

FAQs

Q1: What show will Haliey Welch appear in?

She has a cameo in Hulu’s Chad Powers, starring Glen Powell.

Q2: What made Welch famous?

She went viral in June 2024 for her now-iconic “Hawk Tuah” comment during a street interview.

Q3: How did she feel working with Glen Powell?

Welch admitted she was “scared” and starstruck but described Powell and his team as “really sweet.”