Shaquille O'Neal teaches ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl Hailey Welch ‘how to deal with fame’

Shaquille O'Neal takes viral ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl Hailey Welch under his wing, sharing wisdom on fame, hate comments.

Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and Hailey Welch, the viral social media girl ‘Hawk Tuah’, were spotted together last weekend at a separate event, creating a buzz online.

'Hawk tuah' girl Hailey Welch finds a mentor in Shaquille O'Neal, who shares valuable insights on dealing with fame (X/DJ Diesel)

TMZ reported that the NBA legend went candid with the current social media sensation to guide her on “how to deal with fame”.

The outlet also reported that the duo talked for “about an hour”, and O'Neal acted as a “friend and someone who truly cares about her.”

O’Neal, who uses the moniker DJ Diesel for his music career, posted photos of himself with the 22-year-old Welch on his X (formerly Twitter) account while they were in Nashville, Tennessee.

The images took no time to go viral, but it wasn't just their unexpected meeting that caught people's attention; the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar also offered Welch some sage advice amidst her newfound fame.

Shaq advised her to completely ignore the haters

Sources told TMZ Sports that the four-time NBA champion, advised Welch to surround herself with a “smart team” to help navigate her sudden rise to prominence and to protect herself from those who might try to take advantage of her. Also asked her to ignore “some of the hateful comments” she received lately.

He also told her to “pay[s] the haters no mind because none of them actually know her”

One Welch spokesperson told Page Six, “He was extremely gracious, personable, and caring, realizing Hailey was dealing with a lot of unnecessary hate,” and added, “She didn’t ask to be famous. Shaq is definitely part of the ‘Protecting the Hawk from the Vultures’ squad.”

Welch recently addressed her viral fame during an appearance on Barstool Sports’ podcast ‘Plan Bri Uncut’ with Briana LaPaglia. During the podcast, she took the opportunity to clear up some of the misconceptions about her.

Welch refuted rumors suggesting that she was a teacher who had been fired because of her viral remarks.

Welch also addressed her followers directly through a video posted on her personal social media account and made it clear that she has no intention of starting an OnlyFans account, despite persistent inquiries from her audience. “Stop asking me about the link in bio for my OnlyFans,” she said on Instagram.

“I don’t have an OnlyFans and there’ll never be an OnlyFans. I just make funny jokes, that’s all I do.”