The hawk tuah girl, also known as the “spit on that thing” girl, has captured the internet’s attention with her viral video. The social media sensation, whose real name is Hailey Welch, became famous after a street interview where she gave a memorable response to a question about what drives men crazy. Her phrase, “Oh, you gotta give him that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thing,” quickly turned into a meme, spreading like wildfire on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Recently, a rumor circulated that Hailey Welch had been fired from her job as a preschool teacher at Epstein Day School. This rumor originated from a Facebook post by an account called the Tippah County Tribune, which claimed that the school’s director had released a statement about the incident. According to the post, children at the school began imitating Hailey’s viral phrase, leading to her alleged dismissal.
The post included a supposed statement from the school’s director: “We have kids spitting on each other and everything else since they heard their beloved Miss Hailey say ‘spit on that thang’ on YouTube. They really look up to her as a role model and imitate the things that she does. We love Hailey but unfortunately, we cannot allow this type of behavior from one of our very own faculty members.”
However, fans of Hailey Welch can breathe a sigh of relief. The Tippah County Tribune is a satirical publication, and the entire story was fabricated. The account’s tagline, “Tippah County’s #1 Publication For Satirical Laughs,” makes it clear that the post was meant as a joke. Additionally, the post contained several inconsistencies, such as referring to Hailey as “Hailey Wellington” and including a humorous statement about children dusting cobwebs to earn extra allowance money.
A tweet about the rumor even received a community note pointing out the story’s flaws. The name of the school, Epstein Day School, also raised eyebrows, further indicating that the story was not to be taken seriously. With all these clues, it’s evident that the rumor about Hailey Welch being fired is false.
For those who missed it, the “hawk tuah” girl meme originated from a viral video posted in early June 2024. In the video, street interviewers asked Hailey and her friend a question about what drives men crazy, and Hailey’s response quickly became an internet sensation. Her term for the sound one might make when spitting, “hawk tuah,” resonated with viewers and led to a flurry of memes and online searches for her identity.
Internet sleuths eventually identified Hailey Welch and her friend Chelsea Bradford through a now-deleted comment on the original post and Bradford’s VSCO account. Despite the viral fame, not much else about Hailey’s personal life or place of work was uncovered.
The hawk tuah girl meme found its primary home on TikTok, where users created green screen versions of Hailey and inserted her into various humorous situations. The meme quickly evolved, with TikTokers combining Hailey’s iconic response with other memes and pop culture references. One popular variation involved misheard lyrics from Tim McGraw’s 1994 hit “Indian Outlaw,” changing “half Cherokee and Choctaw” to “half Cherokee and hawk tuah.”
In late June, Hailey Welch revealed more about her real occupation during an interview on the Plan Bri Uncut podcast with influencer Brianna LaPaglia. Hailey mentioned that she had dropped out of school a year or two ago and had been working at a spring factory before recently quitting. This revelation debunked the rumor that she was a preschool teacher who had been fired.
Hailey’s viral fame has also led to the creation of official merchandise, which may have contributed to her decision to leave her job at the spring factory. Her unexpected rise to internet stardom and the subsequent rumors and memes highlight the chaotic and unpredictable nature of online fame.
In conclusion, Hailey Welch, the hawk tuah girl, did not get fired from a preschool teaching job. The rumor was a product of a satirical Facebook post, and Hailey’s real occupation was unrelated to the fabricated story. Her viral video and the resulting memes have made her a well-known figure on the internet, and her journey continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
Source: Daily Dot, Distractify
