'Hawk Tuah Girl' Speaks Out After SNL 'Appearance'
Haliey Welch, otherwise known as the viral "Hawk Tuah Girl," has responded to a Saturday Night Live segment that joked about her internet fame—and she has encouraged people to donate to her animal foundation in the process.
Welch became an online hit after she was asked a question in the street about her sex life by Tim & Dee TV—two YouTube creators who conduct street interviews. The video was uploaded to YouTube, with Welch going viral for using the onomatopoeia "hawk tuah" to describe the intimate act that makes "a man go crazy in bed."
The internet star has since launched her podcast, Talk Tuah; sold merchandise; and started her very own animal foundation , which she had said was her "lifelong dream." Now Welch has been featured in an SNL skit during the first episode of Season 50 of the sketch comedy show on September 28.
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Welch for comment on Tuesday outside of normal business hours.
The first game-show sketch of the new season featured Devon Walker as Michael Strahan, Chloe Fineman as Welch, Marcello Hernández as singer Bad Bunny , Kenan Thompson as North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson , and Jean Smart as chimp owner Tonia Haddix.
At the beginning of the clip, Welch shared to her X account (formerly Twitter ), Walker said: "Time to meet today's celebrity contestants; we've got the viral sensation of the summer, the somehow-famous for one sentence, Haliey Welch."
The camera then cut to Fineman as Welch, who then proceeded to do an exaggerated version of her famous line: "hawk tuah, spit on that thang."
"That's the one, yep. And Haliey, what charity are you supporting today?" Walker asked, to which Fineman responded: "I will be donating my winnings to somebody who will be very happy with them a year from now—myself."
Welch seemed to see the humor in the situation as, when she posted the clip to X, she wrote : "Thx [thanks] SNL but plz [please] donate to my charity Paws Across America and not myself."
In August, the 22-year-old took to X and Instagram to update her followers about the animal foundation she started.
"I now have my animal foundation up and running! Paws Across America is here!!" Welch said. "Ever since my life changed so publicly, I realized there had to be a reason for it. Growing up, the one constant in my life was my pets and they helped me get through so much," she wrote.
"By starting Paws Across America, my newfound financial blessings will be shared with the animals that need it most," Welch added. "So the first place I went was my hometown in Tennessee. Now get over there and adopt some doggies!"
In the video, Welch said, "Today I'm happy to announce the launch of my Paws Across America fund. Our mission is to bring awareness, advocacy and financial assistance to animal charities within the United States."
