On June 11, 2024, a
man on the street YouTube channel, Tim & Dee TV, released a video featuring an interview with Haliey Welch in the
Broadway district of
Nashville, Tennessee.[4] During the video, she was asked a series of
not-safe-for-work questions including, "What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?". Welch's reply, exemplifying her
Southern accent, was that, "You gotta give 'em that 'hawk tuah' and spit on that
thang", referring to expectorating on a man's penis to lubricate it during
fellatio.[5][3][6] The original video went viral, earning millions of views across TikTok and
Instagram, spawning remixes and remakes of the original audio, and earning Welch the nickname Hawk Tuah Girl.[7]
Wanting to capitalize on the viral video, she partnered with a local apparel brand to begin selling Hawk Tuah merchandise, selling over $65,000 worth of it within a couple of weeks.[8][9] Because of her newfound internet fame, she quit her job at a bed spring factory, in order to pursue other ventures in social media.[10] On July 2, 2024, Welch signed for representation with The Penthouse.[11][12] The same day, Welch launched Instagram and TikTok accounts, amassing over 100,000 followers on Instagram in the span of one day.[13][unreliable source?] The following day, July 3, she established her own company, 16 Minutes, whose name is a play on the phrase "
15 minutes of fame."[14][15] Welch also filed for trademarks in apparel and entertainment for her catchphrase.[16][unreliable source?][17][unreliable source?]
On July 12, 2024, she posted a video that showed her purchasing various animal care products from a PetSmart store and donating them to an animal shelter that was nearby with the song "
9 to 5" by
Dolly Parton playing in the background. In the video, she also showed a dog named "Blondie" that was in the shelter for 130 days, saying that the dog needed to be adopted.[18][19] After the video was released to the public, Rolling Stone called her a "charming Gen Z Dolly Parton."[20]