Hawk Tuah Boyfriend ‘Pookie’ Demands Memecoin Money Back

Posted on: February 17, 2025, 05:00h. 

Last updated on: February 17, 2025, 10:17h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.
  • Hailey Welch launched a memecoin that quickly plunged
  • Even her boyfriend lost money on it and he wants it back

There’s trouble in memecoin paradise. The boyfriend of Hailey Welch, also known as the “Hawk Tuah girl,” wants back the $300 he lost on his lover’s ill-fated cryptocurrency.

Huak Tuah Girl Hailey Welch
Hailey Welch in the now infamous “Hawk Tuah” video. Even her boyfriend is upset about her memecoin gone wrong.

In what was then her latest effort to capitalize on her 15 minutes of internet fame, Welch launched a memecoin under the ticker “HAWK” on the Solana blockchain last November. On the surface, it was a match made in heaven because Welch rose to internet stardom several months earlier for saying “hawk tuah” and “spit on that thang” in reference to a sexual act during a man-on-the-street interview.

Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other larger cryptocurrencies, most memecoins don’t have use cases and are no more than short-term trading vehicles based on viral internet moments or celebrities. That was the case with HAWK, which capitalized on Welch’s fame while creating losses for many investors.

‘Pookie’ Peeved About His HAWK Losses

In what’s believed to be a leaked episode of the FaZe Clan podcast, Welch told host FaZe Banks that her boyfriend, Kelby “Pookie” Blackwell, is asking her to reimburse him for the $300 he lost on HAWK.

’Pookie’ lost money too,” she said on the podcast. “He said, ‘How you going to take my money?’ He still gives me (expletive) all the time. He says, ‘I wish I had my $300 back.'”

While Welch appears to be somewhat humorous regarding her boyfriend’s gripe about the lost investment, Blackwell isn’t alone in his grievance. Last December, a group of investors claiming to have lost $151K on the HAWK token filed suit in US District Court for the Eastern District of New York alleging that insiders took steps to knowingly flout US securities laws.

The plaintiffs asserted that Tuah Foundation, which controlled 17% of the tokens, was domiciled in the Cayman Islands while actively promoting the memecoin to other investors so that the foundation could sell into higher prices.

“The project clearly was intended to take advantage of the American market,” according to a legal document.

The plaintiffs allege that HAWK’s insiders orchestrated what’s known as a rug pull — crypto parlance for a situation where a token’s developers ditch a project after they’ve profited, leaving other investors with an essentially worthless asset.

Other Gaming Ties to Memecoin Space

Welch, who has a podcast deal with Jake Paul’s Betr, has modest ties to the world of sports betting, and there are other examples of that intersection.

Last October, former DraftKings sports betting personality Taylor Mathis pumped a token bearing her first name. It eventually collapsed, prompting vilification of her on social media. That imbroglio may also be part of the reason she’s no longer affiliated with the company.

Last week, Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy launched Jailstool, a memecoin that pays homage to his endorsement of another digital currency that sparked some followers to call for his imprisonment. Portnoy is pledging to not liquidate any of his 27.63 million coins until it commands a $500 million market capitalization. Barstool Sports has a marketing deal with DraftKings.