Everyone’s talking about Haliey Welch, the “Hawk Tuah” sensation, and how her unique spelling of Haliey has caught our eye. But there’s a bigger question lurking: just how much dough can you rake in from viral video fame through merch sales alone?
Now, if you haven’t caught up with the viral whirlwind that is Haliey Welch, let me quickly fill you in. The buzz started with a TikTok video that exploded online, thanks to content creators Tim & Dee TV. This dynamic duo, consisting of YouTubers Tim Dickerson, 25, and DeArius Marlow, 24, hit the streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, to quiz the public with some cheeky questions.
Among those interviewed was Haliey, who was asked by the duo: “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?”
Her unforgettable reply? “You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thing, you get me?”
Just 15 words, but those words were enough to catapult Haliey to internet fame.
From there, things only skyrocketed. Haliey scored a whopping $30,000 for an appearance at Daer Dayclub at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, celebrating her milestone of hitting over one million Instagram followers—an event which has since boosted her following by an additional 600,000 fans.
But let’s talk about the merch. That’s where the real money is at.
In a revealing chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Haliey’s new agent, Jonnie Forster from The Penthouse management company, spilled the tea on her earnings from merchandise. When probed about the financial gains from her official merch, Jonnie disclosed, “It’s approaching $300,000. Right when we signed her, I was on the phone with a trademark attorney immediately and said, ‘Go after everyone who’s filed trademarks on this, and cease-and-desist with those.'”
That’s nearly a third of a million dollars in one month, all from quick action against knock-offs and setting up deals for her official ‘hawk tuah’ merch.
Jonnie added, “And we had to start building her social media presence: ‘We can’t stop this volcano, so what do you want to do?'”
“She’s very interested in using this new platform for the betterment of a lot of different things, not just trying to monetize. She lives with her grandma, and she’s not leaving her grandma. She’s making sure she’s not doing anything that’s going to embarrass her hometown.”
So, the next time you’re out and about, maybe it’s time to let loose and who knows? You might just run into a YouTuber and become the next viral sensation!