Joe Rogan’s blunt view of Hawk Tuah girl Haliey Welch’s failed meme coin

Joe Rogan has delivered an unsympathetic assessment of the fallout from Haliey Welch’s failed cryptocurrency venture, which continues to shockingly unravel, with legal battles, investor losses and harsh public scrutiny.

Rogan offered a blunt take on the debacle during a recent episode of his podcast.

Released on December 4, the $HAWK token initially reached a market cap of $490 million, but then fell 90 percent within hours, leaving more than a dozen investors in financial ruin.

Some claimed that they had lost their savings, while others claimed that the token’s creators had engaged in deceptive practices. The group behind the social media star’s memecoin – which dramatically crashed just hours after launch – is now being sued for failing to register the cryptocurrency.

Memecoins are types of cryptocurrency inspired by viral internet memes. They originally started out as a joke and used for entertainment purposes, but have skyrocketed in value in recent years.

In this case, investors said the addition that Welch’s “frenzied” marketing of the token only increased its appeal.

Haliey Welch, better known as the ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’, was involved in promoting the coin with her name and likeness, but she quickly became a lightning rod for criticism.

Despite her denials of wrongdoing and claims of minimal involvement, the 22-year-old social media star has now faced widespread backlash.

Never one to mince his words, Rogan mocked the decision-making of investors who poured money into the ill-fated crypto project.

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, he noted, “One man invested a million dollars. Imagine: ‘The Hawk Tuah girl? Yes, that’s a good investment. That seems like a good place to put my piggy bank.’

The podcaster speculated about Welch’s true role in the project, suggesting she may have been exploited by more experienced operators.

“It was probably some people that she invested in and she probably doesn’t understand all that stuff. She’s only 22 or something. It’s probably the partners who came with her. They pumped and dumped her and then she was left with the bill because no one knows who they are. I’m just guessing. I don’t know,” Rogan said.

But his critical commentary did not stop there. Rogan subsequently questioned the scope of the lawsuit, with twelve plaintiffs seeking $151,000 in damages.

“Isn’t it strange that there are only twelve people and they only lost a total of $151,000?” he asked, before making a disparaging comment about the intelligence of those involved.

‘How many stone cold r*****s are roaming the world?’ he asked.

In the wake of the scandal, Welch broke her silence on social media last month and addressed her fans and investors in a statement on X.

“I take this situation extremely seriously and want to speak to my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community,” she wrote.

“I am fully cooperating with and committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals involved, and to help uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable and resolve this case,” she continued.

Welch pledged her cooperation with Burwick Law, the firm representing affected investors, and linked it to a form for victims to report their losses.

Since her initial statement, Welch has been noticeably absent from social media, with no further updates or posts of any kind on any platform.

Welch now finds himself at the center of a lawsuit against the creators of $HAWK, including influencer Alex Larson Schultz (known online as Doc Hollywood), Tuah The Moon Foundation, and token launch organization OverHere Ltd.

The complaint accuses the defendants of unlawfully promoting and selling the cryptocurrency as an unregistered security, a serious violation of U.S. securities laws.

The lawsuit also alleges that the coin’s creators manipulated its structure to circumvent regulatory requirements, turned the Tuah Foundation into an offshore entity and sold some of the tokens to avoid regulations.

Schultz, who was once an outspoken defender of the project, has since deleted his social media presence, leaving Welch as the most visible face of the controversy.

Welch’s attempt at damage control, however, was met with skepticism.

Critics accuse Welch of trying to absolve himself of responsibility, with one user replying: ‘You promoted it. It was bought because your image was attached to it. You deserve the same consequences as any “responsible party.”

ZachXBT, a well-known crypto researcher, shared a screenshot of someone warning investors that Welch would create a cryptocurrency.

“Only if you were warned by the entire community before the token was launched,” he replied to Welch’s post about the lawsuit.

Another claimed: ‘I’m a big fan of Hawk Tuah but you took my savings. I bought the $Hawk coin you were so excited about with my savings and kids college fund.”

As the lawsuits progress and public sentiment remains divided, Welch faces an uphill battle to restore her reputation.

Meanwhile, Rogan’s biting commentary has added another layer to the saga.