Creator of the viral Hawk Tuah meme and host of the “Talk Tuah” podcast, Haliey Welch, garnered new criticism after guest Whitney Cummings dropped slurs at a VidCon event.
What did Hailey Welch say at VidCon?
On Thursday evening, Welch filmed an episode of the “Talk Tuah” podcast with co-host Chelsea Bradford and guest Whitney Cummings in front of an audience at VidCon. According to Mashable, the trio quickly lost the crowd’s attention.
Midway through the podcast, guest Whitney Cummings told the boisterous crowd to “shut the [expletive] up.” Later, Cummings called people in Hollywood derogatory ableist terms, m***** and d****, when talking about her experience as a tall woman in the entertainment industry.
This prompted many audience members to leave the room as the recording continued.
What did fans think of the event?
Streamer Jack Manifold, who attended the event, posted on X, “slurs dropped at talk tuah live tonight. so disappointed #notmyhaliey.”
In the comments, other fans of the meme-turned-podcast-host shared their opinions of the event.
“Why do people still expect ANYTHING out of someone who got popular talking about spitting on [expletive]. We are doomed,” one wrote.
“How did she get the nerve to do a live podcast let alone appear in public after what she did last year? I thought she was still sleeping,” another said, referencing the alleged crypto scam Welch was heavily criticized for in 2024.
This live episode appears to be the first podcast episode Welch has recorded since she spoke out about the crypto incident on May 20.
Another commenter agreed, writing, “We live in a strange world where people who financially scam their fanbase, somehow, still manage to have a dedicated fanbase.”
“I can finally cross ‘hawk tuah returns’ off my 2025 predictions list,” a third joked.
Others criticized members of the audience.
“Attending these should be a crime,” one commenter wrote.
“I’m more surprised so many people are there,” another said.
“Who goes to these??? Being honest here,” a third asked.
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