Talking a lot about “Tuah”: The sad attempt to prolong viral fame

Three months ago, Haliey Welch was just a normal girl clubbing with her friends in Nashville, Tennessee. Today she has 2 million followers on Instagram and another million are watching her first podcast episode.

The catalyst for her overnight rise to stardom? She stumbles upon a vox pop, one of those street interviews where tons of people are asked the same question, and uses her southern accent to rant about fellatio.

After initially hiding in her house out of embarrassment, Welch began to embrace her newfound fame and eventually signed a deal with social media tycoon Jake Paul's media company Betr to produce a podcast. It continues the trend of influencers having nothing valuable to say and thinking they deserve a platform to preach to the masses. The first episode was released on September 10th and featured comedian Whitney Cummings.

Welch appeared as a guest on Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe, which premiered two days later on September 12th. Bristowe came into the media spotlight after competing on season 19 of The Bachelor and was subsequently featured on season 11 of The Bachelorette.

Bristowe asked Welch if she wanted to join the “Hawk Tuah” or if she would prefer to distance herself from the catchphrase. Welch responded emphatically that she would “want to do something to get away from it.”

Despite these claims, her own podcast would be called “Talk Tuah with Haliey Welch.” Miraculously, the podcast generated an average of 821,000 views in its first three episodes.

One of the promises Welch makes in the podcast's YouTube bio is to have “celebrities from all walks of life” in each of her episodes, but she's already failed at that. Although there are only three episodes, only two of the three episodes feature celebrities – Cummings and Bristowe. The Another episode focused on three of her friends and Welch's grandmother, who only saw 15 minutes of airtime despite being identified as the main character in the thumbnail.

The purpose of podcasts is to make listeners think and get them excited about the topics the hosts delve into. However, “Talk Tuah” lacks any substance when it comes to the conversations contained in the podcast. In the three episodes there was only one conversation without grotesque language and without a punch line.

There was only one conversation that did not contain grotesque language; as Welch and Cummings discussed pet care and shelters. Otherwise, Welch and her guests talk about the infamous “Hawk Tuah” incident and other sexual conversations that ultimately go nowhere.

The best way to describe listening to this podcast is: Imagine your friend you know invites you to hang out with a few of his friends you've never met before. Then when you come to When you're at home, you find yourself sitting awkwardly on the couch while the people you just met get overly personal and talk about topics you have no context or prior knowledge of.

Sounds like fun? No. It's a situation that everyone would avoid.

They keep talking and change the subject so often that if you stop for a moment, you have no choice but to rewind to see how the conversation somehow gets going within 15 seconds.

While the content of this podcast may interest people, the quality of the production certainly won't.

The first two episodes had major problems with camera angles and lighting. In the first episode, the camera abruptly moves across the room to capture the other two guests sitting in the dark corner of the room. In the second episode, the production team struggled to visually highlight the episode's sponsor.

Towards the end of the second episode, the production value finally went off the rails. It's unclear whether the girls' shock when Welch's grandmother arrives is real, but whether it was planned is difficult to tell. The shots in “Granny” are dimly lit and poorly composed due to the use of a different camera and Grandma's car in the frame, and are just plain jarring as random cars pass by on the country road behind her. In addition, the sound suffers when the cars drive by, as Granny is not given a microphone and the ambient noise of the road goes straight into the listener's ear.

Welch isn't the first person to become internet famous overnight, and she certainly won't be the last. In a few months, when the shock wears off, this podcast will disappear from public view.

Today's media landscape has allowed uninteresting people with no talent to be thrust into the spotlight. With all of these social media platforms, gaining a following has never been easier. However, it's not Welch's fault. She's not the first, nor will she be the last, to shamelessly surf the wave of virality when given the chance. In this case, the criticism should not lie with the player, but with the game.

It's the age of short-form content we live in, which creates a constant barrage of social media zombies that are unoriginal and spew the same nonsense over and over again. Whether it's bringing about the boom, doing Fortnite backpack dances, catching me outside, shoving wads of cash in our faces as nine-year-olds, or, as in this case, bragging about your “verbal skills,” everyone is trying to get a viral one Hit to profit.

Listen, if you saw the original video for “Hawk Tuah” and laughed, that’s okay. People online thought it was a funny clip. So be it. The problem is that those featured in these viral clips are trying to hold on to every last bit of their 15 minutes of fame.

It's pathetic.

There is no reason why Welch or any other one-hit wonder should have a podcast or even a platform. Today's internet culture encourages people to desperately cling to their fame, turning what should be a short, fun moment into a drawn-out and often forced attempt at fame. This desperation leads to an undignified struggle for relevance. In fact, it's nicer to enjoy the short-lived attention and return to normal life than to prolong the fame unnecessarily.

But people's motivations in these scenarios always point to “How famous can I get?” It's easy to understand this modern obsession, but it doesn't make it right. Those willing to sacrifice their privacy, family time, and dignity for a little influence embody what is ultimately wrong with today's digital world.

Originality is hard to find today. All of these want to be celebrities and repeat the same rubbish over and over again. It all feels so forced. That's exactly what you'll feel when you hear “Talk Tuah” – that it's forced.

Not everyone needs a following. Not everyone needs to be in the spotlight 24/7. Not everyone needs a podcast, especially those who can't contribute thought-provoking content. It doesn't even have to be thought-provoking. Let's start with “easily audible”.

Listening to a podcast while cooking dinner, cleaning your room, or going for a walk is a great way to make everyday activities more enjoyable while learning something new or keeping yourself entertained. However, if you decide to turn on some “Talk Tuah” during your morning jog, you will be tempted to turn around and head back to the “Tuah” house.