Popular podcast host and UFC commentator Joe Rogan has taken aim at investors who poured money into the controversial Hawk Tuah cryptocurrency, calling out their questionable investment decisions during a recent episode of his show.
During a discussion with comedians Yannis Pappas and Chris Distefano, Rogan addressed the viral saga surrounding Haliey Welch, known as the ‘Hawk Tuah girl,’ and her cryptocurrency venture that left many investors at a loss.
“The thing was there was an enormous amount of money that was put into this meme coin by all these people and then she or someone representing her side of it sold like instantaneously and made a huge score and then the coin was worth nothing,” Rogan explained. “So all those people that invested money, like one guy invested a million dollars like imagine like the Hawk Tuah girl. Yeah, that’s a sound investment, yeah, that seems like a good place to put my nest egg.”
The cryptocurrency, known as $HAWK, reached a staggering valuation of $500 million at its peak before plummeting to $25 million, leading to accusations of a pump-and-dump scheme against Welch, who had launched the token following her viral fame and subsequent partnership with Jake Paul’s Betr media company.
Rogan, who has been notably skeptical of cryptocurrency investments, revealed he has consistently turned down opportunities to promote digital assets. “I’ve had offers to promote things like that. I’m not interested. Like, uh-uh. I don’t even understand it. If I don’t understand it—like, you’re selling what? NFTs? What does that mean? ‘It’s a non-fungible token.’ We’re done. I don’t know what you’re saying. I’m not doing this.”
The criticism from Rogan joins a growing chorus of voices, including golf influencer Paige Spiranac, who have expressed concerns about the controversial cryptocurrency venture. The incident has sparked wider discussions about the risks associated with meme coins and celebrity-endorsed cryptocurrencies in the digital asset space.
