Hailey Welch, otherwise known as the "Hawk Tuah" girl, isn't just making special live appearances alongside Shaquille O'Neal–she's getting career advice from him, too.
According to TMZ, while the two were recently in Nashville, Welch made a cameo during a Shaq Diesel DJ set, O'Neal extended knowledge on how Welch can navigate viral fame. Among the free game that the retired NBA legend reportedly gave Welch for an hour was to avoid those who try to take advantage of her and to ignore negative comments concerning the "Hawk Tuah" video.
Last weekend, O'Neal was deejaying at Jon Bon Jovi's new nightclub in Nashville, one day after Welch was briefly onstage during a Zach Bryan concert. Welch said her now-iconic slogan during the set before she and O'Neal posed for a photo-op.
Life has changed for Welch pretty much overnight, as the 21-year-old recently quit her job at a spring factory to make the most of her internet fame.
"The first week of it, I was so embarrassed," Welch told The Tennessean about the viral video, which began circulating last month. "I wouldn't come out of my house. I went to work, but that's about it. Other than that, I didn't go anywhere. But I went from being embarrassed to living in the moment."
