The Guys Behind ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’ Would Like a Little Credit

Right before they filmed the loogie heard around the world, Tim Dickerson and DeArius Marlow were getting ready to go home.

They were on the corner of Broadway and 3rd Avenue in the downtown area of Nashville, and as it crept past midnight, the pair, who shoot person-on-the-street interviews at nightlife hot spots around the country, thought they had enough footage for a good video.

Then, two women approached them from across the street, asking to be interviewed.

At that moment, a viral star was born.

That star, of course, is Hailey Welch, better known online as “Hawk Tuah Girl.” “Hawk tuah” is an onomatopoeia for the sound Ms. Welch made to simulate a sex act in a video captured by Mr. Dickerson and Mr. Marlow that has since been viewed millions of times. Through dozens of reaction videos and an almost instantaneous merchandising push (think: “Hawk Tuah ’24” campaign T-shirts), the phrase has launched itself into the public consciousness.

And so has Ms. Welch. Since Mr. Dickerson and Mr. Marlow uploaded the clip to Instagram in early June, Ms. Welch has sold tens of thousands of dollars in merch, appeared on a Barstool Sports podcast, and appeared alongside the country star Zach Bryan at a recent show. (A representative for Ms. Welch did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article.)

The pair say they are happy for Ms. Welch, but they are also wondering, just a bit, when they’re going to get a little credit.