Yung Gravy Denies “Hawk Tuah” Girl’s Claim She Turned Down His Date Request

“Hawk tuah” girl Hailey Welch is not keen on going on a date with Yung Gravy, and the rapper stands firm that he never asked her out.

Welch, 21, mentioned to TMZ that the “Betty” rapper, 28, had slid into her DMs to ask her out, a request she said she declined. Yung Gravy responded with proof that suggested he did not, in fact, ask her on a date.

Yung Gravy shared a screenshot of their Instagram conversation on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, “can’t be nice anymore lol.”

In the conversation, Welch messaged the rapper at 1:44 a.m., saying, “Hello sir.” He responded around noon, congratulating her on turning her viral fame into something substantial. He clarified that he wasn’t flirting but wanted to invite her to one of his shows in August.

“Damn, I just looked at [your] page [you’re] really out here doing this s— lol congrats b,” he wrote, adding later, “Oh and this aint me trying to finesse cause [I don’t know your] mans situation.”

In the screenshot, Welch then inquired about the date of the show, to which Yung Gravy responded that she could choose one of his upcoming dates.

A representative for Welch did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Yung Gravy’s screenshots appeared two days after Welch shared a different version of events while speaking to TMZ on Sunday, August 18. During a brief interview, Welch was asked if she thought the musician was “trying to get with you,” to which she responded, “He wants to take me on a date. I was like nah, I don’t know about that.”

The outlet later caught up with Yung Gravy, who admitted he did slide into Welch’s DMs but denied asking her out.

“I wanted to show her some love,” he said when asked why he reached out. “I saw people hating on her and being mad negative. All she’s doing is talking about sex and doing it the right way, and that’s what I do. And no one’s mad about that. So I thought she needed some love. I think I invited her to a show. I don’t believe I mentioned a date, but it could be a date though.”

When informed that Welch was not interested, he responded, “She said no? Oh, well I didn’t even ask her on a date, so. Well, s—.” Nevertheless, Gravy said he will “always be [a fan of hers].”

Welch quickly gained viral fame in June after her candid man-on-the-street interview with TikTok creators Tim and Dee TV went viral. DeArius Marlow, a content creator, was interviewing people on Nashville’s Broadway Street and engaged in a conversation with Welch and her friend. Marlow asked Welch, “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?” Her explicit answer was, “Oh you gotta give him that ‘hawk tuah.’ “

Since then, Welch has harnessed her newfound fame, signing with a management firm, performing onstage with Zach Bryan, and even throwing out the first pitch at a New York Mets game.

In July, she revealed on the Plan Bri Uncut podcast that she quit her job at a bed spring factory after going viral but hoped to distance herself from her provocative tagline.

“I don’t see that being my thing,” she said. “I was being a bit of a smart ass too, ’cause like you’re gonna come up to me with a microphone and ask me something like that? I [didn’t] mean nothing by it [at the time].”

Source: PEOPLE, TMZ