16-Year-Old YouTube Video “Hawk Tuah” Resurfaces, Goes Viral

A peculiar mix of social media trends and YouTube’s algorithm has thrust a 16-year-old video into the spotlight, leaving the internet buzzing with intrigue and humor. The term “Hawk Tuah,” which gained massive popularity earlier this year, inadvertently gave an old YouTube video a fresh wave of attention and millions of views.

The phrase “Hawk Tuah” took off on TikTok in June after a humorous street-style interview by YouTubers Tim and Dee TV. During the interview, passer-by Hailey Welch was asked, “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?” Her witty and playful response, “Oh, you gotta give him that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thing, you get me?” quickly turned into a viral sensation, with her exaggerated use of onomatopoeia capturing the attention of social media users worldwide.

As the “Hawk Tuah” trend skyrocketed, an old YouTube video uploaded by user tomasaurus2 on February 12, 2008, suddenly became relevant. Titled simply “Hawk tuah,”

the 34-second clip features a Cooper’s hawk eating a pigeon on a telephone pole in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Despite its mundane nature, the video experienced a dramatic surge in viewership, crossing 2.9 million views by November 30, 2024.

Internet Reacts to the Coincidence

The resurgence of the 16-year-old video delighted internet users, who flocked to its comment section to marvel at the coincidence. Many jokingly dubbed the uploader a “time traveler” or “prophet” for using the term “Hawk Tuah” long before it became a viral phenomenon.

Comments ranged from humorous observations like, “This getting recommended 16 years later is hilarious,” to more elaborate takes, such as, “The title has never been changed… This man is a prophet.” Some users even suggested the uploader should start a podcast, referencing Hailey Welch’s newfound fame and her own podcast, Talk Tuah.

Interestingly, the old “Hawk Tuah” video isn’t the only clip experiencing a viral revival. Another video, uploaded in 2006 by user @bowmangarrett and featuring a hawk photo montage, also saw an unexpected surge in views. Both videos have sparked discussions about how internet trends breathe new life into seemingly forgotten content, thanks to social media and algorithmic recommendations.

For Hailey Welch, the “Hawk Tuah” phenomenon has led to her embracing her viral fame, transitioning from a random interviewee to a podcast host. Meanwhile, the once-obscure YouTube videos have reminded us of the internet’s quirky ability to connect past and present in the most unexpected ways.

With no comment from Welch about the old videos’ resurgence, the internet continues to revel in this delightful collision of timelines.

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A post shared by Haliey Welch (@hay_welch)

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