Kick
From Viral Meme to Verified Streamer: Inside One Creator's Unexpected Rise on the Platform
Haliey Welch has carved out one of the most unusual paths to streaming fame in recent memory. What started as a spontaneous street interview in 2024 turned into an internet phenomenon that's now landed her on Kick as a verified partner. Her journey from working in a Tennessee bedspring factory to becoming one of the platform's newest faces shows just how unpredictable content creation can be these days.
The whole thing kicked off when a simple TikTok interview went viral, spawning countless memes and references across social media. Instead of letting the moment fade, Welch leaned into it, launching the "Talk Tuah" podcast which quickly climbed to become IMDb's top-rated podcast series. That's not a small feat considering the crowded podcast landscape. Her approach mixes humor with candid conversations, and she's managed to build a substantial following with 2.6 million Instagram followers and over 300,000 on X.
Her partnership with Kick came together around the DreamHack Atlanta event, where she hosted a meet and greet sponsored by the platform. The gaming and esports festival provided a natural launchpad for her streaming debut, with her first broadcast happening in early October 2024. She's already got that verified badge, which tells you the platform sees potential in her crossover appeal beyond traditional gaming content.
What makes her content interesting is that it doesn't fit the typical streamer mold. She's not grinding out gameplay hours or doing speedruns. Instead, she's bringing personality-driven content that pulls from her podcast experience and viral moment roots. She partners with charities like Paws Across America and isn't afraid to lean into the absurdity of internet fame. WWE stars and NHL fans have referenced her work, showing she's broken through to mainstream sports culture in unexpected ways.
Living in Nashville with her grandmother, Welch represents a different kind of creator story. She's someone who stumbled into fame rather than chasing it through years of grinding content. Whether that translates to long-term streaming success on Kick remains to be seen, but her ability to maintain relevance and evolve from a single viral moment into multiple platforms suggests she understands how to work the modern content ecosystem. The partnership gives Kick another high-profile personality while offering her a new avenue to connect with fans beyond social media clips and podcast episodes.
