Is the Hawk Tuah Girl’s Dad a Preacher?: How Does Her Family Feel?

In the wake of the Hawk Tuah girl’s popularity, there have been claims that her father is a preacher and has spoken out against her. Several social media posts have stated her dad is a Baptist minister and that he and her family is ashamed of her vulgar comments (among other rumors). Below, we take a look at whether this is true or not.

Is the Hawk Tuah girl’s father a preacher, and did he speak out against her?

No, the Hawk Tuah girl’s father isn’t a preacher. According to TMZ, in a recent interview on the Plan Bri podcast, Hailey Welch refuted those rumors by saying, “My father is so far from a preacher, it’s crazy. He’s a little offended.” As for how her family feels, she said, “They think it’s so funny.”

One of the accounts that fueled the rumor that the Hawk Tuah girl’s father was a minister was The Somerset Insider. This page posted the following story on June 22, 2024:

“SOMERSET – Reverend Harley Vickers of Little Hope Baptist Church in Somerset has issued a heartfelt plea for forgiveness following his daughter Katie’s recent viral outburst. The now-infamous “Hawk Tuah” girl’s colorful language during a recent interview has shocked the community and prompted an unprecedented spiritual response from her father.

“We didn’t raise Katie to talk like that,” lamented Reverend Vickers. “I fully believe that Satan entered Katie’s body and it was his words we were hearing that day, not hers. I ask that everyone pray for my daughter. She didn’t know what she was saying. She was possessed by evil!

“Despite the controversy, Katie is keeping a low profile since the incident. Our sources say that she has been quietly spending time with family and friends until this whole thing blows over.”

While the above was posted with a disclaimer that The Somerset Insider is a satire and parody publication, some viewers apparently skimmed over that claim.

A tweet with a similar story, this time naming her Katie Vickers, 25, of Paducah, KY, claimed her father is pastor of Little Hope Baptist Church. It quoted her supposed father, Reverend Harley Vickers, as stating, “This isn’t the kind of attention we wanted for our family. We hoped she’d spread the Good Word, not become a national laughing stock.”

I can personally refute the above claim (not that it needs further debunking). I lived in or adjacent to Paducah, KY, for over a decade and can definitively state that there is no Little Hope Baptist Church located there.