Meet the infamous Pookie!
Haliey Welch has been teasing her mystery man since she went viral for her “Hawk Tuah” catchphrase in June and ultimately revealed his identity for the first time on her hit Talk Tuah podcast.
In the highly-anticipated episode on Nov. 12, Welch sits opposite her best friend Chelsea to discuss her decision to unveil her boyfriend’s identity. “If it was up to me, I would have hid him forever!” the social media personality says on the show.
Welch welcomes Pookie to the scene around nine minutes into the podcast, revealing her speculated love interest to be Kelby Blackwell. “That’s my arm candy right there,” says Welch upon his introduction. “I think that’s like the baddest b—- I’ve ever pulled, to be honest.”
Throughout the hour-long episode, the couple share details about their romance in a conversation moderated by Chelsea. They open up about how they met, when they said “I love you” and how Blackwell reacted to Welch’s viral “Hawk Tuah” moment when he first saw it.
The pair also look ahead to the future and what they envision for themselves as a married couple with kids. Blackwell opens up about his own profession, in addition to praising Welch and the successes she’s achieved for herself in the past few months.
Read on to learn more about Welch’s boyfriend, Kelby Blackwell.
He met Haliey through mutual friends
Welch and Blackwell met for the first time through Chelsea’s cousin Alyssa and exchanged Snapchats. They have known each other for three years, though their relationship has been on and off.
“So last year, I was actually in a relationship for around two years… We broke up I think around last March,” Blackwell says in the episode. Before he “started considering Haliey,” he said he was taking time to better himself.
“I was more working on myself and working on being able to bring her what she needed for herself,” he explains. “So I didn’t want to bring the hurt onto her.”
When talking about the response to the fans who said he didn’t take her seriously until she blew up online, Blackwell says “that’s what I see every day.” He adds, “You can believe what you want at the end of the day, but I know what I feel in my heart and that I love Haliey. That’s just that.”
He works as a plumber
Blackwell is also from Tennessee and lives in the town over from Welch, who lives in Belfast. “I’m a plumber for the local 572,” he clarifies in the episode.
He was surprised when he saw the ‘Hawk Tuah’ video
When Blackwell first saw the “Hawk Tuah” video in June, he admits on the podcast that he “didn’t really know what to say.” He recalls waking up to a Snapchat from Welch that said, “You’re going to see something this morning that you probably don’t want to see. Disregard it.'”
“And I opened up my TikTok and there it was, all over the place,” Blackwell adds.
Upon first watch, Blackwell says he thought Welch was “drunk,” pointing out on the podcast, “I know you personally and like you used to be a very stay-to-yourself, kind-of-quiet girl.”
“When I first saw the video, I texted her and she was kind of like crying and stuff,” recalls Blackwell. “I didn’t want to add to the hurt and ask her to keep pushing forward.”
He’s ‘proud’ of Haliey and her successes after going viral
Blackwell opened up about his support of Welch in the wake of her viral fame. “I never anticipated her actually coming through with it because like I said she was always that quiet person,” he says on the podcast.
“I am proud of her because she has turned her life around and I don’t know necessarily your whole backstory,” he continues to tell Welch during their conversation. “I mean, you really turned your life around and made a good name for yourself. So I really am proud of you.”
He has met Haliey’s family
Blackwell was introduced to Welch’s grandmother, who raised her since she was a baby. She famously nicknamed her, “Granny.”
“I’ve lived with my granny since I was 9 months old,” the podcast host previously told PEOPLE, noting her mother is out of the picture. “My dad, he’s still here, he just lives in his own house and we’ll see each other a few times a week,” she clarified.
During the Talk Tuah podcast episode, Welch says it is a “big deal” that she allowed Blackwell to meet Granny. Meanwhile, he said he was “not really” nervous upon their initial interaction.
“Grandparents love me!” he touts during their conversation. “I have that southern charm to where I’m very respectful and stuff like that, so typically older women seem to like me.”
He calls Haliey ‘the person for me’
When asked when he knew he loved Welch, Blackwell sweetly opened up about her and why he’s drawn to her every single day.
“The times we spend together, every time we hang out and stuff like that… It was like everyday I did want to be with Haliey,” he begins to explain. “It was just one of those things where I knew Haliey was the person for me after everything we’ve been through.”
When the “Hawk Tuah” video went viral, Blackwell says that Welch showed him “her vulnerable side” which allowed him to breakdown his own walls. “It was her breaking down to me and showing me that I’m her person, so I just gave her my all and I’m her person,” he says.
Source: People
Eternal Pen online magazine publishes interesting content every day in the celebrity section of the entertainment category. Follow us to read the latest news.
