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'HAWK TUAH' HALIEY WELCH EMOTIONAL AT 1st PAID APPEARANCE ... Gets 5-Figure Payday!!!

"Hawk Tuah" is enriching Haliey Welch's life -- literally and figuratively -- and she's getting a lil' emotional about the whole thing as she cashes in on her instant celebrity.

In the video, obtained by TMZ, you can see Haliey getting an extravagant bottle parade Sunday while she hosted at the Daer Dayclub at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL. As it turns out, Haliey hit 1 million IG followers over the weekend, and seems like the celebration of that milestone got her a little choked up.

Haliey was joined at the event by her pal Chelsea Bradford -- y'know, her sidekick in the OG "hawk tuah" vid -- and her mood was much lighter when a Daer bottle service girl raised a champagne toast to her.

We're told Haliey was invited to judge the Miss Daer bikini contest ... but as you can see, she was stealing the spotlight from the other beauties during the appearance.

Clearly, Haliey's still getting accustomed to the whole fame thing, even though the fee she received for her first celeb appearance would bring anyone to happy tears. Sources tell us she got around $30K for the gig.

The Woman Behind The HAWK TUAH Meme Speaks Out For The First Time… Interview out now pic.twitter.com/BssT1U88mD

— PlanBri Uncut (@planbriuncut) July 1, 2024

Looks like her payday is about to skyrocket from here on out -- TMZ recently reported she's mulling over leaving Nashville and heading west, because she's close to landing a reality TV deal.

So, "Hawk Tuah" just might go Hollywood ... thanks to her blunt advice on oral pleasure.

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