A seven-year-old boy's love for corn has made him an Internet celebrity worldwide. Tariq's rise to fame was accidental. The New York resident was at Smorgasburg, a weekly food festival in Brooklyn, this summer when Julian Shapiro-Barnum approached him. The comedian is the host of "Recess Therapy," a fun YouTube series featuring impromptu interviews with kids.
"We were really wiped out because it was so hot. And we didn't know if we had it in ourselves to do a full episode that day, so we thought, 'What if we just like play it really loosey-goosey and just ask kids what their favorite things are?"' Shapiro-Barnum told Insider.com.
Since Tariq was enjoying grilled corn on the cob, Shapiro-Barnum asked his opinion about the food. To his delight, Tariq launched into an elaborate explanation of why he loved what he described as "a big lump with knobs."
The adorable footage, posted on YouTube on August 4, 2022, instantly went viral. The video gained further popularity after The Gregory Brothers, a band specializing in comedy music, turned snippets from the interview into a song and posted it on YouTube and TikTok.
Tariq's popularity has not gone unnoticed. The so-called "Corn Kid" has since appeared in a television commercial for the Mexican fast food chain Chipotle. He also attended the premiere of "Pinocchio" in Los Angeles and appeared as a guest on a daytime television talk show. On September 3, 2022, Tariq received the ultimate honor when he was named South Dakota's official "corn-bassador" by Gov. Kristi Noem.
With school back in session, Tariq has returned to being a regular second-grader. His most favorite things about school? Recess and math!
Resources: NPR.org, Cnet.com, Insider.com
