The 'corn kid' is making the most of his viral fame. May he always remain this pure.
We must seriously protect Tariq at all costs.

Tariq, the "corn kid," is still sharing his wholesome love of corn.
Have you been wondering what the "corn kid" has been up to these days?
When 7-year-old Tariq shared his wholesome love of corn with "Recess Therapy" this summer, he became a viral sensation. Everyone was talking about the kid who loves corn (or more accurately, "cohn"), quoting him, making songs about him and more. You couldn't go to a dinner party or meet a friend for coffee without the corn kid coming up.
What people loved about Tariq in that video was his pure innocence, his unique diction/syntax/pronunciations and the way he spoke to our collective adoration of corn. (And butter, which truly does change everything.)
The video had more than a million views on the "Recess Therapy" TikTok channel, but also went viral across various social media platforms from various accounts. At this point, he's become a pop culture meme, destined to go down in social media history.
If you somehow missed it, let's start with the original interview:
@recesstherapy Children of the… corn? 😂 🌽 #recesstherapy #corn #cornisgood #fyp #favorite
Going viral can be fun but can also come with a host of potential ickiness, so while everyone was sharing the corn kid video, some people were concerned about what internet fame might do to him. No one wants this kid to change in any way that isn't part of his normal childhood development or to be exploited by the capitalistic machine. He's the epitome of "protect at all costs."
At the same time, if people are making money off of your virality, you should get a slice of the pie at least. Let's get this kid a corn-fed college fund, right?
"Recess Therapy" creator Julian Shapiro-Barnum told The Atlantic in September that Tariq's family had been getting a share of the profits from the musical remix of the video and that all media and brand opportunities were being funneled to Tariq's mom. His last name has not been widely publicized and both Shapiro-Barnum and the family have been protective of his privacy and his childhood. So far, so good.
Tariq's lovability is undeniable, though. One would hope there could be a balance struck between letting him be his delightful self on camera and making sure he isn't being harmed by viral fame. So far, it appears all is well.
“Tariq is the most bubbly, talkative kid who so thoroughly enjoys doing this stuff,” Shapiro-Barnum said. “He comes from a very sweet, supportive family. I don’t think they would make him do anything he doesn’t want to do.”
Tariq has done a handful of other videos and interviews and each is just as endearing as the original. I mean, watch this:
\u201cThe baby said he was retired while he was in school, but now that he can travel again he got his \u201cattitude back\u201d\ud83e\udd7a\ud83e\udd7a\ud83e\udd7a\u201d— CiCi Adams (@CiCi Adams) 1667841280
And Tariq has been given some opportunities to cash in on his love of corn. Check out this spot he's done with Green Giant.
Love the way they just let him be himself. They couldn't have scripted a commercial this good if they tried.
Seriously, we do have to protect Tariq at all costs. Thankfully, it looks like he's in good hands and is having a blast being the corn kid while the virality lasts. Get it, little guy. If everyone keeps Tariq's best interest in mind, his unexpected internet fame could be a win-win for everyone.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.