The internet sensation known as Tariq, the “Corn Kid,” attended a premiere of Broadway’s new musical “Shucked,” which is all about corn!
Tariq posed for photographers on the red carpet Tuesday night and later gushed about the event on social media, PEOPLE reports.
“Tonight was absolutely CORNNNTASTICCC 🌽,” he wrote on his TikTok about the premiere. “Thank you so much to the cast of @shuckedmusical for inviting me.”
In one photo, “Corn Kid” appears to be either backstage or onstage at the production. “Shucked” is set in the fictional Cobb County, which has a crisis when the corn crops mysteriously start dying.
In another TikTok video, a journalist from Playbill timed the gap-toothed kid as he removed the husk of an ear of corn in just 21 seconds.
After the show, Tariq met cast members and posed for photos with them. As PIX 11 reported, “Shucked” runs through September at the Nederlander Theatre in Manhattan. The Corn Kid shared a review of the musical, telling the news station, “I loved it so much!” He also called the show “amazing” during a conversation with his “favorite” performer in the musical.
As theGrio reported, Tariq became internet-famous last summer after gushing about the wonders of corn in an interview with the Instagram series, “Recess Therapy.” It went viral.
“For me, I really like corn,” he told Shapiro-Barnum, Today.com reported. “Ever since I was told that corn was real, it tasted good.”
In September, “Corn Kid” Tariq was declared South Dakota’s “Official Corn-bassador,” The Washington Post reported. The office of Gov. Kristi Noem shared photos on Twitter at the time of Tariq visiting the state’s corn-themed “Corn Palace” over Labor Day weekend.
At this writing, the “Corn Kid” video has more than 3 million views on YouTube and more than 900,000 followers on TikTok. His fame has attracted celebrities, sports teams and brands including Chipotle, which tapped Tariq for an ad. When he appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” Tariq taste-tested a variety of corn products.
“Why do you think everybody loves you so much?” Barrymore asked Tariq, PEOPLE reports.
“Mostly because, like, the corn fans and my love of corn,” he replied. “But also because some teenager was saying I looked adorable.”
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Please download theGrio mobile apps today!