Fact Check: Is the Corn Kid dead? Rumors debunked

A seven-year-old boy named Tariq the "Corn Kid" gained international attention after a video of him speaking about his love for corn went viral on social media. The boy was in the news again after rumors circulated about his death in a "gang-related shooting." However, the rumors are false as the Corn Kid is alive and well.

The rumors began after people saw an edited post that said, "7-year-old Corn Kid discovered dead last Sunday in gang-related shooting." Soon, people started to speculate about the child's death.

It was reported that people who saw the image claimed that it was written by someone named Dustin Jones for NPR News' website. The edited post began circulating on Twitter before spreading to other social media sites.

The image being circulated is an edited news headline that seems to give the impression that Tariq has passed away. However, the original article is completely different as it talks about the Corn Kid and the song that has been trending on social media.

The original article's headline reads:

“Meet South Dakota’s new corn-bassador, a boy who recently found out that corn is real.”

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Who is the Corn Kid?

After going viral on social media, the seven-year-old was dubbed the 'Corn Kid' for his love and excitement for corn. The boy went viral after he was featured on the YouTube channel Recess Therapy's reel video. That video got a variety of responses that included memes, songs, and edited videos.

When he's asked about corn, he says:

"Ever since I was told that corn was real, it tasted good. But when I tried it with butter, everything changed. I love corn!"

In the video on YouTube, the boy says that he loves playing a number of games, including hide-and-seek, and then added that his absolute favorite food is corn. It has garnered over 3.3 million views on YouTube and over 1.9 million on Instagram. A version of the video shared on TikTok has more than 23 million views.

He gained all the attention because of how passionately he spoke about corn and helped him gain a lot of internet fame and even some commercials. The Corn Kid has even appeared in a Chipotle commercial too.

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Corn Kid becomes South Dakota's "Corn-bassador"

Tariq was also designated as the "Corn-bassador" for South Dakota in the US. In fact, to honor Tariq's love for corn, South Dakota's governor Kristi Noem declared September 3, 2022 as "Official Corn-bassador Tariq Day".

The declaration read:

“South Dakota is one of the top corn producers in the nation, providing nourishment across the globe but especially to Tariq, a 7-year-old boy who recently discovered that corn was real.”

A montage of Tariq's trip to the Corn Palace, where he met a corn mascot, was also shared on South Dakota's official TikTok account.

In addition to starting his new role as South Dakota's Corn-bassador, Tariq attended the premiere of Disney's live-action "Pinocchio." He also joined Cameo, a platform that lets fans pay celebrities for customized shout-outs.

In a recent Cameo appearance, he wished the Nebraska Huskers a "corn-tastic season." Tariq also visited MrBeast's new burger restaurant and appeared with the megastar in a recent TikTok. The boy has been able to go to a variety of destinations and broaden his knowledge of corn.