Mike Huckabee Jokes That Corn on the Cob Should Be Used as Toilet Paper Alternative

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee shared an odd tip for those short on toilet paper this weekend on Twitter. Users are still trying to make heads or tails of Huckabee’s recommendation that to use corn cobs in place of toilet paper. Some wondered whether Huckabee was joking, while others spun the tweet out into jokes of their own.

“Those of us from rural south know how to handle toilet paper shortage. Eat more corn on the cob!” Huckabee tweeted on Friday. “The corn isn’t important, but the cobs are free and work great! (Just don’t flush them!) You’re welcome!”

The recommendation obviously provided some fertile ground for jokes, and Twitter did not disappoint. Many people responded by telling Huckabee where they thought he could put his corn cob, and another gave him a new nickname: “Kernel Huckabee Sanders.”

“This is a pretty desperate way to try to boost the flagging corn ethanol agriculture sector,” joked another person.

“Hey man I’m from the south and I think this is more like, a you thing,” added a third.

Those that took the advice seriously drew even more criticism. One commenter wrote: “America does not need this imagery,” though others shared pictures trying to imagine what a bathroom full of corn cobs would look like.

YouTuber Big Joel even had a successful video showing his unfiltered, incredulous reaction to the advice from Huckabee.

Others had a more outraged reaction to Huckabee’s tweet, reminding him that the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant “panic-buying” of resources like toilet paper are serious matters. While fearful shoppers have cleared out some stores, experts say there is no reason to hoard supplies, and that the supply lines for all household products remain strong.

This is not Huckabee’s first oddly graphic tweet during the coronavirus pandemic. Back in February, he came under fire for a bizarre analogy suggesting that democrats would never be satisfied with President Trump’s response to the outbreak.

“If he personally sucked the virus out of the lungs of all 62K ppl affected & swam to bottom of ocean to spit it out, they’d complain he polluted the seas!” he tweeted at the time.

Many retailers have now imposed purchase limits on items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer, and have also increased the number of shipments they are taking in to restock these items. Walmart’s U.S. CEO, Dacona Smith issued a statement on the company’s website.

“We know communities are counting on us more than ever and we are determined to serve the broadest number of customers and ensure they have access to the key items they are looking for,” Smith said.