This week on Accidental Education Reality Lab, Tom starts with Carrot Top—a guy who has somehow spent decades being treated as comedy’s designated punching bag while doing the one thing a supposedly terrible entertainer isn’t supposed to do: sell tickets. Tom has seen the show, and his verdict is simple: Carrot Top is funny, works his ass off, puts on a hell of a performance, and seems genuinely grateful for every person who walks through the door. Maybe the problem isn’t Carrot Top. Maybe it’s what happens when somebody gets labeled a joke long enough that everyone simply accepts the label.

From there, Tom moves to sideline reporters, social media and cilantro—specifically, the occupational hazard of believing you’re the entrée when you might actually be the garnish. The Holly Rowe controversy leads to a larger conversation about knowing y ...