There’s less than one month until the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, but fans will have to stomach a major shakeup to the competition. Sixteen-time winner Joey Chestnut will not be competing in the Coney Island competition this year.
The decision comes after Chestnut allegedly partnered with a competing brand to Nathan’s Famous. TODAY.com reached out to Chestnut via email but did not immediately hear back from his team.
Despite rumors that Chestnut was banned from the competition, Major League Eating (MLE) confirmed to TODAY.com that’s not the case.
“There is no ban,” Richard Shea, co-founder of Major League Eating, tells TODAY.com. “Major League Eating wants him there. The fans want him there. Nathan’s wants him there.”
In a statement provided to TODAY.com, MLE said “We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.”
The statement continued: “MLE and Nathan’s went to great lengths in recent months to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a rival unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day. For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship.”
Chestnut, 40, began competing in the annual Independence Day contest in 2005; at the time, Takeru Kobayashi was the reigning hot-dog eating champion. Chestnut won his first contest in 2007 after consuming 66 hot dogs and continued to eat his way to the top year after year. In 2015, his winning streak came to an unsavory halt by competitor Matthew Stonie, who consumed 62 hot dogs over Chestnut’s 60. The following year, Chestnut reclaimed his place as top dog and in 2021, he set an all-time record by eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
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