Joey Chestnut Breaks Silence on Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Ban
Joey Chestnut is being frank about getting banned from the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
The 40-year-old competitive eater has won the annual competition 16 times, including the last eight consecutive years. But in June, the Major League Eating told the New York Post that Chestnut had been banned from this year's event on July 4 due to his partnership with their competitor Impossible Foods, which sells plant-based hotdogs.
Chestnut released a statement aimed at the MLE, claiming he learned about his ban from the media instead of the organization, writing, "They are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with."
The MLE shot back in their own statement, saying, "For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provision. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different brand over our long-time relationship."
In an interview with Sports Illustrated released Wednesday, Chestnut addressed his ban in the media for the first time.
"Everything with Impossible was perfectly fine by all my previous agreements," he told the outlet. "They changed terms and conditions [around] exclusivity. And it's not the first time they've changed some things, but it's the first time they've really changed things after the fact, and I had to say, 'Hey, it's too late, I've already started working with this brand."
Chestnut continued, "This was never an issue in the past. And they tried to dance around it — they changed a lot of terms, and then they escalated things to a degree they didn't imagine when they started leaking information and telling people I was banned and that I turned vegan, which clearly isn't the case."
The California native claimed both George and Richard Shea, the brothers who run MLE, contacted him after news of his ban broke "saying, pretty much, that they're sorry it got ugly," and one of them said they hoped they could got out for a beer sometime.
"I don't think the Shea brothers are bad people. I'm not burning any bridges," Chestnut told SI, claiming he'd be open to returning to the Nathan's contest next year. "And I love it—I love the Fourth of July and that contest. I'm always willing to try. I don't hold grudges. So nothing is out of the question."
Newsweek has contacted the MLE for comment.
How to watch Chestnut's upcoming competitions
Chestnut will still celebrate July 4 competitively eating hot dogs. The hot dog eating champ announced he would spend the day at a holiday celebration at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, competing against four soldiers - all on a team to attempt to beat the pro - at the base. The event will be five minutes long and will be streamed on Chestnut's YouTube channel.
Major League Eating's first major competitive star Takeru Kobayashi was also banned from the Coney Island competition due to a contract disagreement in 2010. For the first time since 2009, Netflix announced it will host a live competition special between Kobayashi and Chestnut on Labor Day (September 2).
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jqOmnrFdmLWmv9OnrK1lnpbBqa3NrGShp6RisbCzjJymp6yVqMFufZhrZ3FtZw%3D%3D