Legendary competitive eater Joey Chestnut is banned from Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, after he accepted an endorsement deal with Impossible Foods - a company that makes plant-based alternatives to beef.
Chestnut, 40, is the Independence Day competition's reigning champion, after downing 62 franks in 2023. He also set the contest's all-time record in 2021, by downing 76 dogs in just 10 minutes.
A spokesperson for Major League Eating, which sanctions the hot dog eating contest, said the organizers were "devastated" by Chestnut's decision to work with Impossible Foods rather than compete on Coney Island this year.
"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," the statement read.
"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 made $200,000 off of last year's Fourth of July appearance and was in talks to sign a $1.2 million, four-year contract with the competition, according to the New York Post.
"Joey Chestnut is an American hero," the Major League Eating statement continued. "We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which he has dominated for years. We hope that he returns when he is not representing a rival brand."
