Joey Chestnut spoke out publicly for the first time since The Washington Post reported that the famous hot dog eating contestant had dropped out of this year’s Fourth of July Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest because of a feud over a hot dog brand he had a contract with.
In a statement at the X on Tuesday night, Chestnut said he found out through the media that he would not be competing in the annual Coney Island event and was “disappointed” by the news.
The food dispute stems from Chestnut’s decision to represent Impossible Foods, which recently released a vegan hot dog, rather than the Nathan’s brand.
“I love competing in this tournament, I love celebrating America with fans across this great country on the 4th, and I’ve been training to defend my title.” Chestnut wrote in X.
“To be clear, I am not under contract with MLE or Nathan’s and they are seeking to change past rules regarding other partners I can work with. This appears to be the basis for my ban and does not affect the Fourth of July event.”
“Unfortunately, this was a decision made by Nathan’s and Major League Eating that will deprive my amazing fans of the usual holiday joy and entertainment. To my fans, I love and appreciate you all, and rest assured you will see me eating again soon!! Stay hungry!”
Chestnut is a 16-time winner of the famous Nathan’s hot dog eating contest, having won every year since 2016.
He ate 62 hot dogs last year and set a world record in 2021 by eating 76 hot dogs.
Impossible Foods released its own statement on Tuesday, supporting the eating contestants.
“We love Joey and support him in whatever competition he chooses. It’s OK to experiment with new dogs, and meat-eaters don’t have to be limited to just one wiener,” an Impossible Foods spokesperson said.
In a statement, Major League Eating said it was “shocked” that Chestnut “has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells a plant-based hot dog instead of competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.”
“For nearly 20 years, we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity agreement,” MLE’s statement said, “but it appears that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with another brand over our longstanding relationship.”
