Joey Chestnut Breaks Silence on Deal That Ended July 4 Hot Dog Contest Ban
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Joey Chestnut told USA TODAY on Monday that he was preparing for the "worst" — no pun intended — when the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest rolled around in July.
Chestnut, a 16-time champion of the event, did not participate in America's premier food-eating competition in 2024. He was declared ineligible by virtue of a deal he made with Impossible Foods, maker of a plant-based hot dog product. The ban ended Chestnut's 19-year run as the face of the event.
(1/3)I was gutted to learn from the media that after 19 years Im banned from the Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest. I love competing in that event, I love celebrating America with my fans all over this great country on the 4th and I have been training to defend my title. — Joey Chestnut (@joeyjaws) June 11, 2024
Lacking the brevity of Michael Jordan's two-word announcement of his return to the NBA in 1995, Chestnut broke his silence on the resolution of the contractual dispute that led to his one-year absence from the July 4 event.
"It almost doesn't feel real yet," Chestnut told USA TODAY Sports. "I was preparing for the worst, but we were able to work it out."
Joey Chestnut reacts after winning first place, eating 63 hot dogs in 10 minutes, during the 2022 Nathans Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2022 at Coney Island in...
Joey Chestnut reacts after winning first place, eating 63 hot dogs in 10 minutes, during the 2022 Nathans Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2022 at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. MoreAccording to the report from Josh Peter, Chestnut agreed earlier this month to endorse only Nathan's hot dogs as part of a three-year contract with Nathan's and the International Federation of Competitive Eating (which runs the annual competition), but still has a deal with Impossible Foods.
Patrick Bertoletti won the main event on the men's side at last year's Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest. He consumed 58 hot dogs to claim the title.
Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs to win the event in 2023; his 76 hot dogs in 2021 are the gold standard.
I'm thrilled to be returning to the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. This event means the world to me. It's a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life. (1/3) — Joey Chestnut (@joeyjaws) June 16, 2025
"I'm thrilled to be returning to the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. This event means the world to me. It's a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life," Chestnut wrote on Twitter/X Monday. "While I have and continue to partner with a variety of companies, including some in the plant-based space, those relationships were never a conflict with my love for hot dogs. To be clear: Nathan's is the only hot dog company I've ever worked with.
"I respect that there were differences in interpretation, but I'm grateful we've been able to find common ground. I'm excited to be back on the Coney Island stage, doing what I live to do, and celebrating the Fourth of July with hot dogs in my hands! Stay hungry!"
Last year, Chestnut consumed a record 83 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in a televised event ("Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef") on Sept. 2.
For more sports news, visit Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Margaret Cho alleges Ellen DeGeneres was 'really weird and not nice' to her
There's no love lost between Margaret Cho and Ellen DeGeneres. During an appearance on "The Kelly Mantle Show," the comedian, 56, alleged that the former "Ellen DeGeneres Show" host was "really weird and not nice" to her for "most" of her career. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for DeGeneres for comment. The topic came up when Mantle asked Cho to share her thoughts on a series of comedians. After DeGeneres was named, Cho took a long pause before responding that the "Finding Nemo" star, who is "somebody that I've known for such a long time," is "mean." Cho added that DeGeneres "was like a mean girl" and speculated she "always had negative feelings towards me because her girlfriends" liked her. The "Drop Dead Diva" star went on to allege that when she would appear on DeGeneres' talk show, the comedian "acted like we just met," even though Cho previously opened for her in the 1980s. "That's weird," Cho said. "We go way back." Cho also recalled an instance where David Bowie appeared on DeGeneres' show and talked "at length" in praise of Cho and her wardrobe after Cho went to see the singer the night before. But DeGeneres "cut it out of the show, which made me so mad," Cho said, calling this "so rude." "I don't know if it was personal — maybe it was (cut) for time — but still, I'm going to take it personally," she added. Ellen DeGeneres says she went to therapy amid toxic workplace scandal in final comedy special After the interview, Cho shared a clip of her comments about DeGeneres on Instagram, writing, "Have you heard this story? It's a good one." DeGeneres hosted her long-running "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" from 2003 to 2022 after previously starring on the groundbreaking sitcom "Ellen." In 2020, current and former employees of the talk show spoke out against what they described as "racism, fear, and intimidation" behind the scenes in an investigation by BuzzFeed News. Ellen DeGeneres celebrates 20 years with Portia de Rossi, addresses UK home flooding rumors DeGeneres addressed the toxic workplace allegations on her show in September 2020, telling viewers that "things happened here that never should have happened," adding, "I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected." The following year, she announced she would end her talk show. In September, DeGeneres further addressed the allegations in her Netflix special "Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval," quipping that she got "kicked out of show business because I'm mean." She also revealed that she went to therapy to "deal with all the hatred" amid the toxic workplace scandal. "It was not a common situation for a therapist to deal with," she said in the special. "At one point, my therapist said, 'Ellen, where do you get this idea that everyone hates you?' I said, 'Well, New York Times, Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Us Weekly — I think Elmo may have said something recently on an episode of 'Sesame Street.'"
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Gen Z Woman's Bizarre Pregnancy Craving Goes Viral—It's Cereal With a Twist
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Gen Z mom to be is raising eyebrows online after sharing her latest pregnancy craving. London-based Lidia Mera (@lidiavmera) told TikTok viewers that it was the time of day where she needed her "current hyper fixation" snack now that she's in her third trimester. "It's a little bit... I wouldn't say weird, but let's just say interesting," Mera said in her clip. The 24-year-old then prepares a bowl of chocolate hazelnut cereal complete with milk and ice cubes and an unexpectedly generous splash of soy sauce. Mera told Newsweek that her pregnancy craving is a sweet and salty snack that "somehow" works perfectly. "The perfect fusion between refreshing ice cold milk, chocolate filled crunchy cereal for the sweetness and then finishing it off with soy sauce to add that salty element into it—the perfect combo," she said. As someone who's always had a sweet tooth, Mera explained that she's started to also crave salty foods since becoming pregnant. "I tried to find a way to incorporate that salty element into a snack I regularly have: a bowl of cereal, and soy sauce just sounded like the perfect solution," she told Newsweek. "The ice cubes came in to make the milk even colder because when you're pregnant anything ice cold is just immediately 10 times better." Mera's clip has been viewed over 228,000 times and asked TikTok users to "rate" her pregnancy craving in the comments. "Sweet and salty is a foolproof combo so I'm not entirely surprised that this works but damn that soy sauce came out of nowhere," one user wrote. "I have soy sauce on basically everything so I get it," another user added. "Soy sauce and milk? Hell nah," a third wrote. Dr. Shyamala Vishnumohan, an accredited practicing dietitian with a special interest in fertility and pregnancy nutrition, told Newsweek that there's a reason behind pregnancy cravings. "I've seen women crave everything from raw mango with salt to tamarind, amla or even green chilli," she said. "From a scientific standpoint, they're partly driven by hormonal shifts and partly by nutrient needs." Vishnumohan also pointed to research that shows up to 90 percent of women experience cravings during pregnancy, with most occurring during the first and second trimesters. "I also believe pregnant mothers carry this intuitive body wisdom—gently nudging them toward what they need," she said. "It's a beautiful mystery." As for other cravings, Mera said she's been all about "red meat, fries, ice cream—and even better when you pair it or dip it in soy sauce." The expectant mom told Newsweek her pregnancy craving elicited a mix of opinions. "Some people saying it's absolutely horrifying and some people agreeing that this could actually be a good combo, but not sure if anyone is actually keen enough to give it a go," she said.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Jaws' at 50: How Steven Spielberg's shark movie changed my life and cinema forever
It's been 50 years since American movies, and a boy's life, changed forever. ' Jaws ' was released on June 20, 1975, a seismic event in moviegoing. Few films can be said to have changed cinema, but Steven Spielberg's early masterpiece is one. With an unprecedented marketing campaign, an unusually wide initial release and crowds packing showings from its opening weekend, the shark thriller literally invented the summer blockbuster season. It also happened to be the first 'adult' movie I ever saw in a theater. At age 9 and growing up in Indianapolis, I might have been too young to see it; my sister Kristin, four years younger, certainly was. Before 'Jaws,' the only films we'd seen in theaters were Disney-type fare. Perhaps our parents couldn't get a babysitter, or maybe they didn't care. Like the rest of America, they wanted to be where the action was. I likely would have fallen in love with movies anyway at some point, but you could connect the dots directly from that viewing to this column, the latest in a career spent in the dark. If it hadn't been then, it likely would have been in 1977, when the summer movie season became a full-blown phenomenon. Of course, there was George Lucas' ' Star Wars,' which 11-year-old me saw seven times, but there was also the 'Jaws'-inspired 'The Deep,' the Burt Reynolds car chase action comedy 'Smokey and the Bandit' and the James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me.' I could go on: 'Grease' and 'Revenge of the Pink Panther' in 1978; 'Alien' and 'Moonraker' in 1979; 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Airplane!' in 1980. You get the idea — I saw them all. In 1981, at age 15, I broadened my horizons. I spent the summer watching the Spielberg-Lucas 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' fantasy films 'Time Bandits' and 'Clash of the Titans' as well as the box office bomb 'Megaforce,' a terrible action movie starring Barry Bostwick that for some reason sticks in my mind to this day. In the fall, I ventured into more sophisticated fare, what we'd call Oscar bait today. 'Chariots of Fire,' the eventual best picture winner; then 'Reds,' 'Ragtime' and many others. By college I was consuming the French New Wave and film noir, and the rest is personal history. However, the summer box office season of big scale adventures, eye-popping special effects, jump scares and belly laughs still holds an allure for me after all these years. I'm obviously not alone; the recent Memorial Day box-office weekend, led by ' Lilo & Stitch ' and ' Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' was the best ever for that holiday. This summer is shaping up to be the best since at least 2019, the last before the pandemic. Spielberg calls such genre movies 'films of imagination,' although one has to say that character-driven comedies and dramas from 'Casablanca' to ' Anora ' are also imaginative, but I know what he means. Science fiction and action films have a way of transporting the viewer into another realm — alternate universes, if you will — more than conventional comedies or dramas do. Yet, what is the future of the summer movie season? Despite its current viability, home viewing habits in general and higher movie theater ticket prices present obstacles. The legacy of 'Jaws' has lasted 50 years. Will it last 60? I think so, but who knows. ' How to Train Your Dragon ' is going strong, Pixar's ' Elio ' and the zombie sequel ' 28 Years Later ' just opened to high expectations, and 'Jurassic Park Rebirth,' a new 'Superman' and 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' loom. Still, few of these movies reach the sublime level of 'Jaws,' which is quite simply not just the greatest summer movie, but one of the best suspense films ever made, not only in its visual splendor and memorable performances, but also the character-driven script by Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley from Benchley's novel, Verna Fields' kinetic editing and John Williams' legendary score. Its troubled production, mainly stemming from the fact that the mechanical shark often didn't work properly, is the stuff of legend. Spielberg, then only 27, had to invent on the fly. With the shark, nicknamed Bruce, unavailable much of the time, scenes with humans became more important. With its brooding battle of wills, Robert Shaw's classic USS Indianapolis monologue and a clash between civilization and the elements, 'Jaws' became the '70s version of 'Moby Dick,' a man vs. nature parable that was almost operatic in its humans' obsession with the destruction of an unstoppable predator.
