Joey Chestnut Fires Back After Nathan's Hot Dog Ouster

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It's a Fourth of July tradition — the beach, fireworks, and Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Except in 2024, things looked very different for 16-champion Joey Chestnut.
The competitive eater was banned from the competition last year after he collaborated with the plant-based company, Impossible Foods. He wanted to promote their vegan hot dogs for "Meatless Mondays," but Major League Eating (MLE) didn't see it that way. Now, Chestnut is breaking his silence with The Blast.
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'I really didn't think my relationship with Impossible would affect anything with Nathan's,' Chestnut said. 'It didn't go against any of my previous agreements.' He also claimed that he "eats more meat than anybody," but still enjoys taking "a break on Mondays." He added, "And sometimes I still want something that tastes like meat, so that's where plant-based comes in.'
Chestnut is open to returning to the world-famous competition in Coney Island, NY, and making sure there are no sponsor conflicts. Still, he admitted, "But honestly, I don't think they want to go down that route. And yeah, it's a bummer. I love that contest.'
Instead of his beachside location in 2024, Chestnut headed to Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX, to battle members of the Army for their annual 'Pop Goes the Fort' celebration. The event raised $106,000 for Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that supports military families, according to NPR.
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Of course, Chestnut also hit the big time with Netflix and his hot dog rival, Takeru Kobayashi, in September 2024's TV special, Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef. He was able to break his personal record with 83 dogs which "broke the world record for most eaten in 10 minutes, without dunking them in water, in the history of competitive eating," according to Tudum by Netflix.
Patrick Bertoletti won the men's Mustard Belt at the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest after eating 58 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
Related: Why Joey Chestnut Has Been Banned From the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Joey Chestnut Fires Back After Nathan's Hot Dog Ouster first appeared on Men's Journal on May 27, 2025

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