Decorated competitive eater Joey "Jaws" Chestnut will not compete in this year's Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest due to his decision to represent a rival brand, Major League Eating said Tuesday.
"We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest," Major League Eating said in a statement.
NBC Bay Area has reached out to Chestnut but did not immediately hear back.
"We love Joey and support him in any contest he chooses. It's OK to experiment with a new dog. Meat eaters shouldn't have to be exclusive to just one wiener," Impossible Foods said in a statement.
Chestnut, a San Jose product, has dominated the annual hot dog eating contest over the past two decades, winning the Mustard Yellow Belt 16 times in the past 17 years. His lone loss during that lengthy run came in 2015 to San Jose native Matt Stonie.
Last summer, Chestnut gobbled up 62 hot dogs and buns in the 10-minute competition to retain his belt. His high mark in the holiday event came back in 2021 when he downed 76 hot dogs.
Chestnut was a student at San Jose State University when he started in competitive eating in 2005. Two years later, he began his historic Nathan's Famous hot dog run with a victory over then-five-time defending champ Takeru Kobayashi.
Read Major League Eating's entire statement below.
“We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. 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. 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. Joey Chestnut is an American hero. 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.”
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