Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2024: Latest on Joey Chestnut's Ban, All-Time Results

There are few things more American than fireworks on the Fourth of July.

One might be the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, a staple of the holiday dating back to the inaugural competition on June 30, 1967.

Throughout its history, there have been a handful of competitors who have dominated the contest, outeating their opponents and earning recognition as the best in the competitive eating world.

From Hirofumi Nakajima to Takeru Kobayashi, Sonya Thomas to Miki Sudo, they have all earned plaudits for their performances at the annual event. None have been celebrated more than Joey Chestnut, though.

However, the 16-time champion finds himself on the outside looking in at this year's competition, after being banned from the contest due to a partnership with a hot dog company other than the event sponsor.

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Champions Since 2000 (Men's or Unisex)

2000: Kaztuoyo Arai

2001-2006: Takeru Kobayashi

2007-2014: Joey Chestnut

2015: Matt Stonie

2016-2023: Joey Chestnut

Full list here.

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Latest on Chestnut's Ban

Chestnut was banned from this year's contest as a result of his partnership with Impossible Foods, the producer of plant-based hot dogs.

"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 brand over our long-time relationship," Major League Eating said in a statement.

Chestnut, speaking to Sports Illustrated's Emma Baccellieri, said it was the latest example of the organization changing terms after the fact:

"And it's not the first time they've changed some things, but it's the first time they've really changed things after the fact, and I had to say, 'Hey, it's too late, I've already started working with this brand.' This was never an issue in the past. And they tried to dance around it—they changed a lot of terms, and then they escalated things to a degree they didn't imagine when they started leaking information and telling people I was banned and that I turned vegan, which clearly isn't the case."

Despite the disappointment, Chestnut remains complimentary about the event and its runners, George and Richard Shea.

"I don't think the Shea brothers are bad people. I'm not burning any bridges. And I love it—I love the Fourth of July and that contest. I'm always willing to try. I don't hold grudges. So nothing is out of the question," he said.

For now, the 40-year-old is embracing his freedom from MLE.

"It's exciting," Chestnut said. "A little uncertainty is exciting. And without sounding cocky—I'm still confident. I'm confident in my ability. I know what I'm capable of. And as much as it hurts not to be at the Fourth of July, I have other things I'm focusing on."

Among those is a Labor Day competition between Chestnut and Kobayashi, which will air on Netflix on September 2.

"I'm getting ready for the event with Kobayashi," he said. "He's not down about anything, he's probably excited that I'm not competing, he's probably amped up. He's going to use this as fuel. And I'm going to, too, as soon as I can. I'm going to start focusing on that Netflix event and make sure I dominate that contest."