Joey Chestnut Reportedly in Talks for Return to Nathan's July 4 Hot Dog Eating Contest

Joey Chestnut is reportedly in talks to return to the Nathan's July 4 Hot Dog Eating Contest after a one-year ban, per TMZ Sports.

"TMZ Sports is told Jaws and Major League Eating are actively negotiating to get the 16-time champion back doing what he does best on Independence Day … and from the sounds of it, both sides want to get it done.

"We're told the initial rift that caused Chestnut's absence from the 2024 contest -- his sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods -- is not a factor in discussions."

Chestnut was banned from last year's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest due to his deal with Impossible Foods, per Steve Cuozzo of the New York Post.

“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, the overseer of the infamous event, stated, per CNN's Erika Tulfo.

“It’s a long-standing rule not to represent a rival brand,” MLE co-founder George Shea added. “Michael Jordan can’t go to Adidas and say that Air Jordans are great.”

Chestnut provided more information from his point of view.

However, there's hope this ban will be one-and-done.

Chestnut, simply put, is a hot dog eating legend. He's a 16-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Champion (2007–2014, 2016–2023). If he won in 2015, Chestnut would have 17 straight victories in that contest under his mustard belt.

The 41-year-old also holds the record for most hot dogs and buns consumed in 10 minutes when he consumed 83 total in a contest against fellow hot dog-eating legend Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi last September.

Chestnut has ventured outside hot dog eating, though. For example, he once ate 44 Raising Cane's chicken fingers in five minutes in 2022. In 2007, he ate 182 chicken wings to win his second straight Wing Bowl in Philadelphia. And in 2020, Chestnut ate 32 Big Macs in 38 minutes and 15 seconds.

There's far more examples of Chestnut defying logic and eating as much as he can as quickly as he can, but those give a picture of what he can do.

Naturally, Chestnut is the GOAT competitive eater and currently ranked No. 1 in the world by Major League Eating. So it's no surprise that there are talks to get him back to where he belongs, which is on Coney Island on July 4.