Joey Chestnut ‘was not banned’ says hot dog contest organizer as beef heats up

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The war of words over wieners between Major League Eating and Joey Chestnut is far from over it seems. 

MLE, which oversees organizing the annual July 4 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest has fired another shot at professional eating’s GOAT. 

Chestnut’s recent claim that the organization was “changing the rules” which cost him his place in the Coney Island tradition has been shot down by MLE. 

In fact, they say that it was Chestnut’s own choice to not compete this year in the contest that he won 16 of the past 17 years. 

“Joey was not banned. Joey chose not to compete in the contest the moment he chose to make an endorsement deal with one of Nathan’s competitors,” an MLE rep told the New York Post.

The rep also said that Chestnut’s claim that MLE changed its rules was “ridiculous,” after the all-star eater said he was “gutted” to not be able to compete. 

“In return for his fees to appear and compete, Joey agreed every single year to a very simple exclusivity provision — that he would not endorse or sponsor another hot dog brand,” the rep said. 

“The idea that Nathan’s or MLE changed the rules this year is as ridiculous as it is silly. What company would pay someone an appearance fee of several hundred thousand dollars and knowingly let them endorse a direct competitor immediately afterwards?” 

During a radio interview on Wednesday, MLE head George Shea called Chestnut’s switch to Impossible Foods a “catastrophe.” 

“His reps came to us and said we have signed with a plant-based meat company that does hot dogs and that’s that,” Shea said. 

“He didn’t come to us and say we have this other offer and let’s talk. It was, ‘This offer is signed,’ so it made it very difficult to negotiate.” 

The California-born chowmeister has won the event 16 times over the past 17 years, with a second-place finish in 2015 interrupting his dominance.

He set a world record in 2021 when he scarfed down an astounding 76 hot dogs with buns during the 10-minute event.

Chestnut does appear to have one competition lined up later this summer. On Wednesday, Netflix announced that he will take on long-time rival Takeru Kobayashi in a live special on Sept. 2.

Kobayashi won the Nathan’s contest from 2001-2006 and held the record before Chestnut’s rise to stardom. Kobayashi last competed in the contest in 2009 after his own beef with the organizers.

The contest, titled Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, will feature the two chowing down on all-beef hot dogs, likely in a nod to reports that Chestnut’s rival brand deal is with Impossible Foods, which makes vegan hot dogs.

According to reports earlier this week, a rep for MLE said that it allowed Chestnut to enter into the Netflix event on the condition that no hot dog brand was mentioned.

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