Joey Chestnut explains ban on 4th of July hot dog contest, where he’ll eat instead

This 4th of July, Joey Chestnut will be absent from the famous beachside Coney Island Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The all-time food legend opened up about the recent ban in a new interview and how he plans on continuing with hot dogs as a part of the patriotic holiday.

Last month, Chestnut announced on social media that he had been “banned” from the annual event, claiming he found out about the decision from Major League Eating as well as the rest of the world. Major League Eating said Chestnut would not be able to participate in the competition due to his association with plant-based hot dog brand Impossible Foods.

As ABC News previously reported, Nathan’s has long required its customers not to promote a rival brand if they plan to participate in the annual hot dog eating contest.

“I was very saddened to learn from the media that after 19 years I have been banned from the Nathan’s 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest,” Chestnut wrote on X at the time. “I love participating in that contest, I love celebrating America with my fans across this great country on the 4th of July, and I am training to defend my title.”

Now, the 16-time winner is preparing to take his talents to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he will compete against four soldiers in a five-minute eating competition scheduled for July 4.

Ahead of the challenge, Chestnut shared his hopes for a possible reconciliation with Nathan and his excitement for Thursday’s event in an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated.

Joey Chestnut reacts to Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest ban

Chestnut told Sports Illustrated that he was at the doctor’s when he received an e-mail from a reporter asking him about competing in the prestigious event, followed by a phone call, which he did not take.

“About an hour later there was a small article saying someone had leaked the information,” he said.

“It was weird — ‘Joey’s been banned for working with a vegan hot dog company,'” he recalled. “It wasn’t how I thought things would go.”

Chestnut claimed that “everything with (the affiliation with Impossible Foods) was absolutely fine according to all my previous agreements. They changed the terms and conditions about exclusivity — this is the first time they’ve actually changed things, and I had to say, ‘Hey, it’s too late, I already started working with this brand.'”

Major League Eating claimed in an earlier statement that both the organization and Nathan’s “made considerable efforts in recent months to accommodate Joey and his management team, agree on an appearance fee and allow Joey to participate in a rival non-branded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day.”

“For nearly two decades we have operated under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions,” Major League Eating said. “However, it appears that Joey and his managers have preferred a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-standing relationship.”

Chestnut told Sports Illustrated that despite the ban, he is open to working with Major League Eating again in the future.

“(George and Richard Shea, who run Major League Eating), both sent me a little message saying they were sorry it got ugly. One of them said hopefully we’ll be able to have beer in the future,” he said. “But they’re not bad people, that’s just the way they are, and that’s how they are.”

He added, “I’m not burning any bridges. And I love it — I love the 4th of July and that competition. I’m always willing to try. I don’t hold any grudges against anybody. So nothing is impossible.”

Where will Joey Chestnut eat his hot dogs on the 4th of July this year?

Aside from the broken relationship with the hot dog brand and the competition, Chestnut was able to implement alternative plans to keep a version of the tradition alive.

“We’re going to be doing a 4th of July celebration on an Army base, and I’ll still be a part of people’s 4th of July. It’s been really great, and I’m happy,” he told Sports Illustrated.

“It’s more than a competition,” he said. “A lot of the mail or letters I get from people don’t say, ‘Oh my gosh, you eat so many hot dogs, it’s amazing.’ It says, ‘You’ve been a part of my Fourth of July for so long.’ That’s the coolest thing. I get to be a part of people’s Fourth of July.”

“I love celebrating the 4th of July, and the fact that I get to help other people celebrate the 4th of July — it’s really been a lot of fun,” he said. “And I hope I can still find ways to do that.”