Joey Chestnut Ends Beef With Nathan’s, Officially Returning To Compete In Hot Dog Eating Contest

Joey Chestnut is making a triumphant return to Coney Island.

The world-famous competitive eater has officially settled his dispute with Nathan’s Famous and confirmed he’ll once again take the stage at this year’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Chestnut was previously banned from the 2024 competition after inking a deal with Impossible Foods, promoting their plant-based hot dogs, something Nathan’s saw as a direct threat to their iconic all-beef product and claimed to be a violation of their contract.

The endorsement deal led to major backlash, with Nathan’s pulling the plug on the long-running relationship just weeks before the annual event.

But now, Joey Chestnut is back, and with buns blazing.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest,” Chestnut said in a statement. “This event means the world to me. It’s a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life.”

While Chestnut acknowledged his partnerships with companies in the plant-based food space, he made it clear there was never any confusion in his mind about where his loyalties lie. “To be clear: Nathan’s is the only hot dog company I’ve ever worked with,” he said. “I respect that there were differences in interpretation, but I’m grateful we’ve been able to find common ground.”

That “common ground” comes in the form of a brand-new, three-year endorsement deal with Nathan’s and the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), which organizes the annual July 4th event.

“I’m excited to be back on the Coney Island stage, doing what I live to do, and celebrating the Fourth of July with hot dogs in my hands! Stay hungry!” Chestnut added.

He declined to reveal the financial details of the deal but confirmed with USA TODAY Sports that he is still collaborating with Impossible Foods.

George Shea, the founder of IFOCE and announcer for the Nathan's contest, confirmed Chestnut is clear to compete.

“We're very excited to have Joey back and we believe this is going to be the best contest ever,’’ Shea told USA TODAY Sports.

For the record, while Chestnut was out of the competition last year, Patrick Bertoletti claimed the men’s title by eating 58 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, falling 18 short of Chestnut’s record-setting 76.

This comes just weeks after Chestnut told The Blast exclusively that he was unsure of his relationship status with the hot dog company.

“If they came back with similar terms we were talking about last year, I would definitely consider it,” he said at the time. “I’d work with them to make sure there weren’t any conflicts with other sponsors… But honestly, I don’t think they want to go down that route. And yeah, it’s a bummer. I love that contest.”

The drama began last year when Major League Eating announced, "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."

Joey then clapped back, setting the record straight. "I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathan's and they are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with,” Chestnut said at the time. "This is apparently the basis on which I’m being banned, and it doesn’t impact the July 4th contest.”

Instead of competing in Nathan's contest last year, Joey competed against soldiers from Fort Bliss during the annual "Pop Goes the Fort Independence Day" celebration.

In addition to his 16 victories at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, Joey Chestnut has proven he’s got a serious sweet tooth, shattering multiple records in the dessert category.

In 2009, he devoured 5.9 pounds of funnel cake in just 10 minutes. By 2013, he downed an astonishing 121 Twinkies in six minutes, and in 2017, he polished off 55 glazed doughnuts in only eight minutes.

With just weeks to go before the iconic competition, fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the hot dog king is returning to reclaim his crown, and likely break a few more records in the process.