Joey Chestnut won’t be scarfing down dozens of hot dogs on live television with millions watching, he learned from The Post.
Instead, he’s been banned from Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest because he partnered with Impossible Foods, a vegan hot dog brand.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he detailed that he didn’t actually know about the ban until one day he got an email while at the doctor’s office.
“I was in the waiting room, and I got a message from a reporter from the New York Post, and it was like, ‘Questions about your participation in the contest this year,’” he said.
The story, first reported by The Post’s Steve Cuozzo, went live June 11 and rocketed across the media landscape as Chestnut was the premier star of the tournament.
“it was an email. Then I got a phone call from him right after, and I didn’t pick up the call, but like an hour later, there was a little article saying that somebody leaked information,” Chestnut told the outlet.
“It was weird — ‘Joey’s been banned for working with a vegan hot dog company.’ It just wasn’t the way I thought things were going to go.”
Chestnut mentioned he had already started working with the vegan food brand before the tournament organizers who run Major League Eating, George and Richard Shea, changed the sponsorship rules.
“I had to say, ‘Hey, it’s too late, I’ve already started working with this brand,’” Chestnut continued with Sports Illustrated. “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.”
The Shea Brothers, as they are commonly referred to, have had issues with stars before this as well.
Takeru Kobayashi missed the July 4 event in 2010 due to a contract dispute and was arrested and banned by Major League Eating when he attempted to jump on stage immediately after.
Matt Stonie, the last competitive eater to beat Chestnut in 2015, has not competed since 2019.
Still, Chestnut remains open to returning to the league, given the circumstances surrounding his banning.
“I don’t think the Shea brothers are bad people,” he said. “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.”
Instead of being a part of Major League Eating on July 4 this year, Chestnut is going to be at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and will attempt to out-eat four U.S. soldiers by himself.
Chestnut will also compete in a head-to-head Netflix match against his ex-rival Kobayashi on Labor Day without the help of Major League Eating.
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