Joey Chestnut expected to miss Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest once again in 2025: 'It's a bummer'

The most prolific name in the history of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is expecting to miss the event once again in 2025. After a shocking ban from the event in 2024, Joey Chestnut isn’t expecting to return to Coney Island to defend his glory this summer.

The 16-time champion of the event was named a persona non grata by the contest when he partnered with Impossible Foods, a plant-based brand behind a new vegan hot dog. A year later, after Chestnut’s absence was felt on the Fourth of July in 2024, many expected decision-makers to try and mend some fences, but that doesn’t seem to be where this is headed.

“If they came back with similar terms we were talking about last year, I would definitely consider it,” Chestnut told The Blast, regarding the 2025 iteration of the contest. “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.” 

While there’s still plenty of time between now and July 4, it seems as if “Jaws” is operating as if he won’t be taking the trip to Brooklyn. That’s a major bummer for fans who tune in specifically to see if he can break his own record, which currently stands at 76 HDB.

With Chestnut’s missing from last year’s event, Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti was crowned with 58 HDB. Prior to his banishment in 2024, Chestnut hadn’t eaten below 60 HDB in the contest since 2010 (54).

More on Joey Chestnut, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

In the meantime, Joey Chestnut has stayed busy. He took on his longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi in a Netflix event titled Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, which he won by eating 83 HDB to Kobayashi’s 66. Ironically, Kobayashi was also banned from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest after a wonderful run, leading to Netflix hosting their battle.

Moreover, Chestnut broke his own popcorn-eating record on Memorial Day, further adding to his legacy. The San Jose State University alum downed 42 24-ounce servings in just eight minutes. 

On3’s Brian Jones recently spoke to the competitive eating legend. Chestnut said that preparing for the popcorn-eating contest was “similar but different” when comparing it to hot dogs.

“All competitive eating, there’s the same elements,” Chestnut explained. “You’ve got the size of your bite, the swallowing and the breathing, and then drinking water. And every contest, you need to have some sort of water to help food settle. So every food, those elements, sometimes you can swallow more in between your breaths. Sometimes you have to drink more water. 

“This one I have to drink water almost every time I’m swallowing. After every handful, I’m going to have a little bit of water to help that popcorn go down. So I put a lot of work into finding that rhythm and then pushing my body to the limit. So it’s a completely different rhythm than hot dogs. But yeah, it’s going to be fun. I love it.”

Time will tell what the future holds for Joey Chestnut. Somewhere, with some food, he’s usually breaking a record. Still, the world would love to see him back on that stage in Coney Island on the Fourth of July, where he captivated the masses for almost two decades.