16-Time Hot Dog King Joey Chestnut Returns For Nathan’s July 4 Coney Island Contest

BROOKLYN, NY — Get ready, Coney Island—Joey Chestnut is back and aiming to crush the competition at Nathan’s annual hot dog eating contest.

Chestnut, a 16-time champion of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, is officially making his return this Fourth of July after sitting out last year due to a sponsorship dispute with a plant-based meat company.

Chestnut addressed his absence from last year’s competition in a post on X Monday, clarifying the reason behind the controversy.

"While I have and continue to partner with a variety of companies, including some in the plant-based space, those relationships were never a conflict with my love for hot dogs. To be clear: Nathan’s is the only hot dog company I’ve ever worked with," Chestnut wrote.

This year, Chestnut is staging his return with hopes of setting a new world record at the 2025 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Championship. While rumors of a comeback had been circulating for months, Major League Eating and Chestnut officially confirmed his return on Monday.

"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," Chestnut said.

The competition is set for July 4 at Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, according to Major League Eating.

Last year, World Champion Patrick Bertoletti took home his first title with 58 hot dogs and buns in the 10-minute, all-you-can-eat contest. On the women’s side, Miki Sudo, the top-ranked female eater in the world, claimed her 10th victory with a record-breaking 51 hot dogs and buns.

This year, top competitive eaters from across the U.S. and countries including England, Canada, Brazil, Czechia and Australia will compete to beat the standing records—76 hot dogs for men (set by Chestnut) and 51 for women (set by Sudo).

The iconic championship has taken place every Fourth of July in Coney Island since 1916, the year Nathan Handwerker opened his legendary hot dog stand.

On the day of the event, pre-show festivities kick off at 10 a.m. with live music and dance performances. The women’s competition begins at 11 a.m., followed by the men’s showdown at 12:30 p.m.

As part of its annual tradition, Nathan’s Famous will donate 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City ahead of the event.