Joey Chestnut won’t face the wrath of Major League Eating over the competitive eater’s battery charge for drunkenly slapping a man in March.
George Shea, chairman of the pro-eating contests’ global overseer, told TMZ Sports Wednesday that MLE has no plans to punish the 42-year-old, who it’s dubbed the “greatest eater in history,” despite Chestnut pleading guilty to the misdemeanor last month.
The group runs the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island on the Fourth of July, which Chestnut has won a record 17 times.
“Major League Eating manages the eaters for this and other contests,” said Shea. “This incident does not violate the organization’s code of conduct, as it occurred outside any organizational event or activity and was addressed by local authorities.”
Chestnut slapped the man on March 21 at a sports bar in his native Indiana, after which he was charged with criminal misdemeanor battery resulting from bodily injury.
He pleaded guilty on April 17 and was sentenced to 180 days of probation, according to court records viewed by USA Today.
A representative for Chestnut told TMZ Sports that the incident was preceded by “inappropriate things” and that the hot dog-devouring champ’s actions were “misinterpreted,” though he hopes not to find himself in similarly hairy situations in the future.
Chestnut on the Fourth in 2025 returned to his hot dog-downing glory on Coney Island, winning the annual Nathan’s contest when he scarfed down 70.5 wieners, recapturing the coveted Mustard Yellow Belt.
He had been on a year’s hiatus from the event due to partnering with vegan brand Impossible Foods.
