Joey Chestnut won't compete at Nathan's hot dog contest over Impossible brand deal.

Michael Phelps glides through water. Major League Eating, or MLE, one of our most revered sporting institutions, announced that Chestnut will not be allowed to participate in its flagship event, the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. “I was gutted to learn from the media that after 19 years Im banned from the Nathan’s July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest,” Chestnut wrote on X. “MLE and Nathan’s went to great lengths to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a rival, unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day.” Chestnut claims that MLE changed the rules, while the league says it’s had the same “hot dog exclusivity provisions” for decades. But there’s no hot dog eating contest without Joey Chestnut competing.