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Joey Chestnut was sentenced to 180 days of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor, court records show.
Us Weekly was the first to report that the 17-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion was at Joe’s Grill in Hamilton County, Indiana, Chestnut’s home state, when he drunkenly punched a man in the face around 2 a.m. on March 21.
The victim allegedly recognized and approached Chestnut at the bar and exchanged a handshake just before Chestnut “slapped him” on the left side of his face, the outlet reported.
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Joey Chestnut grabs a protester by the neck who interrupted the 2022 Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York City on July 4, 2022. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The accused pulled [the victim] forward, moves closer and uses his right hand to strike [the victim] in the face with an open hand. [The victim] is seen reacting to the attack and moving his head down and holding it there while the defendant stands over him and [his friend]” the officer said in a statement obtained by Us Weekly.[Chestnut] moving towards [the victim] again and [the victim] moving away from the accused.
“The touching was naked, indecent or angry because the open strike was non-consensual to the victim in a way that caused pain, while the accused allegedly used provocative language towards the victim to illicit a response.”
The officer added that the slap “resulted in bodily harm [victim] in that he had a complaint of pain on the left side of his face.”
Defending champion Joey Chestnut competes in the 2023 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York City, on July 4, 2023. The men’s contest was postponed due to thunderstorms, but later took place without spectators in the arena. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
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Chestnut, who said he was “quite intoxicated and didn’t remember” what happened, pleaded guilty to assault resulting in bodily harm and was sentenced on April 20.
The situation was quickly defused, however, and Chestnut took “full responsibility for this misunderstanding,” his lawyer told Us Weekly.
Chestnut petitioned to travel outside of Indiana as the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York on the Fourth of July. He was cleared to travel so as long as he behaves he will be fighting for his 18th title in his last 19 attempts in less than two months.
Joey Chestnut wins the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returned to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
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Chestnut was banned from competing in 2024 after he signed a deal with Nathan’s rival Impossible Foods. Chestnut was still on the outs months before last year’s event when he announced that he and the organizers had found common ground on sponsorships.
