The 17-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Joey Chestnut recently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge over a bar altercation that occurred back in March in Indiana, US Weekly reported on Monday.
The incident happened on March 21 in Hamilton County, Ind., at an undisclosed bar. A man approached Chestnut at the bar after recognizing him. The two men exchanged a friendly handshake at first. It’s unclear how the situation escalated, but Chestnut allegedly struck the man with an open hand. Here’s another detail the US Weekly exclusive noted:
“The accuser claimed that Chestnut struck him on the left side of his face with an open right hand after the two exchanged a friendly handshake. The food competitor then allegedly made statements along the lines of ‘Look, your buddy’s mad’ to the accuser’s friend. The victim said Chestnut ‘changed his tone’ and stated, ‘Everything is O.K.’ and that ‘nothing happened’ after the incident.”
The bar’s surveillance cameras documented the altercation and police reviewed the footage to confirm what happened. When reviewing the video footage, Chestnut admitted he had been “pretty drunk and didn’t remember” what happened, but that the slap “looked like a joke.” However, he later said that he “must have taken offense” to something the victim said to him.
“Joey regrets engaging and the interaction being misinterpreted. He strives to always connect in a fun manner with fans. In this case, some inappropriate things were said that Joey reacted to. He’s committed to avoiding being in those situations going forward,” Chestnut’s team told Us.
Chestnut will serve 180 days of probation, meaning it will end in October.
What Chestnut’s probation means for the Fourth of July hot dog eating contest
During Chestnut’s 180 days of probation, he won’t be forced to miss out on any food eating contests. He has no travel restrictions with his probation, which was the main cause of concern for Chestnut fans. The Nathan’s annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest takes place in Coney Island, N.Y., so Chestnut will have to travel outside of Indiana.
Chestnut has already traveled since the guilty plea agreement took place on April 17. Earlier this month, Chestnut ate 16 pounds of bologna in eight minutes to win the Ultimate Bologna Showdown in Knoxville, Tenn.
Chestnut’s notably won the Nathan’s Fourth of July hot dog eating contest 17 times. In 2024, he notably was banned from competing after he signed a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods. But, he returned to the contest in 2025 and took home the Mustard Yellow Belt again. He’ll be looking to do the same in a couple months.
