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Joey Chestnut was sentenced to 180 days of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge, 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 slapped 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 right before Chestnut “slapped him” on the left side of his face, the outlet reported.
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Joey Chestnut grabbed 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] on the face with an open hand. [The victim] is observed reacting to the strike and moving his head downward and holding it there while the accused stands over him and [his friend],” the officer said in an affidavit obtained Us Weekly. “[Chestnut] moves toward [the victim] again and [the victim] moves away from the accused.
“The touching was nude, insolent or angry because the open-handed strike was nonconsensual to the victim in a manner that caused pain while the accused allegedly used provocative language toward the victim to illicit a reaction.”
The officer added that the slap “resulted in bodily injury to [victim] in that he had a complaint of pain to 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 “pretty drunk and didn’t remember” what happened, pleaded guilty to battery resulting in bodily injury and was sentenced April 20.
The situation, however, was quickly defused, and Chestnut took “full responsibility for this misunderstanding,” his attorney told Us Weekly.
Chestnut filed petitions to travel outside of Indiana, as the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, on the Fourth of July. He was granted permission to travel, so as long as he behaves, he will be vying 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 barred from the 2024 competition 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.
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