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Joey Chestnut was sentenced to 180 days of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery, 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 just 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 disrupted the 2022 Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York, on July 4, 2022. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The accused took [the victim] forward, he approaches and uses his right hand to hit [the victim] in the face with an open hand. [The victim] He is observed reacting to the blow and moving his head down and holding it there while the accused stands over him and [his friend]”the officer said in an affidavit obtained by Us Weekly.”[Chestnut] moves towards [the victim] again and [the victim] moves away from the accused.
“The contact was naked, insolent or angry because the open-handed strike was non-consensual to the victim in a manner that caused pain while the defendant allegedly used provocative language toward the victim to provoke an unlawful reaction.”
The officer added that the slap “caused bodily injuries to [victim] in which he complained of pain on the left side of his face.”
Defending champion Joey Chestnut competes in the 2023 Nathan’s Famous 4th of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, on July 4, 2023. The men’s contest was postponed due to thunderstorms, but was later held 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 assault resulting in bodily injury and was sentenced April 20.
However, the situation quickly defused and Chestnut took “full responsibility for this misunderstanding,” his attorney told Us Weekly.
Chestnut filed petitions to travel outside of Indiana as Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place at 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 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 victory after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
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Chestnut was excluded from the 2024 competition after signing a deal with Nathan’s rival Impossible Foods. Chestnut was still at odds months before last year’s event when he announced that he and organizers had found common ground on sponsorship.
