Joey Chestnut, the legendary competitive eater, will not participate in the 2024 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Chestnut, who has won the event 16 times and is the eight-time defending champion, recently signed a deal to represent Impossible Foods, a rival vegan brand to Nathan's.
A statement from Major League Eating said that organizers tried to accommodate Chestnut and his team, but to no avail.
"MLE and Nathan's went to great lengths in recent months 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.