America’s favorite competitive eater pleaded guilty to two counts of assault over a bar incident in March.
INDIANAPOLIS — America’s most popular competitive eater is currently serving a prison sentence after an incident in Hamilton County, Indiana, earlier this year.
Joseph Chestnut, commonly known as Joey Chestnut, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault stemming from an incident in March, world human rights report.
According to official court documentsLizi was sentenced to 180 days of probation.
The victim told police that Chestnut struck him in the face with an open hand after the two shook hands at a bar in the early morning hours of March 21, documents show.
The man noticed Chestnut because of his celebrity status and began talking to him, according to a probable cause affidavit. The man said that when he reached out to shake Lizi’s hand, Lizi was slapped. Shortly after the slap, court documents show Chestnut made statements saying “everything was fine” and “nothing happened.”
The victim and the other man then left the bar.
During a subsequent investigation by the Westfield Police Department, detectives obtained video footage of the incident. According to official court documents, the video shows Chestnut pulling the victim in while shaking his hand and then “slapping him across the face.”
Police continued their investigation on March 22 when they spoke with Chestnut, who initially asked what was going on but “didn’t seem to know the situation.” When speaking to police, he said he was “too drunk to remember” much of the situation, but he did know he was walking home from the bar when it closed.
Police showed Chestnut a video of the incident and he responded “it doesn’t look good,” documents state.
Can Joey Chestnut compete in the 2026 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest?
Chestnut, who scored his 17th victory in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest last year after a year-long absence, will be on probation during the July 4 weekend competition in New York City. he Tell USA TODAY Sports He’s not subject to any travel restrictions that would prevent him from defending his title of eating hot dogs in Coney Island.
Richard Shea, co-founder and president of Major League Eating, which oversees the Nathan’s Famous competition, told The Associated Press that the altercation did not affect Chestnut’s eligibility to compete.
“This incident did not violate the MFA’s code of conduct as it occurred outside of any organizational event or activity and was resolved by local authorities,” Shea said.
Last year at Nathan’s Famous, Chestnut, who missed out on competing in 2024 due to competing sponsorships, regained the title by eating 70 1/2 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Nathan temporarily banned him from competing after he signed an endorsement deal with plant-based meat company Impossible Foods.
In a statement to Us WeeklyChestnut’s team said: “Joey regrets that his participation and interactions were misinterpreted. He strives to always connect with fans in a fun way. In this instance, Joey reacted in some inappropriate ways. He is committed to avoiding situations like this in the future.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
