{"id":2185,"date":"2026-05-21T17:01:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2185"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:01:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:01:44","slug":"joey-chestnut-set-to-defend-hot-dog-eating-title-while-on-probation-for-battery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2185","title":{"rendered":"Joey Chestnut set to defend hot dog eating title while on probation for battery"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n article<\/span><\/div>
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NOBLESVILLE, Ind.<\/strong> – <\/span>Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, the reigning champion and 17-time winner of Nathan\u2019s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, is set to compete in the July 4 event while serving probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge.<\/p>

Read more Former U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery charged for allegedly leaving scene of Houston crash<\/a><\/p>

Dig deeper:<\/p>

Chestnut was accused of slapping a man on the face during a night out at an Indiana bar, his attorney, Mario Massillamany, said. He entered a guilty plea April 20 and was sentenced to 180 days of probation in Hamilton County.<\/p>

<\/div>

A judge has granted him permission to travel outside the state, allowing Chestnut to defend his title and the signature Mustard Belt on Coney Island this summer.<\/p>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“It truly was just a misunderstanding,” Massillamany told The Associated Press. “Joey understood that he wanted to accept responsibility for his actions, and he did.”<\/p>

When police questioned Chestnut, he said he was drunk and did not remember the altercation, according to Us Weekly. Massillamany said that was “taken out of context” and Chestnut was nervous when speaking to officers before he had an attorney.<\/p>

Read more Official 2026 hurricane forecast released with Atlantic season just days away<\/a><\/p>

Richard Shea, the co-founder and president of Major League Eating, which oversees the Nathan’s Famous contest, said the altercation did not affect Chestnut’s competition eligibility.<\/p>

“This incident did not violate Major League Eating\u2019s code of conduct, as it occurred outside any organizational event or activity and it was addressed by local authorities,” Shea said.<\/p>

The backstory:<\/p>

At the Nathan’s Famous contest last year, Chestnut took back the title by eating 70 1\/2 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes after he missed the 2024 contest due to a competing sponsorship. Nathan’s had temporarily banned him from competing after he signed an endorsement deal with the plant-based meat company Impossible Foods.<\/p>

Chestnut most recently won the 2026 Ultimate Bologna Showdown in Tennessee for the third straight year, consuming 16 pounds of sausage in 8 minutes to set a new world record.<\/p>

Read more Phoenix morgue burglary suspect accused of sexual contact with dead bodies<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joey \u201cJaws\u201d Chestnut will defend his Nathan\u2019s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest title while on probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,61,203],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-food-and-drink","category-indiana"],"yoast_head":"\nJoey Chestnut set to defend hot dog eating title while on probation for battery - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2185\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Joey Chestnut set to defend hot dog eating title while on probation for battery - 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