Joey Chestnut, the 17-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion, has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery. The 42-year-old San Jose native was accused of striking an individual at an Indiana bar in March 2026. Chestnut holds 55 World Records across 55 disciplines and ranks first in the world according to Major League Eating.
Competitive eater Joey Chestnut sentenced to 180 days of probation after pleading guilty to battery
As per court records obtained by Us Weekly, the unnamed victim claimed that Joey Chestnut hit him across the face. This happened after the two shook hands at a bar in the early hours of March 21. However, Chestnut told officials he was “pretty drunk and didn’t remember”. Following this, the Westfield Police Department watched the security footage that showed “the accused had pulled [the victim] forward, moved closer and used his right hand to strike [the victim] on the face with an open hand.”
Chestnut pleaded guilty on April 20 and will now serve 180 days of probation. In a statement to the outlet, his team said, “Joey regrets engaging and the interaction being misinterpreted. He strives to always connect in a fun manner with fans. In this case, some inappropriate things were said that Joey reacted to. He’s committed to avoiding being in those situations going forward.”
Chestnut’s attorney, Mario Massillamany, told the outlet, “My client took full responsibility for this misunderstanding and resolved the matter by pleading guilty to a lesser-included offense of Class B misdemeanor battery, one of the lowest-level misdemeanor offenses under Indiana law.”
“The resolution of the case, including a sentence of six months of probation, reflects what this incident truly was — an isolated misunderstanding rather than anything more serious. We appreciate the professionalism of the parties involved in reaching a fair and appropriate outcome,” Massillamany added.
Despite the sentence, Chestnut has permission to travel outside. Hence, he will be participating in the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. It will take place
on July 4 at Coney Island, New York. In 2024, he set a world record by eating 83 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. He competed against Takeru Kobayashi at the Netflix event Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef.
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Originally reported by Meenakshi Sengupta on Mandatory.
