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 8-time defending champion, recently signed a deal to represent Impossible Foods, a rival vegan brand to Nathan's.

"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. For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship."

"Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.  We hope he returns when he is not representing a rival brand."

This story will be updated.