Joey Chestnut was kicked out of Nathan's eating contest after he endorsed plant-based hot dogs

Competitive eating champ Joey Chestnut is dealing with a beef with the Coney Island hot dog eating competition he's won 16 times.

• Joey Chestnut won't compete in Nathan's hot dog-eating contest this year.
• Event overseer Major League Eating cited Chestnut's partnership with a rival brand.
• "Meat eaters shouldn't have to be exclusive to just one wiener," Impossible Foods told BI.

Competitive eating champ Joey Chestnut has been kicked out over a beef between him and the Coney Island hot-dog-eating competition he's won a whopping 16 times.

Chestnut, 40, won't participate in this year's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4 — an event he won last year after pounding 62 hot dogs.

In a statement posted to X on Tuesday, Major League Eating (MLE) — the governing body that oversees the event — announced that Chestnut had "chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing."

The League cited "hot dog exclusivity provisions" that have been enshrined for nearly two decades.

The New York Post reported Chestnut's deal is with Impossible Foods.

"We love Joey and support him in any contest he chooses," an Impossible Foods spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement. "It's okay to experiment with a new dog. Meat eaters shouldn't have to be exclusive to just one wiener."

Chestnut, in his own statement to X, said he was "gutted to learn from the media" that he'd been "banned" from the Nathan's hot dog eating contest after 19 years.

He said he'd been training to defend his title.

"I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathans and they are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with," Chestnut wrote.

Representatives for MLE and Nathan's Famous did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

"To my fans, I love you and appreciate you," Chestnut concluded. "Rest assured that you'll see me eat again soon!!"