Joey Chestnut will return to Coney Island for the 2025 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest this Fourth of July. The legendary competitive eater announced Monday in a series of posts on X that he will return to the annual event after he was banned from it last year due to his affiliation with Impossible Foods.

Joey Chestnut is back. The legendarily dominant force in competitive hot dog eating will return to the annual Fourth of July competition, seeking his 17th victory after a one-year absence from Coney Island.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Though in the case of Joey Chestnut, it may be that absence makes the heart grow hungrier.