The 16-time champ was absent from the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating contest in 2024 because of a contractual dispute, but was cleared to compete next month.

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.

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.