Joey Chestnut is one of the most famous -- or infamous -- competitive eaters in the world. While he competes in all manner of competitions, July 4's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is his Groundhog Day. It's the day competitive eating takes center stage, and Chestnut never disappoints.
Chestnut first dove into the world of competitive eating in 2005 while he was a student at San Jose State University. His first major victory came that year when he ate six-and-a-half pounds of fried asparagus in 11 1/2 minutes. That year, Chestnut qualified for his first Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and ate 32 hot dogs.
By 2011, Chestnut had become such a force on the eating circuit that he was able to quit his full-time job in construction management and focused solely on training for eating competitions. That year, he won his fifth straight Mustard Belt, awarded to the winner of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Since then, Chestnut has cemented his status as the best competitive eater of all time. He has his record up to 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes, set in 2021 after eating 75 in 2020.
MORE: What happens inside an eater's body after the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?
Joey Chestnut net worth: How much does he make?
The life of a competitive eater may not be glamorous, but it can pay pretty well.
Chestnut's net worth is reportedly $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. His annual salary is $500,000.
The 16-time champion told USA Today a few years ago that his net worth is $4 million after he made $500,000 in 2022 alone. The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, an event Chestnut has won 14 times, pays its winners $10,000 every year.
$500,000 in a single year doesn't just come from winnings, of course. Chestnut's popularity has also earned him lucrative sponsorship deals.
Joey Chestnut career earnings
Specific sponsorship details are hard to come by, but in 2014 alone, Chestnut reportedly made $230,000. By 2022, he said he made $500,000 in a year. Chestnut's 16 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest victories have resulted in a combined $160,000 worth of winnings (before taxes, of course).
Chestnut won both the hot dog competition and a worldwide pumpkin pie eating contest in Jacksonville in 2021. He ate 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes for the former and 16 pounds, 12 ounces of pumpkin pie in 11 1/2 minutes for the latter. Chestnut won the Hot Dog Eating Contest again in 2022, but with 63 hot dogs eaten.
Joey Chestnut endorsements
Joey Chestnut has several endorsements from a variety of companies, with most of course being food companies. Chestnut has made social media posts endorsing Hooters, Hostess, Coney Island IPA and even Pepto Bismol.
His most recent is a partnership with Impossible Foods, which resulted in a ban from the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Joey Chestnut business ventures
Chestnut launched his first company that features a line of condiments in 2018. Joey Chestnut Eats includes Chestnut’s Firecracker Mustard, Boardwalk Coney Sauce and Deli-Style Mustard with prices ranging from $7.50 to $8.
Joey Chestnut social media influence
Chestnut doesn't use social media all that frequently, but does use it sporadically to promote appearances at restaurants or certain food products. His X, formerly known as Twitter, account has 68.7K followers, and his Instagram profile has 123K followers.
How many hot dogs did Joey Chestnut eat in 2023?
Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs in 2023, well short of his record 76 but still enough to easily clear the rest of the field. This was one short of the 63 he ate in 2022.
There were a few good reasons for the drop off, including an injury that left Chestnut on crutches and a protestor that he put in a chokehold during the 2022 competition.
Chestnut broke his own record for most hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes at the 2021 Nathan's contest, housing 76 in total. The previous record was 75, set by Chestnut in 2020's iteration of the competition.
