04-07-2025
Why Takeru Kobayashi no longer competes in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2022 and has been updated.
Once a staple of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest -- from his record-setting debut in 2001 until his final competition more than a decade ago -- Takeru Kobayashi has since faded from the consciousness of fans of the event (or people who watch because what else is on TV?).
It's easy to assume that someone who has held over a dozen competitive eating records and once won the Nathan's contest six consecutive times simply got tired of shoving damp buns and franks down his throat and that's why he hasn't participated for so long. But his absence from the contest since 2010 — prior to his official retirement from competitive eating in 2024 — is actually a lot deeper.
Although Kobayashi announced his retirement in a documentary released in 2024, he competed against Joey Chestnut in hot dog eating contest for a Netflix special in September that year. Chestnut won. More via USA TODAY Sports from 2024 on Kobayashi's retirement:
"I've decided to retire from competitive eating. It's all I've done for the last 20 years," Kobayashi, 46, announced in Netflix's "Hack Your Health - The Secrets of Your Gut," a documentary film that explores how food, the digestive system and gut health relates to overall well-being.
Kobayashi said decades of overeating for sport has left him with no appetite or no sensation of fullness, which his wife Maggie James said has caused Kobayashi to go days without eating anything at all.
But let's dig into some history before his retirement.
According to a New York Times report, Kobayashi had a dispute with Major League Eating (MLE), the sanctioning body of the Nathan's Famous contest and others, over the exclusivity of its contracts. They reportedly restricted MLE signees from earning money outside of MLE and competing in non-MLE events, and gave MLE "exclusive representative" rights to negotiate revenue opportunities -- of which it would earn 20% -- on behalf of its performers.
Kobayashi's refusal to sign the contract in 2010 resulted in his not being able to participate in MLE contests, including the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July contest.
That didn't stop him from showing up as a spectator in 2010, but that's when things really got real. Apparently spurred by chants from those in attendance, Kobayashi jumped on stage, hoping officials would allow him to compete. Instead he was arrested, never to take a Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest stage again.
So there you have it. That's why you haven't seen or heard from Kobayashi for so long and probably shouldn't expect to see him this Fourth of July.
