The six-time champion of the contest was trying to make his way on stage after this year's event, according to a representative for Kobayashi and a New York police officer at the Brooklyn precinct booking desk.
The incident was not a publicity stunt, Maggie James, Kobayashi's spokeswoman, said Sunday night.
"He got excited when people chanted his name after the contest .... so he jumped up on the stage because he wanted his fans to see him and (he thought) maybe they would chant, 'Let him eat,'" James said, referring to a dispute that kept Kobayashi from the table this year.
Kobayashi -- who took home the title every year from 2001 to 2006 -- did not compete because of a contract dispute with Major League Eating. He watched from the stands.
