Reggie Watts Dropped From Festivals Following Rolling Stone Investigation Into Late Girlfriend, Drug Use Allegations

Reggie Watts, the renowned beat-box artist, has been dropped from several festival lineups and has lost his long-time Comedy Bang! Bang! theme song following a Rolling Stone investigation into allegations involving his late girlfriend, Katherine Early McCollough, drug use, and his behavior in past relationships. Watts was set to perform at two UK festivals, Shambala and Greenbelt, but his name has been removed from both lineups.

Greenbelt officially confirmed his removal, while Shambala acknowledged it in correspondence seen by Rolling Stone. Additionally, performances with CAPYAC and Electric Picnic in Ireland were canceled. Watts is also no longer featured on the lineup for Electric Picnic, where he was to appear later this month. The fallout also affected Comedy Bang!

Bang!, as his beat-box theme, which opened the podcast for over a decade, is absent from the August 17th episode. The investigation, based on interviews with McCollough's sister, nine close friends, and five women who dated Watts, alleges that McCollough's drug use increased during her relationship with Watts, a proponent of ketamine and psychedelics.

Friends claim drugs became increasingly central to their relationship, and McCollough sometimes expressed concern about her consumption. Claims that Watts encouraged and enabled her drug use were also made, with her expressing frustration about his lack of support for her abstaining from drugs. McCollough ended their relationship in 2025 and tragically took her own life in Peru in March that year at the age of 36.

Watts has not commented on the allegations, but his attorney dismissed suggestions of responsibility, calling the characterization "dangerously false" and a "preconceived narrative." The investigation has reignited discussions about a video Watts posted following McCollough's death, which he later deleted, where he spoke about grief, meditation, and his continued connection to McCollough, describing her death as "pretty, pretty elegant in many ways."

Despite the cancellations, Watts' upcoming US performances, including shows in Montana and at the Monterey Jazz Festival, remain pending.