Reggie Watts Dropped from Festivals and Podcast After Rolling Stone Investigation

In the wake of a Rolling Stone investigation, comedian-musician Reggie Watts has been removed from the lineups of the Shambala and Greenbelt festivals in Northamptonshire, England, and is no longer listed for Ireland’s Electric Picnic. At the same time, the long-running comedy podcast *Comedy Bang! Bang!* has quietly stopped using Watts’s improvised beat-boxing riff, which had opened every episode since 2011.

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

Rolling Stone’s report, published last week, compiled interviews with Katherine Early McCollough’s sister, nine close friends, and five women who had previously dated Watts. The interviewees alleged that Watts, a vocal advocate of ketamine and other psychedelics, encouraged McCollough’s drug use, contributing to a manic episode in 2025 that required hospitalization. The investigation also cited accounts from five of Watts’s former partners describing “reckless” drug encouragement, boundary-crossing behavior, and, in some cases, non-consensual acts. McCollough died by suicide in a Lima hotel room in March at age 36.

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

• Katherine Early McCollough: age 36 at death.

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

• Watts’s age: 54.

Rolling Stone

• Interview pool for the Rolling Stone piece: 1 sister, 9 friends, 5 former partners.

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

• Festival cancellations: two UK festivals (Shambala, Greenbelt) and removal from Electric Picnic’s website.

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

• Additional cancellations: a weekend series of shows in Bristol with the band CAPYAC.

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

• Greenbelt Festival confirmed that Watts will no longer appear. A Shambala representative acknowledged his removal in correspondence reviewed by Rolling Stone.

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

• *Comedy Bang! Bang!* has not issued a comment; the podcast’s latest episode simply omitted the theme music, replacing it with a generic British voice.

Reggie Watts Removed From Festivals Following Damning Rolling Stone Article

• Brettler also disputed claims that Watts encouraged drug use, describing the accusations as a “preconceived narrative.”

Rolling Stone

• Watts declined Rolling Stone’s multiple requests for an interview and has not publicly addressed the allegations.

Rolling Stone

Five of Watts’s former partners described experiences of drug-centric relationships, with three alleging that Watts pushed them to use ketamine and other substances, and two claiming he crossed personal boundaries to satisfy his own needs. One ex-partner alleged an explicit video was recorded without consent, and another reported that Watts initiated sex without a condom despite an agreement to always use protection because he disclosed having an STD.

Rolling Stone

The core dispute centers on whether Watts actively encouraged McCollough’s drug use. Rolling Stone’s investigation presents multiple eyewitness accounts suggesting encouragement, while Brettler maintains that McCollough was already an experienced user who required no prompting. Watts himself has not responded, and no festival or podcast has offered a detailed rationale for the cancellations beyond acknowledging the removal.

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

Watts’s official website continues to list several U.S. engagements, including a set at the Monterey Jazz Festival, indicating that not all bookings have been affected. No further statements have been made about additional cancellations or potential reinstatements.

Reggie Watts Removed From Festivals Following Damning Rolling Stone Article