Several festivals have dropped comedian Reggie Watts following a Rolling Stone investigation in which he was alleged to have heavily abused drugs with his ex-girlfriend prior to her death.
“Watts had been scheduled to perform at two UK festivals this week, Shambala and Greenbelt, but his name has since been removed from both lineups,” reported Consequence. “Greenbelt confirmed that Watts will no longer appear, while a Shambala representative acknowledged his removal in correspondence reviewed by Rolling Stone.”
The lineup for Ireland’s Electric Picnic also dropped Reggie Watts after he had been scheduled to perform later this month.
According to Variety, Watts’ signature theme song for Comedy Bang! Bang! has also been axed as a result of the investigation.
Reggie Watts’ “Comedy Bang Bang” theme song was cut from Monday’s episode of the popular podcast following a Rolling Stone report that alleged the comedian and musician has exhibited “reckless and selfish” behavior regarding drugs in his past relationships.
The story, which was published on Thursday, alleges that Watts’ late ex-girlfriend, Katherine McCollough, developed a ketamine addiction while dating him (Watts has been a longtime advocate for the drug). Their relationship ended in October 2025 after McCollough experienced a drug-induced manic episode that summer, and in March of this year, McCollough traveled to Peru to take her own life. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Watts’ attorney Andrew Brettler called the claims “dangerously false” and said it was a “preconceived narrative” to suggest that he was responsible for her suicide.
Watts has not yet addressed any of the allegations or the cancelations to his shows. As noted by Consequence, the “investigation brought renewed attention to a video Watts had posted in the aftermath of McCollough’s death and later deleted.”
“In the clip, Watts spoke about grief, meditation, and his continued connection to McCollough before describing the manner in which she died as’“pretty, pretty elegant in many ways,’” it added. ” The video predates the investigation and was not recorded in response to it. McCollough’s loved ones told the publication they objected to Watts’ characterization of her death, and her sister reportedly asked him to remove a video discussing its details.”