Reggie Watts Dropped From Three Festivals and Has Theme Song Removed After Rolling Stone Allegations

Three festivals have removed Reggie Watts from their 2026 lineups and his long-running Comedy Bang! Bang! theme song has been cut from the podcast, following a Rolling Stone investigation detailing allegations of abusive and controlling behaviour toward his late ex-girlfriend, Katherine McCollough.

Greenbelt Festival, Shambala Festival and Electric Picnic no longer list Watts among their performers, according to Billboard (Billboard, 24 Aug 2026). He had been scheduled to appear across the weekend of 27–30 August. Separately, the self-composed theme song he wrote for the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast in 2011 was absent from the show's latest episode, reported Variety (Variety, 24 Aug 2026). Rolling Stone reported the removal on 24 August, four days after publishing its initial investigation.

Rolling Stone's investigation, published 20 August, alleges that Watts was toxic, controlling and at times abusive toward McCollough during their relationship, which lasted from approximately May 2024 to October 2025 (Rolling Stone, 20 Aug 2026). McCollough died by suicide this spring. Multiple people close to her told Rolling Stone she had only used drugs in small quantities before dating Watts, but developed an addiction over the course of their relationship. A few months after the breakup, McCollough travelled to Peru to obtain a euthanasia agent and ended her life.

Watts, a self-described psychonaut — someone who uses drugs for spiritual exploration — has openly advocated ketamine as a tool for enlightenment. Rolling Stone reported allegations that he goaded McCollough into taking drugs in large quantities. An anonymous source quoted in the report called him "incredibly reckless" in how he administers ketamine dosages to others. Three additional women told the publication that substances were always central to Watts' lifestyle and that he encouraged them to use drugs with him.

Five other women who previously dated Watts told Rolling Stone they experienced emotionally and psychologically abusive behaviour from him during their relationships. Two women made similar allegations, as reported by Yahoo News (Yahoo News, 24 Aug 2026). Sources also alleged that Watts withheld payment from McCollough for her work producing and financing one of his comedy specials and his improv talk show Watch Watts Happen Live.

Watts' lawyer, Andrew Brettler, denied all claims that Watts was ever abusive toward any romantic partner and called it "dangerously false" to link McCollough's suicide to her relationship with Watts. Brettler also denied a separate accusation from one woman who said Watts had knowingly exposed her to an STD.

The festival cancellations and theme-song removal mark the first concrete professional consequences to surface since the investigation was published. No further festival or broadcast partners have publicly commented on Watts' status as of 24 August.