Reggie Watts is facing a growing wave of fallout following a recent Rolling Stone investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of his former girlfriend, Katherine Early McCollough.

The 36-year-old McCollough died by suicide after a period of severe mental and substance-abuse related issues. According to the people interviewed by Rolling Stone, Watts allegedly encouraged her to use drugs, including Ketamine, and some of those close to the couple believe his involvement contributed to her struggles with addiction and subsequent manic episode.

The controversy has already begun affecting Watts' career. Several scheduled appearances have been cancelled, while Comedy Bang! Bang! has quietly stopped using the familiar beatbox theme Watts created for the show.

At 54, Watts has spent the last 15 years as a fixture in both comedy and music. His improvised vocal and beatboxing work became synonymous with Comedy Bang! Bang! beginning in 2011, and he appeared on the show's television adaptation from 2012 to 2015. He also took on a much higher-profile role as the bandleader for James Corden's The Late Late Show, a position he held for eight years beginning in 2015.

Watts reportedly began dating McCollough in 2023. The two eventually separated following what Rolling Stone describes as a drug-related manic episode McCollough experienced last summer. The investigation also includes accounts from other women who previously dates watts, with some describing experiences in which they felt he had crossed boundaries surrounding drug use.

Watts' attorney, Andrew Brettler, has strongly rejected the allegations made against his client. He denied that Watts had ever been abusive toward his romantic partners and called it “dangerously false” to suggest that his relationship with McCollough was connected to her suicide. Brettler also disputed the idea that Watts encouraged McCollough's drug use, arguing that she was already an experienced drug user before the two met.

People who knew McCollough offered a markedly different account to Rolling Stone. Several sources said that, before her relationship with Watts, her drug use had generally been limited to relatively small amounts. Watts, who has publicly discussed ketamine as a tool for spiritual exploration, was accused of encouraging McCollough to consume significantly larger quantities. One anonymous source described Watts' approach to administering ketamine as “incredibly reckless,” including when he allegedly gave the drug to McCollough.

“If she never met Reggie, she'd be alive,” one former classmate of McCollough alleges.

The investigation also contains additional allegations concerning Watts' behavior outside of his relationship. Sources accused him of failing to pay McCollough for work she contributed to producing and financing one of his comedy specials, as well as his improv talk show Watch Watts Happen Live. Five other former partners of Watts reportedly described experiences they characterized as emotionally or psychologically abusive. Brettler denied those allegations as well.

The attorney is also rejecting an allegation from one former partner who said Watts knowingly exposed her to an STD. Brettler did not respond to yet another accusation involving an alleged sexual encounter that was reportedly recorded without the woman's knowledge.

Nevertheless, the professional consequences have been swift. Watts was removed from the upcoming lineups at UK festivals Shambala and Greenbelt, both of which had him scheduled to perform this week. A run of Bristol performances with CAPYAC, another act with whom Watts has frequently collaborated, has also been canceled.

His website continues to advertise several upcoming performances in the United States, including an appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival, although it remains to be seen whether those dates will ultimately move forward as the fallout from the Rolling Stone report continues.