Musician Reggie Watts, 54, is pushing back hard against claims that his relationship with ex-girlfriend Katherine Early McCollough contributed to her death by suicide in Peru in March, with his attorney calling the accusations “dangerously false.” McCollough, 36, traveled to Peru in March, and her death has since become the center of a growing public dispute between her family and the man she once dated.
The allegations gained national attention after a Rolling Stone investigation published on August 20, in which McCollough's sister Colleen and multiple friends alleged that Watts' open drug advocacy and administration of ketamine and psychedelics contributed to McCollough's addiction and psychological breakdown. As reported by PennLive, Colleen McCollough said she believed her sister would still be alive had she never met Watts, a quote reported per Rolling Stone. Friends and her sister also claimed McCollough became addicted to ketamine while dating Watts.
Watts addressed the accusations through his attorney, Andrew Brettler, who called the claims that Watts was responsible for McCollough's suicide a preconceived narrative. Speaking per US Weekly, Brettler said McCollough was an experienced drug user and did not need encouragement from Watts to use drugs.
A Relationship That Unraveled in Berlin
According to reports, McCollough had a mental breakdown during a trip to Berlin with Watts, and the breakup that followed reportedly left her distraught. Watts and McCollough broke up after she began undergoing psychological care, and he reportedly took her home to Los Angeles afterward. The pair had begun dating in early 2024 and marked a one-year anniversary in February 2025, making public appearances together, including at the August 2024 Los Angeles premiere of the film 1992, according to Aus Publishers. Reporting from Rolling Stone described Watts as having called the relationship a spiritual marriage and promising to care for McCollough, though the two were never legally wed.
McCollough left a note apologizing to her family before her death, and the note said her peace would come at her family's expense. Following her death, Watts wrote on Instagram in March that the sorrow became too much for McCollough to overcome, that she was in pain, and that he would miss her. He also wrote that she opened his vulnerability, taught him to receive love, and changed his life, adding that he tried to reflect the light she brought into the world.
Specific Allegations From the Rolling Stone Report
Excerpts from the Rolling Stone report, as discussed in posts on Reddit, alleged that acquaintances said Watts routinely offered drugs to those around him, including at a 2024 dinner party where he reportedly brought out a basket of roughly 20 unfamiliar substances for dessert. A friend also documented a list of drugs McCollough reportedly tried with Watts, including ketamine, LSD, MDMA, DMT, cocaine, and modafinil, per posts on Reddit.
Before her relationship with Watts and her career as a comedy producer, McCollough earned a Juris Doctorate from Cornell Law School in May 2024 and a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts from the University of South Carolina in 2012, according to Primetimer. She worked professionally as a freelance comedy producer and event manager in Los Angeles, directly collaborating with Watts, including producing his August 2025 comedy special filmed in Berlin.
Community Support and Watts' Public Persona
After McCollough's death in Lima, Peru, friends launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised over $30,000 from more than 400 donors to help her family cover the cost of shipping her remains back to the United States, the outlet's report noted. Watts is widely known for his years as bandleader on The Late Late Show with James Corden from 2015 through 2023, and he also served as house musician on Comedy Bang! Bang! on IFC.
Watts has long made drug experimentation part of his public persona. In October 2023, he published a memoir titled Great Falls, MT: Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again, in which he openly chronicled his upbringing in Montana alongside his lifelong exploration of drugs, music, and identity, according to a description of the book on Goodreads. That history has fueled scrutiny of his role in McCollough's life even as his legal team insists she acted independently.
High-Profile Legal Defense Amid Broader Ketamine Concerns
Watts' attorney, Andrew Brettler of Berk Brettler LLP, is a prominent Hollywood litigator known for handling high-profile crisis defense for celebrity clients facing public allegations, including Prince Andrew, Armie Hammer, and Danny Masterson, according to PopCrush. His retention signals the seriousness with which Watts' camp is treating the public allegations.
The case also lands amid intensifying national scrutiny of off-label ketamine use following other high-profile fatalities, including the October 2023 death of actor Matthew Perry from acute ketamine intoxication, a case Hoodline previously covered. As public health officials and lawmakers continue debating the safety of unmonitored ketamine and psychedelic use, McCollough's death has become another flashpoint in the conversation about accountability when a private drug habit ends in tragedy.
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