1 00:00:00,180 --> 00:00:03,330 Speaker 1: This episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. 2 00:00:03,890 --> 00:00:07,890 Speaker 1: Please check the show notes for more information. Disgraceland is 3 00:00:07,930 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: a production of Double Elvis. This is a story about 4 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:24,850 Speaker 1: an unprecedented talent, a musician slash comedian who defies categorization. 5 00:00:25,530 --> 00:00:29,380 Speaker 1: who has created deep affinity with comedy nerds and music 6 00:00:29,410 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: fans alike. A man who signals a type of charisma 7 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,380 Speaker 1: that can be seen from space, but a man who 8 00:00:36,420 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: has come under fire recently for using that charisma, that talent, 9 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:45,409 Speaker 1: and the power of celebrity that accompanies it to disastrous ends, 10 00:00:45,750 --> 00:00:50,170 Speaker 1: and allegedly also using that power in tandem with powerful 11 00:00:50,270 --> 00:00:54,910 Speaker 1: drugs like ketamine, bufo, and other psychedelics and designer drugs. 12 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,300 Speaker 1: A man your mother might have warned you and or 13 00:00:58,340 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: your sister about. I'm talking about Reggie Watts. A man who, 14 00:01:03,100 --> 00:01:05,620 Speaker 1: despite what you think of him or what your definition 15 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:11,119 Speaker 1: of great music is, made just that. Great music. Unlike 16 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: that music you heard at the top of the show. 17 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,970 Speaker 1: That wasn't great music. That was a preset loop from 18 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:22,270 Speaker 1: my Mellotron called New Country Ain't That Bad MK2. I 19 00:01:22,310 --> 00:01:24,850 Speaker 1: played you that loop because I can't afford the rights 20 00:01:24,930 --> 00:01:28,680 Speaker 1: to Choose in Texas by Ella Langley. And why would 21 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: I play you that specific slice of everything's bigger in 22 00:01:32,500 --> 00:01:36,979 Speaker 1: Texas cheese? Could I afford it? Because that was the 23 00:01:37,020 --> 00:01:40,830 Speaker 1: number one song in America on March 28th, 2026. And 24 00:01:41,069 --> 00:01:46,270 Speaker 1: that was the day that Reggie Watts' ex-girlfriend, Catherine McCullough, 25 00:01:46,770 --> 00:01:52,180 Speaker 1: died by suicide. setting off an investigation into the musician-slash-comedian's 26 00:01:52,300 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: treatment and alleged abuse. Abuse allegations that Reggie strongly denies. 27 00:02:00,020 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: On this episode, an unprecedented talent, the power of celebrity 28 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: and of ketamine, the death of Catherine McCullough, allegations of abuse, 29 00:02:09,810 --> 00:02:11,790 Speaker 1: and the man your mom may or may not have 30 00:02:11,850 --> 00:02:16,910 Speaker 1: warned you and your sister about, Reggie Watts. I'm Jake Brennan. 31 00:02:17,580 --> 00:02:48,700 Speaker 1: And this is Disgraceland. I've got two sisters, and I 32 00:02:48,740 --> 00:02:52,370 Speaker 1: distinctly remember growing up hearing my mom warning them to 33 00:02:52,500 --> 00:02:55,950 Speaker 1: stay away from certain types of dudes, the dirtbags and 34 00:02:55,970 --> 00:02:59,410 Speaker 1: the druggies, as my mother so tenderly referred to them as. 35 00:03:00,130 --> 00:03:02,990 Speaker 1: One of my sisters listened straight away, and the other 36 00:03:03,250 --> 00:03:06,310 Speaker 1: eventually did. We grew up in the 80s and 90s. 37 00:03:06,650 --> 00:03:10,190 Speaker 1: High school was a reflection of those classic John Hughes films, 38 00:03:10,460 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink. 39 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: A blue-collar town sidewalk puddle reflection, but a reflection nonetheless. 40 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: The dirtbags and the druggies, the bad guys my mom 41 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: warned my sisters away from, they looked exactly like you'd expect. 42 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:32,940 Speaker 1: Like Johnny Bender, not like Ferris Bueller or Ducky. Nowadays, 43 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: we can't hold a John Hughes mirror up to the 44 00:03:36,260 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: world to help us sort out the wastoids and the 45 00:03:38,980 --> 00:03:43,540 Speaker 1: dickheads and the righteous dudes. Things are less simple, more nuanced. 46 00:03:44,610 --> 00:03:48,290 Speaker 1: But prior to this year, if you ask someone where musician, 47 00:03:48,450 --> 00:03:52,550 Speaker 1: comedian Reggie Watts stood on my newly patented John Hughes 48 00:03:52,590 --> 00:03:55,870 Speaker 1: High School Judgment Scale, if you ask them this question, 49 00:03:55,970 --> 00:03:59,910 Speaker 1: is Reggie Watts a brain, an athlete, a basket case, 50 00:03:59,930 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: a princess, or a criminal? Reggie Watts, the ultimate Neo-Maxi-Zoom dweeby, 51 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: would probably place closer to the brain side of the scale. 52 00:04:10,380 --> 00:04:14,410 Speaker 1: Maybe occasionally crossing over into basket case territory, but Far 53 00:04:14,490 --> 00:04:17,990 Speaker 1: from criminal. And perhaps criminal, just as it was for 54 00:04:18,170 --> 00:04:21,490 Speaker 1: Johnny Bender, is too strong of a word for Reggie Watts. 55 00:04:22,250 --> 00:04:24,330 Speaker 1: Maybe Reggie Watts is just like the rest of us. 56 00:04:24,990 --> 00:04:28,070 Speaker 1: As Brian the Brain said, we're all bizarre. Some of 57 00:04:28,170 --> 00:04:31,630 Speaker 1: us are just better at hiding it, that's all. But 58 00:04:31,690 --> 00:04:35,950 Speaker 1: is Reggie Watts just innocently bizarre? Or is Reggie Watts 59 00:04:36,150 --> 00:04:40,710 Speaker 1: a wolf in sheep's clothing? A disgrace. The guy your 60 00:04:40,750 --> 00:04:44,900 Speaker 1: mother warned you and or your sister about. We're about 61 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:51,980 Speaker 1: to find out. On March 28th, 2026, Catherine McCullough, Reggie Watts' 62 00:04:52,180 --> 00:04:57,250 Speaker 1: ex-girlfriend of two years, died by suicide. Catherine's friends and 63 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:01,900 Speaker 1: family claimed that had she never dated Reggie Watts, she'd 64 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:06,530 Speaker 1: still be alive. This was originally reported by Rolling Stone 65 00:05:06,570 --> 00:05:12,039 Speaker 1: magazine on August 20th, 2026. As of this writing on 66 00:05:12,100 --> 00:05:16,280 Speaker 1: September 7th, 2026, Reggie Watts has not directly responded to 67 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:21,530 Speaker 1: this accusation, but he has spoken through his lawyer, Andrew Brettler, 68 00:05:21,950 --> 00:05:27,010 Speaker 1: an attorney who previously represented Danny Masterson, the That 70s 69 00:05:27,070 --> 00:05:31,270 Speaker 1: Show star turned criminal, currently serving 30 years to life 70 00:05:31,670 --> 00:05:36,480 Speaker 1: for two felony counts of forcible rape. Brettler also represents 71 00:05:36,700 --> 00:05:40,670 Speaker 1: Prince Andrew, who is now just Andrew Windsor after losing 72 00:05:40,750 --> 00:05:45,110 Speaker 1: his royal title, over sexual abuse allegations and his association 73 00:05:45,430 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: with Jeffrey Epstein. Reggie Watts' attorney has stated unequivocally that 74 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: these claims against his client are dangerously false. And Reggie 75 00:05:54,540 --> 00:05:58,940 Speaker 1: Watts has gone silent, his skyrocketing career in entertainment as 76 00:05:59,010 --> 00:06:02,089 Speaker 1: one of the most compelling absurdists since Andy Kaufman, one 77 00:06:02,110 --> 00:06:06,099 Speaker 1: of the most electric improv performers since Jonathan Winters, one 78 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,420 Speaker 1: of the most innovative loop artists this side of Marc Rebillet, 79 00:06:09,820 --> 00:06:12,539 Speaker 1: the former house band leader for the Late Late Show 80 00:06:12,580 --> 00:06:16,820 Speaker 1: with James Corden. His career, it's all come to a 81 00:06:16,980 --> 00:06:22,110 Speaker 1: screeching halt. Friends and family of Catherine McCullough are no 82 00:06:22,150 --> 00:06:25,990 Speaker 1: doubt unsympathetic. But what do fans of Reggie Watts think? 83 00:06:26,570 --> 00:06:29,529 Speaker 1: Is Reggie Watts who they thought he was? Or has 84 00:06:29,550 --> 00:06:33,840 Speaker 1: he been something else all along? To understand, we have 85 00:06:33,860 --> 00:06:44,099 Speaker 1: to look at how Reggie Watts became Reggie Watts. Reggie 86 00:06:44,140 --> 00:06:47,140 Speaker 1: Watts was always a version of the oversized teddy bear 87 00:06:47,260 --> 00:06:51,260 Speaker 1: his friends watched climb the ranks from Scott Aukerman's underground 88 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:56,330 Speaker 1: show Comedy Bang Bang on IFC to James Corden's mainstream 89 00:06:56,410 --> 00:07:00,930 Speaker 1: Late Late Show on CBS. Reggie was born in Germany 90 00:07:01,029 --> 00:07:03,810 Speaker 1: to a French mother and an American Air Force surgeon. 91 00:07:04,580 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: The family eventually settled in Great Falls, Montana, where young 92 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,780 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts lived out his version of a John Hughes childhood. 93 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:18,130 Speaker 1: A close examination of Reggie's autobiography, Great Falls, Montana, Fast Times, 94 00:07:18,290 --> 00:07:22,830 Speaker 1: Post-Punk Weirdos, and A Tale of Coming Home Again, reveals 95 00:07:22,910 --> 00:07:26,090 Speaker 1: that Reggie was, at some point, just like a lot 96 00:07:26,130 --> 00:07:28,940 Speaker 1: of teenagers, trying to find his place in the world, 97 00:07:29,380 --> 00:07:33,020 Speaker 1: and at different times, either a brain, an athlete, a 98 00:07:33,060 --> 00:07:37,930 Speaker 1: basket case, and even infrequently, a criminal. But most of all, 99 00:07:38,370 --> 00:07:43,790 Speaker 1: just like John Hughes, Reggie Watts was a romantic. In 100 00:07:43,830 --> 00:07:48,550 Speaker 1: his memoir, Reggie explains his childhood with self-aware romance, verging 101 00:07:48,670 --> 00:07:52,630 Speaker 1: on fantasy. Like a lot of Gen Xers, Reggie saw 102 00:07:52,670 --> 00:07:56,030 Speaker 1: his life as a movie, an adventure with him cast 103 00:07:56,090 --> 00:07:59,050 Speaker 1: as the leading man, and with plenty of leading women 104 00:07:59,130 --> 00:08:03,150 Speaker 1: cast opposite him. But as Reggie saw it, his goal 105 00:08:03,250 --> 00:08:06,830 Speaker 1: was to subvert the toxic archetype of the chauvinistic leading 106 00:08:06,870 --> 00:08:11,310 Speaker 1: man and to instead be the quote-unquote sensitive James Bond. 107 00:08:11,770 --> 00:08:15,410 Speaker 1: The James Bond who respected women. The James Bond with 108 00:08:15,470 --> 00:08:18,860 Speaker 1: the heart of gold. Reggie goes on to describe his 109 00:08:18,900 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: fantasies about how chivalrous he'd be to women once he 110 00:08:21,980 --> 00:08:31,090 Speaker 1: finally grew up and got the chance. Okay, this is 111 00:08:31,390 --> 00:08:35,350 Speaker 1: all very Ferris Bueller, but there's definitely a Johnny Bender 112 00:08:35,410 --> 00:08:38,130 Speaker 1: side of Reggie Watts depicted in his memoir as well. 113 00:08:38,690 --> 00:08:41,030 Speaker 1: There's the time he and his friends stole a brick 114 00:08:41,050 --> 00:08:43,910 Speaker 1: of weed from someone's pickup truck, and the tales of 115 00:08:44,290 --> 00:08:48,570 Speaker 1: boosted cars and joyrides, of passing stolen checks off to 116 00:08:48,670 --> 00:08:53,069 Speaker 1: unsuspecting record store clerks, of shoplifting, and even of breaking 117 00:08:53,110 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: and entering and stealing a large cache of guns from 118 00:08:56,530 --> 00:09:00,829 Speaker 1: a neighbor's home. Real dirtbag behavior, as my mom would 119 00:09:00,850 --> 00:09:07,110 Speaker 1: call it. And then there's the teenage wasteoid drug use, Robitussin, LSD, 120 00:09:07,190 --> 00:09:11,109 Speaker 1: and colossal amounts of grass soundtracked by the bands whose 121 00:09:11,210 --> 00:09:15,459 Speaker 1: logos Ally Sheedy's Breakfast Club characters scribbled on her book cover, 122 00:09:15,790 --> 00:09:21,620 Speaker 1: The Cure, Bauhaus, and Ministry. These experiences and influences would 123 00:09:21,660 --> 00:09:25,459 Speaker 1: help inform what would become one of the most unusual 124 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: careers in show business. Reggie Watts broke through the underground 125 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: comedy scene in the mid-aughts with a style that was 126 00:09:34,500 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: entirely his own. He brought a hybrid musical comedy approach 127 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:43,620 Speaker 1: to the stage that teamed synthesizer loops and beatboxing with 128 00:09:43,730 --> 00:09:48,010 Speaker 1: madcap improv. He was a punk rock Michael Winslow, a 129 00:09:48,070 --> 00:09:53,150 Speaker 1: grungy Ornette Coleman, a bebop Robin Williams. all competing on 130 00:09:53,250 --> 00:09:57,340 Speaker 1: stage for the same slice of spotlight. Gen X and 131 00:09:57,380 --> 00:10:01,699 Speaker 1: millennial comedy nerds were evangelized by the second coming of 132 00:10:01,740 --> 00:10:06,309 Speaker 1: their very own Andy Kaufman. Reggie Watts steadily rose through 133 00:10:06,330 --> 00:10:09,910 Speaker 1: the ranks, from Eugene Merman's East Village Comedy Night to 134 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:14,420 Speaker 1: the festival circuit opening for Conan O'Brien to voicing multiple 135 00:10:14,460 --> 00:10:18,380 Speaker 1: characters for Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker to flying 136 00:10:18,500 --> 00:10:22,189 Speaker 1: private to Richard Branson's own island to perform at a 137 00:10:22,270 --> 00:10:27,950 Speaker 1: climate change event to taking edibles with James Corden. By 138 00:10:27,990 --> 00:10:32,630 Speaker 1: the time 51-year-old Reggie Watts met 36-year-old Catherine McCullough, he 139 00:10:32,670 --> 00:10:36,590 Speaker 1: was a full-blown star, larger than life, a six-foot teddy 140 00:10:36,610 --> 00:10:39,510 Speaker 1: bear who seemed to stand even taller with his epic 141 00:10:39,570 --> 00:10:43,959 Speaker 1: shock of frizzy hair, a man whose warmth belied his 142 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:48,709 Speaker 1: celebrity status. Reggie Watts, at the time Catherine McCullough met him, 143 00:10:49,070 --> 00:10:52,590 Speaker 1: was a renowned Hollywood night owl, a man of the people, 144 00:10:52,630 --> 00:10:55,309 Speaker 1: at least a man of a certain type of people, 145 00:10:55,350 --> 00:10:58,910 Speaker 1: the types who stayed out well past last call and 146 00:10:59,070 --> 00:11:03,210 Speaker 1: fueled their stumble to sunrise with staggering amounts of drugs. 147 00:11:03,690 --> 00:11:08,569 Speaker 1: Because by 2023, Reggie Watts was a full-blown ketamine addict, 148 00:11:09,090 --> 00:11:18,410 Speaker 1: an outspoken psychedelic evangelist, and a self-described psychonaut. Okay, this 149 00:11:18,470 --> 00:11:21,620 Speaker 1: is the point where proponents of psychedelics and drugs in 150 00:11:21,700 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: general and Reggie Watts apologists get frustrated with me and 151 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:29,699 Speaker 1: scream into their screens, Reggie Watts isn't addicted to ketamine, 152 00:11:29,740 --> 00:11:33,959 Speaker 1: you dumbass. Okay, maybe you're right, but Reggie Watts hasn't 153 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: shut the fuck up about ketamine for the past few years. 154 00:11:38,100 --> 00:11:41,579 Speaker 1: And Catherine McCullough's family and friends... claimed that when she 155 00:11:41,660 --> 00:11:46,400 Speaker 1: met Reggie, she was her normal, healthy self. An ex-Cornell 156 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,459 Speaker 1: Law student who scored near perfect on her LSAT. A 157 00:11:49,540 --> 00:11:53,630 Speaker 1: buoyant personality whose eyes sparkled and windowed the mind of 158 00:11:53,670 --> 00:11:57,050 Speaker 1: an independent young woman whose bright future was still very 159 00:11:57,130 --> 00:12:00,210 Speaker 1: much in front of her. They say all that began 160 00:12:00,250 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: to decay when Catherine developed a previously inconceivable ketamine addiction 161 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:11,470 Speaker 1: during her relationship with Reggie Watts. Reggie Watts' attorney claims 162 00:12:11,530 --> 00:12:14,810 Speaker 1: that by the time Catherine met Reggie, she was already 163 00:12:14,990 --> 00:12:18,490 Speaker 1: experienced with drugs and that Ms. McCullough did not need 164 00:12:18,690 --> 00:12:24,020 Speaker 1: any quote-unquote encouragement from Reggie Watts. But Catherine's friends and 165 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 1: family believe the opposite. They claim that Watts pressured Catherine 166 00:12:29,179 --> 00:12:32,660 Speaker 1: and promoted drug use as a tool for intimacy. One 167 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: of Catherine's friends who spoke to Rolling Stone anonymously stated 168 00:12:36,850 --> 00:12:40,450 Speaker 1: that Catherine wouldn't have fried her brain without the encouragement 169 00:12:40,510 --> 00:12:45,210 Speaker 1: of her boyfriend, who regularly promoted psychedelics and other designer drugs, 170 00:12:45,929 --> 00:12:49,710 Speaker 1: again in an effort to achieve intimacy in their relationship. 171 00:12:50,730 --> 00:12:55,829 Speaker 1: Catherine's sister, Colleen McCullough, put it simply, I feel very 172 00:12:55,950 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 1: strongly that the sister that I knew before this relationship 173 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,340 Speaker 1: would still be here if she had never met him. 174 00:13:03,429 --> 00:13:07,069 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts' attorney, Andrew Brettler, said in a statement that 175 00:13:07,110 --> 00:13:10,750 Speaker 1: to suggest that his client was responsible for the suicide 176 00:13:10,790 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: of Catherine McCullough is again dangerously false and a preconceived narrative. 177 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:21,060 Speaker 1: But it's a narrative that's easy to understand when you 178 00:13:21,100 --> 00:13:26,420 Speaker 1: consider everything Reggie Watts said about psychedelics and ketamine over 179 00:13:26,460 --> 00:13:34,990 Speaker 1: the past few years. It's a microphone like any other. 180 00:13:35,590 --> 00:13:39,170 Speaker 1: Just like the thousands you've seen before. Except this one 181 00:13:39,309 --> 00:13:42,390 Speaker 1: isn't set up on stage. It's on your desk in 182 00:13:42,410 --> 00:13:46,460 Speaker 1: your office. However, this doesn't make the mic any less 183 00:13:46,500 --> 00:13:49,500 Speaker 1: of an instrument or any less of a tool or 184 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:53,820 Speaker 1: a weapon. Because you're Reggie Watts and if there's one 185 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:57,500 Speaker 1: thing you know, it's how to work a mic. It's 186 00:13:57,540 --> 00:14:02,250 Speaker 1: the early 2020s, post-COVID. All the world is an improv 187 00:14:02,270 --> 00:14:04,670 Speaker 1: stage and Now you don't even have to leave your 188 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,380 Speaker 1: house to climb up onto it and entertain millions. You 189 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,300 Speaker 1: can do so in your crusty jammies on Zoom in 190 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,600 Speaker 1: conversation with B-list celebrities over the internet and wax poetic 191 00:14:15,700 --> 00:14:19,320 Speaker 1: on any subject under the sun. And no surprise, you're 192 00:14:19,420 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts, so you're really, really good at this. Soon, 193 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: the podcasters themselves will become celebrities and COVID will end 194 00:14:27,740 --> 00:14:30,180 Speaker 1: and you'll bring your charisma and all the smart things 195 00:14:30,220 --> 00:14:32,140 Speaker 1: you have to say about all the smart things your 196 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,100 Speaker 1: smart podcast listening fans want to listen to you talk 197 00:14:35,140 --> 00:14:39,380 Speaker 1: about into new podcast studios and lay your rap down 198 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:42,700 Speaker 1: in front of real cameras for fans of Joe Rogan, 199 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:47,250 Speaker 1: Mark Maron, Rainn Wilson, Conan O'Brien, and others. And in 200 00:14:47,260 --> 00:14:50,990 Speaker 1: these interviews, just like you do with print journalists, sooner 201 00:14:51,030 --> 00:14:55,930 Speaker 1: or later, you'll turn the conversation toward your favorite subject, drugs. 202 00:14:56,810 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: Not in a juvenile Cheech and Chong kind of way, 203 00:14:59,410 --> 00:15:05,900 Speaker 1: but in a more Vox-approved, I'm-here-to-explain-this-to-all-you-kiddos kind of way. It's 204 00:15:06,020 --> 00:15:09,980 Speaker 1: psychedelic pseudo-intellectualism, the type of rap that says, I grew 205 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,680 Speaker 1: up reading Hunter S. Thompson. But it's also the type 206 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,420 Speaker 1: of rap Hunter S. Thompson would have hated, because you're 207 00:15:16,540 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 1: clearly in love with the sound of your own voice 208 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,260 Speaker 1: when you hear it extolling your love of narcotics, and 209 00:15:21,300 --> 00:15:24,910 Speaker 1: it's just a touch too Johnny Harris drugstore guinea pig 210 00:15:25,310 --> 00:15:30,170 Speaker 1: than it is Matt Dillon, drugstore cowboy. About ketamine, you say, 211 00:15:30,190 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: I love it. I think it's one of my favorite 212 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:36,420 Speaker 1: drugs ever. On falling into a K-hole, ketamine's version of 213 00:15:36,460 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: a bad trip, you say, I like going into a 214 00:15:39,300 --> 00:15:43,870 Speaker 1: K-hole because that's an incredible experience. You tell GQ that 215 00:15:43,910 --> 00:15:46,190 Speaker 1: ketamine is one of your top five things of 2023. 216 00:15:46,170 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: You tell Joe Rogan that Ketamine just puts you immediately 217 00:15:51,700 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 1: in a spot where you're no longer emotionally connected to 218 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:57,880 Speaker 1: your observational self, and that the drug helps you move 219 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: closer to your goal of full ego death. Shit like 220 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,700 Speaker 1: this makes you sound, to the right people anyway, really smart. 221 00:16:07,300 --> 00:16:10,990 Speaker 1: Until you go on Rainn Wilson's podcast and you spread disinformation, 222 00:16:11,070 --> 00:16:14,110 Speaker 1: which is ironic because you once had a comedy special 223 00:16:14,210 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 1: entitled Disinformation. When Rain pushes back on your positive claims 224 00:16:18,950 --> 00:16:22,430 Speaker 1: about ketamine by referencing actor Matthew Perry's addiction to the drug, 225 00:16:22,910 --> 00:16:26,250 Speaker 1: you're quick to say, whatever he died of, it wasn't ketamine. 226 00:16:26,830 --> 00:16:29,110 Speaker 1: It was like it was a drug addiction, and he 227 00:16:29,170 --> 00:16:32,930 Speaker 1: also had heart problems. There was a confluence. But that's 228 00:16:33,010 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: just an addict's rationalization. In this case, your own addict rationalization. 229 00:16:39,900 --> 00:16:44,070 Speaker 1: Matthew Perry quite literally died of the quote, acute effects 230 00:16:44,180 --> 00:16:48,370 Speaker 1: of ketamine with drowning as a contributing factor. But none 231 00:16:48,390 --> 00:16:52,290 Speaker 1: of that matters, because you're Reggie Watts, and shit, man, 232 00:16:52,550 --> 00:16:54,370 Speaker 1: if half of us were as evolved as you are, 233 00:16:54,650 --> 00:16:57,369 Speaker 1: if we were all just as curious and smart and 234 00:16:57,490 --> 00:16:59,970 Speaker 1: open to drugs and the deaths of our egos and 235 00:17:00,370 --> 00:17:05,050 Speaker 1: new James Bond leading man archetypes that put women first, well, damn, 236 00:17:05,750 --> 00:17:08,800 Speaker 1: wouldn't life just be a little more special? Wouldn't we 237 00:17:08,890 --> 00:17:12,780 Speaker 1: all just be a little better off? All of us, perhaps. 238 00:17:13,470 --> 00:17:44,710 Speaker 1: Except for Catherine McCullough. Catherine McCullough fell hard for Reggie Watts. 239 00:17:44,730 --> 00:17:49,619 Speaker 1: Or maybe fell is the wrong verb. Catherine sank. Sank 240 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 1: down into a relationship that existed on a lower plane 241 00:17:53,580 --> 00:17:58,440 Speaker 1: than the frequency her life normally vibrated on. Catherine was 242 00:17:58,540 --> 00:18:01,379 Speaker 1: one of those women who walked into a room and 243 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:05,940 Speaker 1: sucked away all the attention. She was tall, beautiful, buzzing 244 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,600 Speaker 1: with wit. She was serious about her future career in law, 245 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: passionate about art, film, comedy, and music, and outspoken about 246 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,850 Speaker 1: her passions with the kind of confidence afforded to someone 247 00:18:18,210 --> 00:18:22,970 Speaker 1: who knows exactly what they like. For Catherine, drugs were 248 00:18:23,050 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: merely a passing social interest, sneaking away from the party 249 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,410 Speaker 1: for a bump in the bathroom with friends. smoking grass, 250 00:18:31,750 --> 00:18:35,490 Speaker 1: experimenting with ecstasy at a rave or whatever, and yes, 251 00:18:35,930 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 1: even trying ketamine. But compared to her new boyfriend's drug 252 00:18:40,580 --> 00:18:46,060 Speaker 1: experience and daily drug use, Catherine was putting up rookie numbers. This, 253 00:18:46,420 --> 00:18:50,230 Speaker 1: according to friends of Catherine's, was a constant area of 254 00:18:50,369 --> 00:18:56,070 Speaker 1: tension between the two. Reggie Watts treated ketamine as medicine 255 00:18:56,170 --> 00:18:59,969 Speaker 1: for the couple. The key to unlocking whatever psychosolution was 256 00:19:00,090 --> 00:19:04,060 Speaker 1: necessary to move him and Catherine beyond their mental blocks, 257 00:19:04,140 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: to detach from the weight of their egos, to help 258 00:19:07,740 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: evolve into the people that the universe intended them to be. 259 00:19:13,140 --> 00:19:17,610 Speaker 1: Evolution was the goal, and so drugs, ketamine mainly, and 260 00:19:17,750 --> 00:19:21,970 Speaker 1: at times other designer drugs and psychedelics, were rungs on 261 00:19:21,990 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 1: the ladder to transcend into higher consciousness. If this all 262 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:31,920 Speaker 1: sounds woo-woo, it's because it is. Reggie Watts believed this, 263 00:19:32,180 --> 00:19:35,340 Speaker 1: and Catherine McCullough, who prior to meeting Reggie Watts was, 264 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:39,609 Speaker 1: as her friends described, the least woo-woo, fully bought into 265 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:43,750 Speaker 1: this rap because she viewed Reggie Watts as someone who 266 00:19:43,810 --> 00:19:48,790 Speaker 1: was special. His career, his success, his personality, the way 267 00:19:48,830 --> 00:19:51,710 Speaker 1: he spoke, the way people listened to him, the light 268 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: that he brought into every room, all that charisma. Why 269 00:19:55,880 --> 00:20:01,739 Speaker 1: wouldn't Reggie Watts have special knowledge? Catherine was hooked. She 270 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:06,430 Speaker 1: invested everything she had into their relationship. She sidelined her career. 271 00:20:06,510 --> 00:20:09,669 Speaker 1: She devoted her time and energy into Reggie's when The 272 00:20:09,710 --> 00:20:13,209 Speaker 1: Late Late Show was canceled. The pair made plans to 273 00:20:13,250 --> 00:20:17,580 Speaker 1: produce a new comedy special. Catherine self-funded one of Reggie's 274 00:20:17,660 --> 00:20:21,219 Speaker 1: web series and helped Reggie on the road, accompanying him 275 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:26,419 Speaker 1: to shows and to festival dates. Catherine also accompanied Reggie 276 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:30,909 Speaker 1: on his spiritual quest, which meant Catherine McCullough did a 277 00:20:30,980 --> 00:20:35,909 Speaker 1: lot of drugs alongside Reggie Watts. A Cornell friend of 278 00:20:35,990 --> 00:20:45,520 Speaker 1: Catherine said that with Reggie, Catherine used LSD, MDMA, DMT, MMCs, cocaine, Ritalin, Adderall, ketamine, Xanax, Valium, 279 00:20:45,580 --> 00:20:49,640 Speaker 1: and Modifinil. And that Reggie, quote, really took her to 280 00:20:49,660 --> 00:20:55,179 Speaker 1: the edge. But unlike Reggie Watts, Catherine McCullough was no psychonaut. 281 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,419 Speaker 1: When it came to drugs, her constitution was not as 282 00:20:58,530 --> 00:21:03,940 Speaker 1: solid as her more experienced boyfriend's. Still, Catherine's friends say 283 00:21:04,100 --> 00:21:08,889 Speaker 1: Reggie continuously pushed her to keep up with him in 284 00:21:08,930 --> 00:21:12,510 Speaker 1: an effort to achieve greater connection in their relationship and 285 00:21:12,550 --> 00:21:15,629 Speaker 1: that Catherine came to believe that she could only fully 286 00:21:15,869 --> 00:21:19,340 Speaker 1: access the intimate side of her partner through their shared 287 00:21:19,460 --> 00:21:25,020 Speaker 1: drug experience. Catherine's Cornell friend also said that Reggie was 288 00:21:25,180 --> 00:21:29,169 Speaker 1: constantly pushing her boundaries and trying to convince her that 289 00:21:29,210 --> 00:21:31,290 Speaker 1: she should be taking the same dose as him or 290 00:21:31,330 --> 00:21:34,649 Speaker 1: at least a heavier dose than what she thought she wanted. 291 00:21:36,050 --> 00:21:39,130 Speaker 1: So that's what she did. And that's when the K-holes 292 00:21:39,230 --> 00:21:44,109 Speaker 1: started to swallow her up. What's a K-hole, you ask? Well, 293 00:21:44,210 --> 00:21:47,810 Speaker 1: according to the research I've done in the Arrowhead Archive, 294 00:21:48,210 --> 00:21:52,960 Speaker 1: according to the many first-hand depictions I've read detailing subjective 295 00:21:53,100 --> 00:22:05,850 Speaker 1: psychoactive experiences, a K-hole is something like this. The K-hole 296 00:22:05,950 --> 00:22:10,409 Speaker 1: stretches out before you. An endless geometric tunnel. This is 297 00:22:10,470 --> 00:22:15,090 Speaker 1: what you bargained for. A new experience. But you want detachment. 298 00:22:16,090 --> 00:22:19,149 Speaker 1: Right now, you're fully in your head. A different room, 299 00:22:19,250 --> 00:22:24,750 Speaker 1: but nonetheless still contained by the familiar. Then, the blackness 300 00:22:24,790 --> 00:22:27,810 Speaker 1: of the tunnel engulfs you. You're anchored by the weight 301 00:22:27,850 --> 00:22:31,830 Speaker 1: of it all. Infinity. And then, that feeling you get. 302 00:22:32,330 --> 00:22:35,550 Speaker 1: when the roller coaster lurches to life for the first time. 303 00:22:36,130 --> 00:22:39,770 Speaker 1: You feel yourself skip ahead and stop, but you feel 304 00:22:39,790 --> 00:22:45,400 Speaker 1: yourself differently than ever before. You're now experiencing yourself from 305 00:22:45,500 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 1: beyond yourself and that feeling you just had of something 306 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:52,360 Speaker 1: about to happen. It was like the excitement you get 307 00:22:52,420 --> 00:22:54,960 Speaker 1: when something good is about to happen for someone else, 308 00:22:55,460 --> 00:22:59,989 Speaker 1: but that feeling is now accompanied, not overcome, not replaced, 309 00:23:00,430 --> 00:23:07,669 Speaker 1: accompanied by by intense isolation, loneliness. When was the last 310 00:23:07,750 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 1: time you felt two competing feelings at the exact same time? Never. 311 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:15,879 Speaker 1: It's clear to you now. You are somewhere else, and 312 00:23:15,900 --> 00:23:19,660 Speaker 1: the ride is about to start, and then you're off. 313 00:23:21,260 --> 00:23:24,300 Speaker 1: The blackness that surrounds you is now paced with parallel 314 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:28,180 Speaker 1: white lines. They race alongside you and you're speeding away 315 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,449 Speaker 1: from something faster than you've ever felt or seen anything 316 00:23:31,510 --> 00:23:34,270 Speaker 1: move before. And all you can think is you're racing 317 00:23:34,330 --> 00:23:39,670 Speaker 1: away from yourself. That's when the terror hits. What have 318 00:23:39,690 --> 00:23:44,119 Speaker 1: you done? Death. This is it. You're gone. You're no more. 319 00:23:44,460 --> 00:23:47,100 Speaker 1: The fear you feel isn't in your stomach. It's in 320 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:49,620 Speaker 1: the stomach that used to be yours. And it's not 321 00:23:49,660 --> 00:23:52,220 Speaker 1: that familiar feeling of fear. The one you had back 322 00:23:52,260 --> 00:23:54,810 Speaker 1: when you were alive. The kind of fear that sank 323 00:23:55,070 --> 00:24:00,149 Speaker 1: like a pin. This fear is buoyant, unsettled, alive. It's 324 00:24:00,230 --> 00:24:04,390 Speaker 1: its own monster. It scratches at the inside of what 325 00:24:04,630 --> 00:24:08,790 Speaker 1: was you. You experience the pain as a phantom sensation, 326 00:24:09,109 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: like a lost limb. You see the emptiness expanding as 327 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,740 Speaker 1: you race toward nothing grows faster. Still, the white lines 328 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 1: hurtling by you are multiplying, stacking onto one another. You 329 00:24:21,020 --> 00:24:24,760 Speaker 1: wonder if what you're witnessing is the scaffolding of the universe. 330 00:24:24,900 --> 00:24:29,119 Speaker 1: If that's true, then does this answer the question? Is 331 00:24:29,220 --> 00:24:34,990 Speaker 1: this death? Is death, just like life, all movement? But 332 00:24:35,030 --> 00:24:39,369 Speaker 1: instead of moving closer to yourself, toward a better understanding 333 00:24:39,470 --> 00:24:43,629 Speaker 1: of yourself, toward the best version of yourself, you know, 334 00:24:44,010 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 1: you know you're moving in the opposite direction, away from yourself. 335 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:53,960 Speaker 1: Are you now just a soul? Is your body no more? 336 00:24:54,380 --> 00:24:57,920 Speaker 1: Is your life lost? What have you done? What will 337 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 1: happen to the people you left behind, the people you love, 338 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:07,730 Speaker 1: the people who love you? Suddenly, you're lucid. You understand 339 00:25:07,970 --> 00:25:11,450 Speaker 1: exactly who you are and what you did to get here. 340 00:25:11,770 --> 00:25:15,870 Speaker 1: What you did. The voices appear in legions. They whisper 341 00:25:15,930 --> 00:25:19,770 Speaker 1: and then they scream. This is your fault. Just like 342 00:25:20,030 --> 00:25:25,629 Speaker 1: everything else, you'll never love the way God intended. Because 343 00:25:25,750 --> 00:25:29,990 Speaker 1: you are no more. If detachment was the goal, then 344 00:25:30,109 --> 00:25:38,130 Speaker 1: mission fucking accomplished. Goodbye, cruel world. Hello, self-obliteration. Outside of yourself, 345 00:25:38,510 --> 00:25:41,980 Speaker 1: you watch what was you tangle through time. It's an 346 00:25:42,300 --> 00:25:45,859 Speaker 1: endless loop. Time is measured in proportion to the weight 347 00:25:45,980 --> 00:25:50,419 Speaker 1: you no longer distribute, which is metric tons, not mere seconds. 348 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:55,250 Speaker 1: You're watching a movie that never ends, and the main character, you, 349 00:25:55,650 --> 00:25:59,490 Speaker 1: is no longer what you once were. How did this happen? 350 00:25:59,859 --> 00:26:02,700 Speaker 1: You were so beautiful, so full of life, and now 351 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,590 Speaker 1: here in this place, you're transposed into a knotted ball 352 00:26:06,630 --> 00:26:11,109 Speaker 1: of interconnected nerves. There are no endings, just more endless loops. 353 00:26:11,270 --> 00:26:15,150 Speaker 1: Gone are your curves and imperfections. What made you you? 354 00:26:15,450 --> 00:26:19,700 Speaker 1: You've been replaced by an amorphous ball of rubber-banded anxiety 355 00:26:19,859 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: hurtling through time and space. The only benefit now is 356 00:26:23,820 --> 00:26:27,870 Speaker 1: that in this place, here, outside of yourself, you can 357 00:26:28,070 --> 00:26:32,550 Speaker 1: see yourself plainly for what you are. And that's got 358 00:26:32,570 --> 00:26:35,350 Speaker 1: to count for something, right? That's what he would think. 359 00:26:35,950 --> 00:26:40,350 Speaker 1: Knowing yourself, that knowledge. Well, you wonder what happened to you. 360 00:26:40,950 --> 00:26:43,609 Speaker 1: And the regret hits you like an amyl nitrate shock 361 00:26:43,650 --> 00:26:46,629 Speaker 1: to the heart. You feel the world in your throat, 362 00:26:46,950 --> 00:26:49,580 Speaker 1: which is a good thing because now you can feel 363 00:26:49,619 --> 00:26:52,929 Speaker 1: your throat. And then you heave, and the roller coaster 364 00:26:52,950 --> 00:26:55,820 Speaker 1: you started this trip on wrenches up from your stomach, 365 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:58,900 Speaker 1: through your esophagus, and out of your mouth and into 366 00:26:58,940 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: the toilet as you pass out on the cold bathroom floor. 367 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:07,020 Speaker 1: When you wake up, back in your body, you're alive, 368 00:27:07,660 --> 00:27:14,950 Speaker 1: but you'll never be the same. Catherine McCullough, by her 369 00:27:15,130 --> 00:27:19,300 Speaker 1: own account, as recalled in writings from the Recovered Notes 370 00:27:19,490 --> 00:27:25,359 Speaker 1: app on her iPhone, Cahold extremely hard many times during 371 00:27:25,420 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 1: her relationship with Reggie Watts. When her father died in 2025, 372 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 1: a life event that her life partner, Reggie Watts, mostly 373 00:27:34,820 --> 00:27:38,240 Speaker 1: left her alone to contend with, reportedly telling her, I 374 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:43,110 Speaker 1: don't do grief anymore. This event sent Catherine and Reggie 375 00:27:43,210 --> 00:27:48,109 Speaker 1: searching for something else to help with the grief. The 376 00:27:48,150 --> 00:27:55,110 Speaker 1: couple decided to take Bufo, an extremely intense psychedelic. Reggie Watts' 377 00:27:55,170 --> 00:28:00,510 Speaker 1: attorney claims Catherine initiated and organized the Bufo trip. Through 378 00:28:00,550 --> 00:28:03,980 Speaker 1: his attorney, Reggie Watts claims he did not witness any 379 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,540 Speaker 1: of what is alleged by Catherine McCullough's loved ones to 380 00:28:07,580 --> 00:28:13,300 Speaker 1: have happened next. After taking Bufo, they claim that Catherine 381 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:19,920 Speaker 1: experienced unshakable side effects, weeks of nightmares, panic attacks, anxiety, 382 00:28:20,290 --> 00:28:25,760 Speaker 1: and intense depression. Post-Bufo, Catherine McCullough entered a state of 383 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: near constant mania, crafting bizarre social media posts, firing off 384 00:28:31,700 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: odd texts to friends, and beginning work on what she 385 00:28:35,380 --> 00:28:41,350 Speaker 1: was calling a working, complete, unified theory of infinite, eternal love. 386 00:28:42,810 --> 00:28:46,250 Speaker 1: It was around this time of grief and mania that 387 00:28:46,270 --> 00:28:51,590 Speaker 1: the object of Catherine's apparently infinite love, Reggie Watts, decided 388 00:28:51,670 --> 00:28:57,780 Speaker 1: to break up with her. We'll be right back after 389 00:28:57,820 --> 00:29:09,910 Speaker 1: this word, word, word. As a fan of music, of comedy, 390 00:29:10,130 --> 00:29:13,070 Speaker 1: as someone who follows the world of entertainment, as someone 391 00:29:13,130 --> 00:29:16,430 Speaker 1: conscious of culture and the people who shape it, as 392 00:29:16,470 --> 00:29:19,410 Speaker 1: someone hyper aware of the moment we're living in right now. 393 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:23,560 Speaker 1: When I think about Reggie Watts, it's difficult to understand 394 00:29:24,020 --> 00:29:27,140 Speaker 1: just who this guy is and what he's really like. 395 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:30,430 Speaker 1: I don't know him. I've never met him. I have 396 00:29:30,470 --> 00:29:32,970 Speaker 1: a vague recollection of being at a party or an 397 00:29:33,030 --> 00:29:35,990 Speaker 1: event once and knowing that he was there. But beyond that, 398 00:29:36,430 --> 00:29:39,950 Speaker 1: I've had no interaction with him. But I do know people. 399 00:29:40,140 --> 00:29:42,770 Speaker 1: who have. People who have worked with him. People who 400 00:29:42,810 --> 00:29:46,190 Speaker 1: have socialized with him. People who are close with people 401 00:29:46,290 --> 00:29:49,890 Speaker 1: who are close with him. Not surprisingly, they paint a 402 00:29:49,950 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 1: different picture of Reggie Watts than the one Reggie Watts 403 00:29:53,420 --> 00:29:57,900 Speaker 1: paints of himself. Now, I say this is not surprising 404 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:01,900 Speaker 1: because almost every celebrity on the planet does this. What 405 00:30:01,940 --> 00:30:05,740 Speaker 1: they reveal to the public is often an exaggerated and 406 00:30:06,110 --> 00:30:09,850 Speaker 1: sanitized version of who they really are. And this shouldn't 407 00:30:09,890 --> 00:30:12,750 Speaker 1: come as a shock to anyone. It's human nature to 408 00:30:12,770 --> 00:30:15,510 Speaker 1: want the public to only see the good side of you. 409 00:30:15,550 --> 00:30:18,070 Speaker 1: We all do it to some degree, but most of 410 00:30:18,170 --> 00:30:23,470 Speaker 1: us aren't famous. Reggie Watts is, and he's an entertainer. 411 00:30:24,140 --> 00:30:28,570 Speaker 1: Even in his autobiography, he's entertaining us. Sure, he's vulnerable 412 00:30:28,630 --> 00:30:31,890 Speaker 1: at times, and yeah, he's revealing, but every word of 413 00:30:31,950 --> 00:30:34,930 Speaker 1: it is written with the primary intent of getting us 414 00:30:34,970 --> 00:30:38,500 Speaker 1: to turn the page, to keep reading, to stay interested 415 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:43,460 Speaker 1: in Reggie Watts. So when he paints this fantasy version 416 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:45,810 Speaker 1: of himself, when he says things like he wanted to 417 00:30:45,850 --> 00:30:48,830 Speaker 1: be a kind of James Bond who respected women, or 418 00:30:49,050 --> 00:30:51,650 Speaker 1: that At an early age, he had fallen in love 419 00:30:51,690 --> 00:30:54,510 Speaker 1: with the idea of being the perfect boyfriend, of being 420 00:30:54,930 --> 00:30:58,770 Speaker 1: trapped by his fantasies, and that he had this idea 421 00:30:58,810 --> 00:31:03,100 Speaker 1: of himself giving presents and how he loved being romantic, 422 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: constantly coming up with new ways to prove his devotion. 423 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 1: And then, in the next breath, explaining his promiscuity about 424 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,280 Speaker 1: meeting new fascinating women each night, well, you can't help 425 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:21,500 Speaker 1: but feel the ick because his entire spiel is couched 426 00:31:21,540 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 1: in the subtext of i love women and i'll never 427 00:31:24,740 --> 00:31:28,320 Speaker 1: settle on just one because i'm just too damn special 428 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:31,640 Speaker 1: but hey man it's cool because i'm reggie watts and 429 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:35,790 Speaker 1: i respect women i've read bust and ms magazine articles 430 00:31:36,310 --> 00:31:38,790 Speaker 1: or i've at least glanced at the headlines on instagram 431 00:31:39,070 --> 00:31:43,490 Speaker 1: my take on reggie watts is this If the series 432 00:31:43,550 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 1: Portlandia was going to create a character who was your 433 00:31:47,130 --> 00:31:51,780 Speaker 1: dream of the 90s is alive neighborhood Lothario, someone comfortable 434 00:31:51,820 --> 00:31:55,420 Speaker 1: in conversation with Candace and Tony at Women and Women First, 435 00:31:55,480 --> 00:32:00,820 Speaker 1: someone who instinctively understood when to perfectly time Nina's safe word, 436 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:04,700 Speaker 1: someone who Portlanders knew was a major stick man around town, 437 00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:08,710 Speaker 1: yet accepted his behavior because of his thoroughly modern views 438 00:32:08,830 --> 00:32:14,480 Speaker 1: on monogamy, polygamy, and feminism, views he expertly articulated within 439 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:19,120 Speaker 1: the lexicon of bullshitty voxism, someone whose charm was abundant, 440 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:22,920 Speaker 1: whose look was not only unique, but the opposite of 441 00:32:22,980 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 1: what you'd expect from your local player, well, if I 442 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:31,430 Speaker 1: was writing this character for Portlandia, Reggie Watts would be 443 00:32:31,470 --> 00:32:36,450 Speaker 1: the perfect inspiration to base him on. But the question remains, 444 00:32:37,250 --> 00:32:40,940 Speaker 1: is Reggie Watts the dude your mother warned you and 445 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:49,100 Speaker 1: or your sister about? In the spring of 2025, after 446 00:32:49,140 --> 00:32:52,450 Speaker 1: being involved with Reggie Watts romantically for over a year, 447 00:32:52,930 --> 00:32:56,090 Speaker 1: Catherine McCullough was well aware of her addiction to drugs. 448 00:32:56,870 --> 00:33:00,190 Speaker 1: She reportedly told her sister, Colleen McCullough, I think I 449 00:33:00,230 --> 00:33:04,540 Speaker 1: have an addiction problem. Colleen claims Catherine was reluctant to 450 00:33:04,620 --> 00:33:08,310 Speaker 1: tell Reggie Watts about her problem, confiding in her sister that, 451 00:33:08,830 --> 00:33:11,690 Speaker 1: I've got to prepare for it because he's not going 452 00:33:11,710 --> 00:33:18,070 Speaker 1: to like it. During the same period, a friend of Catherine's, 453 00:33:18,250 --> 00:33:22,630 Speaker 1: Brylin May, told Rolling Stone that he noticed an extreme 454 00:33:22,730 --> 00:33:27,840 Speaker 1: personality change and the chiseling away and erosion of her independence. 455 00:33:28,790 --> 00:33:32,350 Speaker 1: Brylin says that with Catherine, he tried the tough love approach, 456 00:33:32,430 --> 00:33:35,550 Speaker 1: but that he could not break the spell he, Reggie, 457 00:33:35,990 --> 00:33:39,910 Speaker 1: had over her. And other friends and family members had 458 00:33:39,990 --> 00:33:42,620 Speaker 1: started at this point to believe that when it came 459 00:33:42,650 --> 00:33:47,100 Speaker 1: to Catherine McCullough and Reggie Watts' relationship, there were aspects 460 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: that were abusive. Recovered writing from Catherine's Notes app from 461 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:58,590 Speaker 1: this time says the following. My partner is not totally 462 00:33:58,650 --> 00:34:03,650 Speaker 1: supportive of me resting or abstaining from drugs. I feel 463 00:34:03,730 --> 00:34:08,180 Speaker 1: his judgment slash resistance when I abstain or barely partake 464 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:12,140 Speaker 1: or want to do more research before partaking because it 465 00:34:12,180 --> 00:34:14,980 Speaker 1: confronts him with a message about his own drug use 466 00:34:15,020 --> 00:34:18,399 Speaker 1: that he is not ready to receive yet. She notes, 467 00:34:18,660 --> 00:34:21,560 Speaker 1: there are absolutely things I could do to improve this 468 00:34:21,660 --> 00:34:25,379 Speaker 1: by asserting stronger boundaries and but I also need his 469 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:30,480 Speaker 1: support and understanding. And on a 2025 trip to Berlin, 470 00:34:30,980 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: Catherine McCullough would most definitely need Reggie Watts' support and understanding. 471 00:34:42,810 --> 00:34:47,010 Speaker 1: During the summer of 2025, while Catherine McCullough was dealing 472 00:34:47,070 --> 00:34:51,509 Speaker 1: with the negative effects of her Bufo trip, extreme anxiety, depression, 473 00:34:51,610 --> 00:34:56,250 Speaker 1: and being in an on-again, off-again panic state, she accompanied 474 00:34:56,290 --> 00:35:00,660 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts on a trip to Europe. While in Berlin, 475 00:35:00,860 --> 00:35:03,880 Speaker 1: Catherine's mania took hold of her. According to a visiting 476 00:35:03,940 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 1: friend who spoke anonymously to Rolling Stone under the name Dakota, 477 00:35:08,020 --> 00:35:11,140 Speaker 1: Catherine was acting erratic, manic, and appeared to be in 478 00:35:11,580 --> 00:35:15,760 Speaker 1: need of medical help. Throughout it all, Catherine continued partying 479 00:35:15,900 --> 00:35:20,649 Speaker 1: alongside Reggie and their friends. Reggie Watts claims he took 480 00:35:20,710 --> 00:35:24,380 Speaker 1: Catherine to a doctor. Rolling Stone reported that three people 481 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:28,840 Speaker 1: claimed Reggie seemed desperate to rid himself of McCullough amid 482 00:35:29,060 --> 00:35:32,880 Speaker 1: this incident. What is beyond dispute is what happened next. 483 00:35:33,450 --> 00:35:36,210 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts and Catherine McCullough, because of the episode she 484 00:35:36,250 --> 00:35:39,890 Speaker 1: was having, departed Europe for Los Angeles. When they landed 485 00:35:39,910 --> 00:35:43,810 Speaker 1: at LAX, Catherine was hardly able to walk. She was 486 00:35:43,830 --> 00:35:47,050 Speaker 1: in a bad way. She soiled herself. and her friends 487 00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:51,200 Speaker 1: took her immediately to the hospital. Reggie Watts did not 488 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:55,339 Speaker 1: accompany his struggling girlfriend. Instead, he went home to catch 489 00:35:55,420 --> 00:36:04,380 Speaker 1: up on some sleep. This does not sound like the 490 00:36:04,460 --> 00:36:08,489 Speaker 1: perfect boyfriend. Not by a long shot. Nor does it 491 00:36:08,550 --> 00:36:12,750 Speaker 1: sound like Reggie's fantasy of himself, of proving his devotion. 492 00:36:13,500 --> 00:36:17,460 Speaker 1: It sounds like a nightmare narcissist boyfriend whose chief concern 493 00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:22,299 Speaker 1: was himself. After the incident at LAX and the manic 494 00:36:22,390 --> 00:36:26,390 Speaker 1: state she'd endured in Berlin and on the plane, Catherine 495 00:36:26,430 --> 00:36:30,970 Speaker 1: was treated at the hospital overnight and sent home. That's 496 00:36:31,070 --> 00:36:35,690 Speaker 1: when the nightmare began for real. Catherine, according to friends, 497 00:36:36,050 --> 00:36:38,469 Speaker 1: felt like Reggie couldn't get rid of her fast enough. 498 00:36:39,050 --> 00:36:41,530 Speaker 1: And while she dealt with her anxiety and the lingering 499 00:36:41,590 --> 00:36:46,279 Speaker 1: effects from her bufo trip, Reggie continued to party. It 500 00:36:46,300 --> 00:36:49,520 Speaker 1: was while Catherine McCullough was in this fragile mental state 501 00:36:49,940 --> 00:36:54,420 Speaker 1: that Reggie Watts ended their relationship. The fantasy of the 502 00:36:54,460 --> 00:37:00,299 Speaker 1: perfect boyfriend was now officially dead. Without Reggie, Catherine felt 503 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:04,660 Speaker 1: she had nothing. She'd invested her whole life into him. 504 00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:08,480 Speaker 1: She worked for him, lived with him, adored him, accompanied 505 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:13,129 Speaker 1: him on his drug-fueled explorations. accepted his philosophy on life, 506 00:37:13,410 --> 00:37:16,529 Speaker 1: on death, on just about everything, and now all of 507 00:37:16,610 --> 00:37:20,450 Speaker 1: it had been ripped away from her. The loss was 508 00:37:20,510 --> 00:37:23,730 Speaker 1: beyond anything Catherine had felt before. It was like a 509 00:37:23,790 --> 00:37:26,969 Speaker 1: part of her foundational self had been removed, like some 510 00:37:27,010 --> 00:37:31,710 Speaker 1: sort of ego appendectomy. Not only was Catherine contending with 511 00:37:31,750 --> 00:37:33,590 Speaker 1: the loss of who she thought was the love of 512 00:37:33,630 --> 00:37:37,430 Speaker 1: her life, she was also fighting the dread and regret 513 00:37:37,489 --> 00:37:41,230 Speaker 1: that she felt over her cavalier drug use. explaining to 514 00:37:41,290 --> 00:37:43,950 Speaker 1: a friend that she was afraid she'd altered her brain 515 00:37:44,340 --> 00:37:49,460 Speaker 1: in an irreparable way. She rationalized her decisions by telling 516 00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:54,100 Speaker 1: friends that she, quote, really trusted the people she was around. 517 00:37:55,660 --> 00:38:00,180 Speaker 1: Catherine's writing from this period reveals exactly how Catherine felt. 518 00:38:01,030 --> 00:38:05,930 Speaker 1: I was in a relationship with a brilliant, handsome, sensitive, romantic, hilarious, 519 00:38:06,050 --> 00:38:10,759 Speaker 1: insanely talented and fun partner that ended, because I had 520 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:15,660 Speaker 1: a drug-induced manic episode. It made him lose his romantic 521 00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:19,870 Speaker 1: and sexual attraction to me to see me in that state. 522 00:38:20,650 --> 00:38:25,450 Speaker 1: Our relationship was dream-level romantic, and we loved being together 523 00:38:25,670 --> 00:38:30,219 Speaker 1: all the time. Catherine McCullough wrote that post on an 524 00:38:30,460 --> 00:38:41,500 Speaker 1: online suicide forum. The dimming love light in Catherine's life 525 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:45,200 Speaker 1: was blackened by the darkness masquerading as support on the 526 00:38:45,260 --> 00:38:51,230 Speaker 1: suicide forum. So-called goodbye threads on this website where vulnerable 527 00:38:51,290 --> 00:38:55,790 Speaker 1: people like Catherine narrated their last days, where community members 528 00:38:55,950 --> 00:39:00,489 Speaker 1: assisted others with step-by-step instructions on how to kill oneself. 529 00:39:01,350 --> 00:39:04,630 Speaker 1: All of it beamed off of Catherine's screen. There were 530 00:39:04,730 --> 00:39:11,180 Speaker 1: spirited conversations on methods, guns, gas, offers for meetups, guides 531 00:39:11,219 --> 00:39:13,719 Speaker 1: who would fly away with you IRL and help you 532 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:17,160 Speaker 1: catch the bus with a partner. There were heart and 533 00:39:17,219 --> 00:39:21,700 Speaker 1: thumbs up emojis posted in support of forum members' final decisions. 534 00:39:22,670 --> 00:39:28,630 Speaker 1: One word exclamations of praise for those who followed through, legend, hero, brave, 535 00:39:29,250 --> 00:39:32,640 Speaker 1: and the constant discussion around the sodium nitrate method and 536 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:37,000 Speaker 1: the pain-free exit it provided if done just right. The 537 00:39:37,060 --> 00:39:41,020 Speaker 1: conversation about the failure of therapy, the drugs that didn't work, 538 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,650 Speaker 1: the drugs that worked too well, loved ones lost and 539 00:39:44,690 --> 00:39:49,210 Speaker 1: lost love, and how life without them couldn't compete. Catherine 540 00:39:49,270 --> 00:39:51,990 Speaker 1: took it all in. And she posted on the forum, 541 00:39:52,690 --> 00:39:56,029 Speaker 1: doing really fun and stimulating things literally every day with 542 00:39:56,090 --> 00:39:59,010 Speaker 1: other incredible artists, sleeping in as late as I wanted, 543 00:39:59,430 --> 00:40:02,370 Speaker 1: sharing a beautiful home, not worrying about money for the 544 00:40:02,410 --> 00:40:06,290 Speaker 1: first time in my life, being spoiled with whatever I wanted. 545 00:40:06,830 --> 00:40:10,380 Speaker 1: His life is absolutely incredible and sharing it with him 546 00:40:10,410 --> 00:40:15,969 Speaker 1: was bliss, magic, unbelievable, beyond my wildest dreams. I can't 547 00:40:15,989 --> 00:40:18,050 Speaker 1: get over the stupid way I lost him and I 548 00:40:18,110 --> 00:40:20,500 Speaker 1: can't stand my life now compared to what it was 549 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:23,719 Speaker 1: with him. I also can't stand knowing I will never 550 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:26,800 Speaker 1: be remotely close to that happy again and knowing I 551 00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:29,360 Speaker 1: will never love someone nearly as much as him because 552 00:40:29,700 --> 00:40:33,219 Speaker 1: he is so the total package and singular. I think 553 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:36,200 Speaker 1: about him and memories of our life together literally every 554 00:40:36,260 --> 00:40:41,000 Speaker 1: waking moment and sometimes in my dreams too. Catherine McCullough 555 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:43,960 Speaker 1: then connected with a German man on the forums. and 556 00:40:43,980 --> 00:40:46,970 Speaker 1: they made plans to meet in real life. She got 557 00:40:47,030 --> 00:40:50,170 Speaker 1: on a plane, met the German man in Lima, and 558 00:40:50,210 --> 00:40:53,250 Speaker 1: then sent a text to Reggie Watts about the afterlife 559 00:40:54,030 --> 00:41:18,009 Speaker 1: and was gone. Catherine McCullough's body was discovered by Peruvian 560 00:41:18,430 --> 00:41:21,680 Speaker 1: authorities on March 28, 2026. She died by suicide. The 561 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:42,090 Speaker 1: note she left said the following, To everyone, this hurts. 562 00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:46,969 Speaker 1: I'm sorry that my peace came at your expense. I 563 00:41:47,030 --> 00:41:50,069 Speaker 1: hope you can forgive me. I hope it helps you 564 00:41:50,110 --> 00:41:52,930 Speaker 1: to know that the way I went was as peaceful 565 00:41:53,070 --> 00:41:56,969 Speaker 1: as possible. I know it's so selfish and losery to 566 00:41:57,090 --> 00:42:00,480 Speaker 1: quit because drugs gave me a mental illness that took 567 00:42:00,540 --> 00:42:04,200 Speaker 1: away the people in the life I loved. But I'm 568 00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:07,760 Speaker 1: tired and it hurts, and I can't trust that things 569 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:12,120 Speaker 1: get better. I believe that consciousness is an ocean containing 570 00:42:12,260 --> 00:42:16,080 Speaker 1: everything and that the individual corporeal self is only a 571 00:42:16,340 --> 00:42:20,820 Speaker 1: wave temporarily rising from it. I've returned to the ocean, 572 00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:23,860 Speaker 1: but I believe we bring our memories back with us. 573 00:42:24,570 --> 00:42:30,850 Speaker 1: Because of this, I will never forget or stop loving you. Understandably, 574 00:42:31,310 --> 00:42:36,770 Speaker 1: Catherine's family and friends were devastated by this news. Whatever 575 00:42:36,830 --> 00:42:41,760 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts' reaction was, Devastated is not the word anyone 576 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:45,049 Speaker 1: would use to describe how he presented himself in the 577 00:42:45,270 --> 00:42:57,529 Speaker 1: aftermath of his recent ex-girlfriend's death. Spring, 2026. News of 578 00:42:57,590 --> 00:43:03,420 Speaker 1: Catherine McCullough Reggie Watts' ex-girlfriend's death has broken out. In 579 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:06,800 Speaker 1: this aftermath, Reggie lies in his bed, staring up at 580 00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:09,940 Speaker 1: his phone and talking to his nearly half a million 581 00:43:10,020 --> 00:43:14,850 Speaker 1: followers on Instagram. He wants them to know that he's okay, 582 00:43:15,210 --> 00:43:18,410 Speaker 1: and Reggie is grateful for the support he's felt from friends, 583 00:43:18,510 --> 00:43:21,190 Speaker 1: and he's letting everyone know that he's okay and that 584 00:43:21,550 --> 00:43:25,089 Speaker 1: there's so much love pouring in from everybody and that 585 00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:30,620 Speaker 1: it's incredible to feel that love. Reggie preempts his critics. 586 00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:34,230 Speaker 1: He tells them, He's playing gigs because it feels good 587 00:43:34,290 --> 00:43:38,390 Speaker 1: and he's carrying Catherine's energy. It's good to know that 588 00:43:38,750 --> 00:43:42,310 Speaker 1: she's with him, he says. Reggie points to the drop 589 00:43:42,489 --> 00:43:45,910 Speaker 1: earring dangling from his right ear. He's proud to point 590 00:43:46,030 --> 00:43:49,310 Speaker 1: out that the earring is a gift from Catherine. He 591 00:43:49,350 --> 00:43:53,160 Speaker 1: casually mentions with a mischievous grin that the jewelry is 592 00:43:53,780 --> 00:43:59,800 Speaker 1: based on mycelium spores, the reproductive cells that produce psychedelic mushrooms. 593 00:44:01,150 --> 00:44:04,310 Speaker 1: And Reggie has heard from people who have heard from 594 00:44:04,330 --> 00:44:09,530 Speaker 1: other people, people on the other side. From psychics, he explains, 595 00:44:09,570 --> 00:44:13,160 Speaker 1: who have heard from Catherine since she caught the bus. 596 00:44:13,219 --> 00:44:17,440 Speaker 1: And don't worry, Reg, she's all right. So Reggie wants 597 00:44:17,660 --> 00:44:21,319 Speaker 1: everyone watching not to worry about him again because he's okay. 598 00:44:22,989 --> 00:44:26,540 Speaker 1: He loves himself, he says. Actually, what he literally says 599 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 1: is that he really loves himself and that he has 600 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:32,840 Speaker 1: a really great relationship with himself and that this is 601 00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:37,770 Speaker 1: what's getting him through the death of his ex-girlfriend. He 602 00:44:37,810 --> 00:44:44,089 Speaker 1: describes Catherine's death with words like elegant and intentional and beautiful. 603 00:44:44,570 --> 00:44:48,860 Speaker 1: He provides details about Catherine's death to his followers, details 604 00:44:48,900 --> 00:44:52,690 Speaker 1: that Catherine's family were not aware of. Details Reggie culled 605 00:44:52,750 --> 00:44:57,609 Speaker 1: from Catherine's devices. Details her grieving family would have appreciated 606 00:44:57,730 --> 00:45:01,030 Speaker 1: knowing before the public heard about them. But that didn't 607 00:45:01,090 --> 00:45:04,900 Speaker 1: occur to Reggie Watts. Neither did the tone deafness on 608 00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:07,840 Speaker 1: display in this post at the time it was shared, 609 00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:11,200 Speaker 1: which is likely why the post has since been deleted. 610 00:45:12,230 --> 00:45:16,630 Speaker 1: But there's another post that remains, and it's equally tone-deaf, 611 00:45:16,670 --> 00:45:20,190 Speaker 1: though it presents a different side of Reggie Watts. Less 612 00:45:20,390 --> 00:45:24,690 Speaker 1: grieving woo-woo teddy bear, and more of the drugged-out creative 613 00:45:24,810 --> 00:45:29,509 Speaker 1: Nighthawk lurking under the sympathetic surface. A different stage in 614 00:45:29,530 --> 00:45:36,180 Speaker 1: the seven ketamine stages of grief. You know, denial, guilt, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, 615 00:45:36,600 --> 00:45:41,160 Speaker 1: and k-holing on an Instagram Live. The post is titled, 616 00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:46,040 Speaker 1: Catherine vibes and features the appropriate heart emoji to really 617 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:50,420 Speaker 1: reinforce the love Reggie feels. He begins the live with 618 00:45:50,460 --> 00:45:54,779 Speaker 1: an off-the-cuff version of Fats Domino's Blueberry Hill, you know, 619 00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:57,710 Speaker 1: where he found his thrills, low-key stick man that he is, 620 00:45:58,030 --> 00:46:00,810 Speaker 1: and then he slides off screen and this is when 621 00:46:01,210 --> 00:46:04,930 Speaker 1: two distinct snorts can be heard. God, what could he 622 00:46:04,969 --> 00:46:09,530 Speaker 1: be doing, we're left to ask. He's so edgy. Back 623 00:46:09,650 --> 00:46:12,910 Speaker 1: on screen, The teddy bear eyes sag with the weight 624 00:46:12,950 --> 00:46:17,069 Speaker 1: of a neglected pharmaceutical recycling bin. He's lit only by 625 00:46:17,110 --> 00:46:21,400 Speaker 1: the glow of his laptop. The song he performs is Jagged, 626 00:46:21,660 --> 00:46:27,799 Speaker 1: an electronic vamp for Catherine. Catherine vibes. Before Reggie signs off, 627 00:46:27,860 --> 00:46:31,350 Speaker 1: he asks his followers to send all their love to Catherine. 628 00:46:31,750 --> 00:46:35,049 Speaker 1: And he reminds them that we're all here to entertain 629 00:46:35,170 --> 00:46:37,910 Speaker 1: one another and not to fall for what he calls 630 00:46:38,250 --> 00:46:42,440 Speaker 1: the hard traps. That they're not there, man. They're just hard. 631 00:46:49,460 --> 00:46:51,730 Speaker 1: I don't know what Reggie Watts means when he uses 632 00:46:51,790 --> 00:46:55,710 Speaker 1: the phrase hard traps, but I can only imagine that 633 00:46:55,750 --> 00:47:00,130 Speaker 1: it's post-Freudian psychonaut Cahill speak for the things in life 634 00:47:00,210 --> 00:47:04,160 Speaker 1: that are difficult. Like sacrifice. For the ones you love. 635 00:47:04,300 --> 00:47:07,780 Speaker 1: For the ones who are going through it. putting others first, 636 00:47:08,239 --> 00:47:11,860 Speaker 1: not being entirely centered on one's self. By the way, 637 00:47:11,900 --> 00:47:15,060 Speaker 1: we're not here primarily to entertain one another. We're here 638 00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:19,390 Speaker 1: to love one another. This is an important distinction for 639 00:47:19,450 --> 00:47:23,149 Speaker 1: a narcissist. The type of person who believes everything, even 640 00:47:23,230 --> 00:47:26,450 Speaker 1: the death of a loved one, is about them. When 641 00:47:26,469 --> 00:47:28,650 Speaker 1: there is nothing in the world that can be more 642 00:47:28,870 --> 00:47:33,169 Speaker 1: personal than the choice someone else makes to end their 643 00:47:33,410 --> 00:47:37,830 Speaker 1: own life. it is most certainly not about anybody other 644 00:47:37,969 --> 00:47:42,770 Speaker 1: than the person committing the final act. Since the story 645 00:47:42,810 --> 00:47:46,880 Speaker 1: about Reggie Watts and Catherine McCullough broke, the word abuse 646 00:47:47,040 --> 00:47:50,000 Speaker 1: has been thrown around quite a bit as a result 647 00:47:50,020 --> 00:47:55,280 Speaker 1: of the allegations from Catherine's family. They stated that had 648 00:47:55,440 --> 00:47:59,259 Speaker 1: Catherine never met Reggie, that had Reggie not pushed his 649 00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:04,030 Speaker 1: views on psychedelics and designer drugs onto Catherine, as they allege, 650 00:48:04,469 --> 00:48:09,219 Speaker 1: that Catherine would still be alive. Again, an allegation that 651 00:48:09,260 --> 00:48:14,660 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts' attorney, Andrew Brettler, calls dangerously false and a 652 00:48:14,739 --> 00:48:18,620 Speaker 1: preconceived narrative. Going on to say that by the time 653 00:48:18,680 --> 00:48:22,759 Speaker 1: Catherine McCullough met Reggie Watts, she was an experienced drug 654 00:48:22,910 --> 00:48:26,010 Speaker 1: user who did not need any encouragement from Reggie Watts. 655 00:48:27,469 --> 00:48:30,930 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts' attorney has stated that Reggie was never aware 656 00:48:31,010 --> 00:48:34,750 Speaker 1: of Catherine being suicidal and that not once during that 657 00:48:34,870 --> 00:48:37,950 Speaker 1: period did Catherine or any of her family members or 658 00:48:38,030 --> 00:48:43,850 Speaker 1: friends ever suggest to Reggie that she was suicidal. Narcissistic 659 00:48:43,930 --> 00:48:49,190 Speaker 1: behavior manifests in different ways. Five women, all exes of 660 00:48:49,270 --> 00:48:53,969 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts, detailed to Rolling Stone behavior that fell far 661 00:48:54,200 --> 00:48:58,880 Speaker 1: short of Reggie Watts' fantasy of being suicidal. the perfect boyfriend. 662 00:48:59,640 --> 00:49:03,009 Speaker 1: One of the exes claimed that Reggie surreptitiously filmed a 663 00:49:03,050 --> 00:49:06,610 Speaker 1: video of them having sex without her consent, that he 664 00:49:06,670 --> 00:49:10,250 Speaker 1: made her feel small, love-bombed her, iced her out, and 665 00:49:10,290 --> 00:49:14,910 Speaker 1: repeatedly tore down her self-esteem until she finally broke up 666 00:49:14,950 --> 00:49:18,390 Speaker 1: with him. Another ex claimed that Reggie had sex with 667 00:49:18,430 --> 00:49:22,239 Speaker 1: her without a condom while knowing he had an STD. 668 00:49:23,010 --> 00:49:26,739 Speaker 1: Reggie's lawyer says that this claim about the reckless transmission 669 00:49:26,780 --> 00:49:31,930 Speaker 1: of an STD by his client is false. Other exes 670 00:49:31,989 --> 00:49:34,810 Speaker 1: of Reggie Watts claimed that he prompted them to indulge 671 00:49:34,930 --> 00:49:39,870 Speaker 1: in substances and ultimately prioritized his needs over theirs in 672 00:49:39,910 --> 00:49:44,590 Speaker 1: a way that chipped away at their self-confidence. One ex-girlfriend 673 00:49:44,630 --> 00:49:49,239 Speaker 1: calling herself Anna, who dated Reggie back in 2018, said 674 00:49:49,280 --> 00:49:52,960 Speaker 1: that he's not who he projects himself to be publicly 675 00:49:53,380 --> 00:49:57,200 Speaker 1: and that, I've seen many people hurt or mishandled in 676 00:49:57,219 --> 00:50:02,390 Speaker 1: their relationship with him. Because of this alleged abuse, Reggie 677 00:50:02,450 --> 00:50:06,230 Speaker 1: Watts has lost festival gigs, he's had club gigs canceled, 678 00:50:06,590 --> 00:50:09,450 Speaker 1: and his theme song for the beloved Comedy Bang Bang 679 00:50:09,510 --> 00:50:14,600 Speaker 1: podcast has been replaced. But the word abuse is tricky. 680 00:50:15,330 --> 00:50:18,810 Speaker 1: Is Reggie Watts in any legal trouble for allegedly abusing 681 00:50:18,850 --> 00:50:23,049 Speaker 1: his ex-girlfriend for his alleged treatment of Catherine McCullough? It 682 00:50:23,090 --> 00:50:25,739 Speaker 1: doesn't appear so, and I doubt very much that either 683 00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:28,759 Speaker 1: he or his lawyer believe that they are in any 684 00:50:28,860 --> 00:50:34,360 Speaker 1: legal peril. With his cancelled gigs over alleged abuse, Reggie 685 00:50:34,420 --> 00:50:38,540 Speaker 1: Watts is now facing a less direct form of justice, 686 00:50:38,640 --> 00:50:42,340 Speaker 1: which is is ironic considering that narcissists often have an 687 00:50:42,480 --> 00:50:46,779 Speaker 1: indirect way in which they abuse their victims. Narcissists are 688 00:50:46,820 --> 00:50:50,899 Speaker 1: often funny, charming, magnetic. When they shine their light onto you, 689 00:50:51,400 --> 00:50:53,960 Speaker 1: it can feel like the power of a thousand suns 690 00:50:54,060 --> 00:50:57,610 Speaker 1: or at least the power of a beloved B-list celebrity. 691 00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:01,230 Speaker 1: But when the narcissist takes that shine away, when they 692 00:51:01,450 --> 00:51:05,069 Speaker 1: ice you out, you're left freezing on what feels like 693 00:51:05,110 --> 00:51:12,819 Speaker 1: the dark side of the moon. Earlier in this episode, 694 00:51:12,900 --> 00:51:15,340 Speaker 1: I tried looking at Reggie Watts through the lens of 695 00:51:15,430 --> 00:51:19,470 Speaker 1: John Hughes characters to better understand him. Is Reggie Watts 696 00:51:19,630 --> 00:51:24,030 Speaker 1: the archetypical Johnny Bender bad guy or a Ferris Bueller 697 00:51:24,350 --> 00:51:28,990 Speaker 1: good guy? I'm not sure he's either. Maybe we shouldn't 698 00:51:29,050 --> 00:51:32,180 Speaker 1: look to John Hughes for this answer, but to another 699 00:51:32,320 --> 00:51:36,960 Speaker 1: iconic 80s storyteller, Brett Easton Ellis and his less than 700 00:51:37,020 --> 00:51:42,359 Speaker 1: zero character, Julian, played by Robert Downey Jr. Julian isn't 701 00:51:42,480 --> 00:51:45,960 Speaker 1: entirely a bad guy or a good guy. He's funny, 702 00:51:46,060 --> 00:51:51,899 Speaker 1: he's charming, he's magnetic. But ultimately, he's narcissistic and destructive. 703 00:51:53,020 --> 00:51:56,370 Speaker 1: Reggie Watts feels more like a Julian than a Johnny 704 00:51:56,530 --> 00:52:00,509 Speaker 1: or a Ferris. And sure, my mom's old school, so 705 00:52:00,590 --> 00:52:04,549 Speaker 1: she'd probably call Julian a druggie, maybe even a dirtbag. 706 00:52:04,989 --> 00:52:08,370 Speaker 1: Definitely someone she'd tell my sisters to steer clear of. 707 00:52:09,030 --> 00:52:11,630 Speaker 1: But what do you think? After what you've heard in 708 00:52:11,690 --> 00:52:15,770 Speaker 1: this episode is Reggie Watts like Julian, the guy your 709 00:52:15,810 --> 00:52:20,129 Speaker 1: mother warned you and or your sister about. I leave 710 00:52:20,150 --> 00:52:23,360 Speaker 1: you with this. On top of everything Reggie Watts is 711 00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:27,420 Speaker 1: accused of by Catherine McCullough's family and friends and all 712 00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:31,219 Speaker 1: that he has denied, one thing he hasn't disputed is 713 00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:35,120 Speaker 1: that after Catherine died in Peru... Her loved ones started 714 00:52:35,180 --> 00:52:39,240 Speaker 1: a GoFundMe to raise the $ 20, 000 they needed to cover 715 00:52:39,260 --> 00:52:43,120 Speaker 1: the cost of bringing her body back to America. Reggie 716 00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:46,480 Speaker 1: Watts did not donate to the fund. He never even 717 00:52:46,560 --> 00:52:51,000 Speaker 1: shared the link with his followers. No matter what Reggie 718 00:52:51,040 --> 00:52:56,510 Speaker 1: Watts is or isn't, that, without a doubt, is a disgrace. 719 00:52:57,690 --> 00:53:11,819 Speaker 1: I'm Jake Brennan, and this is Disgraceland. All right, guys, 720 00:53:11,840 --> 00:53:15,219 Speaker 1: thanks for checking out this episode on Reggie Watts. What 721 00:53:15,239 --> 00:53:17,259 Speaker 1: do you think of Reggie Watts? Do you blame him 722 00:53:17,500 --> 00:53:20,910 Speaker 1: for the death of Catherine McCullough, as has been alleged 723 00:53:21,050 --> 00:53:24,190 Speaker 1: by his family and friends? That's a heavy allegation. What 724 00:53:24,210 --> 00:53:26,190 Speaker 1: do you think? I want to know. Is Reggie Watts, 725 00:53:26,469 --> 00:53:29,200 Speaker 1: in your eyes, the dude that your mom would have 726 00:53:29,239 --> 00:53:31,620 Speaker 1: warned you and or your sister about? Let me know. 617-906-6638. 727 00:53:31,620 --> 00:53:36,570 Speaker 1: Voicemail and text 617. Want to hear what you think 728 00:53:36,590 --> 00:53:42,150 Speaker 1: of this episode at DisgracelandPod on the socials, DisgracelandPod at gmail.com. 729 00:53:44,390 --> 00:53:47,390 Speaker 1: Disgraceland was created by yours truly and is produced in 730 00:53:47,430 --> 00:53:52,020 Speaker 1: partnership with Double Elvis, the Exactly Right Network, and iHeart Podcasts. 731 00:53:52,680 --> 00:53:54,919 Speaker 1: credits for this episode can be found on the show 732 00:53:54,960 --> 00:53:59,440 Speaker 1: notes page at disgracelandpod.com if you're listening as a disgraceland 733 00:53:59,600 --> 00:54:02,279 Speaker 1: all access member thank you for supporting the show we 734 00:54:02,360 --> 00:54:04,969 Speaker 1: really appreciate it and if not you can become a 735 00:54:05,010 --> 00:54:10,430 Speaker 1: member right now by going to disgracelandpod.com membership Members can 736 00:54:10,469 --> 00:54:14,500 Speaker 1: listen to every episode of Disgraceland ad-free. Rate and review 737 00:54:14,520 --> 00:54:17,000 Speaker 1: the show and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and 738 00:54:17,080 --> 00:54:24,690 Speaker 1: Facebook at DisgracelandPod and on YouTube at youtube.com slash at DisgracelandPod. Rock-a-rola. 739 00:54:27,110 --> 00:54:28,710 Speaker 1: He's a bad, bad man.