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Killer Mike says Americans know better by now -- weed doesn't cause the same harm as booze, cigarettes or even sugar ... so it's time to get progressive with the drug.

The Atlanta rapper and activist was on "TMZ Live" Thursday and gave us his take on the medical marijuana ad being blocked from airing during the Super Bowl. Mike says it's not fair to blame CBS or the NFL for this, because the U.S. as a whole has been too slow to accept the benefits of cannabis ... and it's shameful.

His solution -- citizens need to make sure promoting a progressive agenda on marijuana is top of mind when they go vote in the next elections ... so people like those in the rejected Acreage Holding PSA can get the help they need.

There's more -- if ya don't know, Killer Mike has a new show on Netflix called 'Trigger Warning,' where he gets creative dealing with some of America's biggest issues and controversies.

Case in point -- he thinks the notorious Crips and Bloods should capitalize on their brand to market their own sodas and have some friendly competition in the process. He points out that the mafia and biker gangs do it and cash in ... so it's only fair.

Bryan Singer will NOT be removed from his directing role on the remake of "Red Sonja" -- despite a bombshell report that details pedophilia allegations against him.

Avi Lerner of Millennium Media -- a producer for the upcoming film -- released a statement Thursday in support of Singer in the wake of the Atlantic article, in which 4 men claimed Singer had either molested or raped them as minors.

Lerner says, "I continue to be in development for Red Sonja and Bryan Singer continues to be attached." He adds, "The over $800 million Bohemian Rhapsody has grossed, making it the highest grossing drama in film history, is testament to his remarkable vision and acumen. I know the difference between agenda driven fake news and reality, and I am very comfortable with this decision. In America people are innocent until proven otherwise."

Singer denied the allegations and called the article a "homophobic smear piece" which rehashed "claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money or attention." He hasn't been charged with a crime related to the allegations.

Lots of folks were outraged that Singer was set to direct a movie about a fictionalized victim of sexual assault. Among the upset groups is GLAAD, which reacted to the Atlantic article by removing "Bohemian Rhapsody" from contention for its Media Awards this year.

Stephen Baldwin and Justin Bieber are two peas in a pod ... because Stephen says he sees a lot of himself in his son-in-law.

Stephen came on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked about his similarities to the Biebs, and Hailey's dad ran through a long list of things they share in common.

It's funny ... Stephen says he and Justin are like 2 big kids who just refuse to grow up!

As you know ... Stephen and Justin get along great, hitting up a music festival last summer for some family bonding.

As for JB and HB pushing back their wedding ceremony a third time. Stephen -- who stars in the new film, "The Least of These: The Graham Staines Story" -- says the couple's gonna take as much time as they need to make sure everything's perfect.

Call him Grow Montana ... because the NFL Hall of Famer is investing HEAVILY in the weed business.

62-year-old Joe Montana is one of the major investors of a company called Caliva -- a major legal marijuana operation out of San Jose, CA.

The company not only grows weed -- it also sells everything from joints to vape pens and even marijuana beverages.

Montana started a venture fund back in 2015 -- and when Caliva was seeking investors for a $75 million round of funding, Montana's company joined in.

Caliva CEO Dennis O'Malley issued a statement saying the company plans on opening retail stores in major cities in 2019.

He added, "What we’re trying to do is be the #1 brand in California ... We believe this is where global brands are made."

Kanye West has been sued by a company claiming Kanye's company ordered more than $600,000 in the manufacturing of fleece fabric for Yeezys and got stiffed.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Toki Sen-I Co. claims it struck a deal last June with Ye and Yeezy Apparel in which Toki would manufacture fleece fabric for Yeezys. The company claims it has done business with Kanye in the past and always got paid ... until now.

Toki says it was an unusually large order this time around -- $624,000 -- but got nothing. Toki says it manufactured the fleece but they received an email from Yeezy Apparel stating they didn't intend to go through with the deal.

As for how much fabric is on the line ... 53,500 yards at $10.81 a yard.

Toki says it tried settling with Ye and Co., to no avail. Toki also says it tried to mitigate damages by selling the fabric to other buyers but it was so specific to the Yeezy brand no one wanted it.

Toki wants the $624k plus storage fees.

We've reached out to Kanye and Co. for comment ... so far, no word back.

Florida Sec. of State Michael Ertel is learning the same lesson Megyn Kelly learned about blackface, but in a much harsher way -- he's stepping down after offensive Halloween pics of him emerged online.

Ertel had the audacity to wear blackface 14 years ago when he dressed up as a female Hurricane Katrina victim. His costume also included a headscarf and fake boobs.

Newly elected Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed Ertel, got wind of the pics Thursday morning after the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper obtained them. Shortly thereafter, Ertel resigned his post.

The photos were taken in 2005, 2 months after Katrina ripped through Louisiana, and while Ertel was serving as Seminole County's supervisor of elections.

Worth noting, Gov. DeSantis had his own racial controversy during his hotly contested campaign against Andrew Gillum. You might recall his "don't monkey this up" comment. If ya don't, here it is ...

Get those Hikki Cejudella shirts ready ... Nikki Bella just responded to Henry Cejudo's public courting attempts -- and says she's down for a wine date with the UFC champ!!!

ICYMI ... Cejudo's been shooting his shot with Bella all week after meeting her on his flight to NYC for his fight with T.J. Dillashaw last weekend.

In fact -- Cejudo told us he's developed SUCH a crush on the WWE superstar -- he's down to get in the squared circle with her ex-BF, John Cena, to win her love!!

Now, Nikki's responding -- and it's good news for Henry ...

"I said I'd send him some Belle Radici [wine]. Maybe I'll have some wine with him one day -- or, I don't know. We'll see!"

And, hey ... if it doesn't work out -- Brie Bella says her husband Daniel Bryan has the biggest man crush on Henry -- and will take him out if Nikki won't!!!

Speaking of Brie and Daniel -- Bella says they're laser-focused on adding a 2nd child to their family.

"We're working on it -- we're having a lot of fun working on it!"

This is the medical marijuana ad CBS rejected for the Super Bowl, and it's incredibly moving and emotional.

The ad, produced by Acreage Holdings, a marijuana and cannabis investment firm, was willing to pay $5 million for the spot, but CBS turned it down ... because, we're told, they don't allow any marijuana ads on the air.

The ad profiles 3 people -- a boy who had hundreds of seizures a day that were not abated by traditional medicine, a man addicted to opioids, and a veteran who was in severe pain after his leg was amputated. All say medical marijuana made life livable.

Ronda Rousey is NOT parting ways with WWE -- despite reports she's on her way out, TMZ Sports has learned.

A report by wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer sparked hysteria -- with some jumping to the conclusion she's ending her pro wrestling career after 1 year with Vince McMahon's company.

And why? Meltzer's report says there's a "very good chance" she could wrap up with WWE after Wrestlemania in April so she can focus on starting a family with husband, Travis Browne.

But, what people are skipping over ... Meltzer also reports she will "probably remain affiliated with the company" after Wrestlemania.

ProWrestlingSheet added more clarity ... describing the situation as a planned "break" -- but it's not set in stone.

Multiple sources connected to Ronda tell TMZ Sports she's "super happy" in her new career and isn't ready to pull the plug just yet.

What we also know ... Ronda is serious about starting a family soon -- and she's been vocal about it for months. In fact, back in May 2018 she said the plan was to get pregnant "someday soon." So, babies have been on her brain.

Also, a WWE spokesperson tells us, "Ronda Rousey is under contract with WWE until April 10, 2021. Whether she wants to start a family is a private matter."

T.I. believes Travis Scott's decision to do the Super Bowl halftime show is selfish ... and he hopes the rapper makes up for it by being selfLESS down the road.

Scott's taken all sorts of heat for his decision to perform at Super Bowl 53 from people like Common and Nick Cannon who have been critical of the NFL for the way it's treated Colin Kaepernick.

In fact, Cannon told Raquel Harper on BET's "Raq Rants" that Scott's move clearly shows he doesn't care for black culture.

So, how does T.I. feel about it? See if you can read between the lines ...

"I think every man have an opportunity ... he can make a decision for himself, or he could be selfless. And, nobody can tell someone when to be selfless."

"That's every man's right to choose that moment for themselves. So, if this ain't something that he wanted to be selfless about, hopefully in the future we'll see other moments where he will. You dig?"

We dig.

Not everyone is upset with Scott -- rap legend Nelly told us just a few days ago the outrage over the halftime show is stupid -- and said he'd "probably do it" if asked.

Kelis wants to become a Colombian farmer, and she wants to take her son with her ... according to Nas, who says she's violating their custody agreement.

Nas is pissed off about a bunch of child custody issues -- the biggest being Kelis' plans to hightail to Cartagena. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelis already took 9-year-old Knight to Colombia last month. Nas says he was supposed to get their son on New Year's Eve ... but Kelis texted him to say the plan had changed. He says she didn't come back to the states until Jan. 14.

Further, he says Kelis has told him she and her new husband have a farm in Colombia and she intends to stay there. Nas says she's already withdrawn Knight from his private school in L.A. ... and he says Kelis is currently homeschooling the kid in Colombia.

Nas says the whole South America plan is a huge violation of their custody agreement, because she didn't provide the required notice about the travel.

Even when she's in the states, Kelis has been a nightmare when it comes to co-parenting, according to Nas. For instance, he says he didn't get Knight on Father's Day last year, and ditto for Halloween and Thanksgiving ... which Knight is supposed to spend with Dad on even-numbered years.

2:15 PM PT -- The translated document erroneously changed the number of the penal code statute. Avi Bitton, a criminal defense attorney in Paris, tells us the correct statute refers to false accusations and carries a maximum sentence of 5 years.

Chris Brown's Parisian lawyer has made good on his promise ... he just filed a defamation lawsuit against the woman who got his client arrested on rape allegations.

The lawyer, Raphael Chiche, filed the complaint Thursday ... titled "false accusation, committed on January 18, 2019." It appears this is more than a civil defamation case ... according to the doc obtained by TMZ, the lawyer is citing a criminal statute relating to invasion of privacy. A violation of that law carries a maximum 1-year prison sentence.

As we reported, Brown was freed by cops Tuesday, hours after he was arrested. Sources tell us the Paris police had issues with the accuser's story -- that she was raped and abused in 3 separate rooms by 3 people in Brown's hotel suite, with around 20 people in the living room.

A source close to Chris tells TMZ, he acknowledges he's had "issues in the past," but feels he's become "an easy target for anyone to cry wolf."

Although Brown is free and still working in Paris on his music video, we're told the investigation is ongoing.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is ready and willing to listen to President Trump's State of the Union Address when it's appropriate ... but she's not going to shake his hand.

We got AOC on Capitol Hill Wednesday night -- before Trump capitulated to Nancy Pelosi and delayed the State of the Union Address -- and she emphasized it's high time for POTUS to reopen the government and get federal workers their paychecks. Once he does that, she says she'll be present in the House Chamber for his SOTU ... but don't expect her to extend her hand to him.

Troubled 'Teen Mom' star Ryan Edwards was arrested over a whiskey bill.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ, Edwards was at Bud's bar in Hamilton County, Tennessee where he ordered 6 Jack Daniel's whiskey, raking up a bill of $36 and then walking out without forking over the money.

The bartender called the cops and recognized his face from photos in the Criminal Justice Portal. His mug was there because he's been arrested multiple times before, for drug possession and other offenses.

Police located Edwards and arrested him for Theft of Services Under $1,000.

According to cops, Edwards was in the bar from noon till 4 PM, when he left.

The incident went down last month, but he was arrested Wednesday.

He is still in custody and is being held without bail, because of another pending criminal case in a neighboring county.

Trina Braxton's not conflicted at all -- she supports the rights of the LGBT community ... AND she supports the rights of folks who want to gobble down some Chick-fil-A.

We got the "Braxton Family Values" star outside Publik Draft House in Atlanta Wednesday night and first asked her about the fast food chain being closed during the Super Bowl ... despite having a primo location inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

She says Chick-fil-A fans like herself know the restaurant's always closed on Sundays -- no exceptions -- so just deal with it. It's their prerogative.

Trina also tells us it's her prerogative to eat at Chick-fil-A -- despite its history of supporting anti-gay groups -- because she personally supports LGBT rights. Eating a delicious chicken sandwich isn't going to change that ... for Trina, anyway.

Rosie O'Donnell's looking forward to having a President who's armed with more than one adjective ... and she's confident Sen. Kamala Harris is the right woman for the job.

Rosie was leaving a screening Wednesday night at NYC's Metrograph when we asked her about President Trump's victory in the Supreme Court ... which upheld his transgender military ban. She teed off on him for devaluing and abusing Americans, and then started looking to the future.

She believes there's a handful of qualified women to replace Trump in 2020 -- including Senators Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Harris. Rosie says any of them would be a vast improvement, but she's especially impressed by the junior Senator from California.

She told us the moment she was convinced Kamala has the right stuff. As Rosie put it, "She has an actual large vocabulary, unlike our President."