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Tommy Chong sees President Biden's weed possession pardon as a big step forward in the world of cannabis ... but he isn't ready to celebrate until the government removes marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug -- pointing to his past legal trouble.

The comedian told us ... Biden's decision shows he's got the pulse of America ... but thinks a rescheduling would be a HUGE win for everyone involved in legitimate weed sales.

Tommy thinks marijuana sales will someday become the biggest industry in the world ... so rescheduling it could further validate the legitimacy of the biz.

He's a fan of Biden, and says he'll gladly vote for him again ... but he thinks the Prez can do more, especially regarding anti-paraphernalia laws, which got Tommy locked up back in 2003.

Tommy was sentenced to 9 months in a federal lockup, after pleading guilty to selling bongs through a family-owned business. He tells us he had no choice but to cop a plea.

Kanye West's 'White Lives Matter' tees aren't gaining traction with his hip hop peers ... and count his former Roc-A-Fella label boss as the latest deflector!!!

TMZ Hip Hop recently sat down with Kareem "Biggs" Burke and picked his brain about Yeezy's controversial clothing, and there was no half-stepping -- right off the bat he said, "I condemn the shirt. I'm not with that."

Biggs says the fact Ye created the "WLM" shirt as a counter to BLM ... makes it potentially disastrous to the movement. He says he'd love to see Ye focus on repairing the community -- not harming it.

He notes it's important not to misconstrue the BLM movement with the corporation ... which has been under fire due to some execs allegedly misappropriating funds, including the purchase of a $6M mansion.

Aside from the fact others are already capitalizing and copycatting, Biggs says Kanye's shirt hurts the families of slain victims such as Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Breonna's mother has already fired back at Ye for looping her name into one of his 'WLM' rants.

Kanye and Biggs' relationship dates back to the start of Ye's professional career when he first signed to the Roc in the early 2000s.

Biggs co-founded the label with Jay-Z and Damon Dash, and it went on to sell millions upon millions of records -- many of those being Ye's creations. But, that past glory isn't getting Ye a pass with Biggs.

Biggs is far from alone with his thinking amongst music execs ... Diddy recently doubled down on his stance that Ye's "WLM" shirt was a dangerous concept.

Puff is adamant we shouldn't cancel The College Dropout, but more so turn the page on this most recent chapter as quickly as possible.

Behind this oblong figure is an egg-cellent model/singer who is free from the carton and has cracked into the limelight with this scrambled celeb's mantra of "Love Myself."

As a Los Angeles native, this Barden Bella found her way straight to the stage at just 10 years old and her poach pitch has been just perfect ever since! During the 2015 MTV VMAs, she iconically posed with Taylor Swift and the rest of her girl squad ... which was also the same year she dropped her debut album titled "Haiz."

Coolio’s fellow old-school rapper Tone Loc says life on the road won't be the same now that he's lost his touring partner of nearly a decade!!!

We caught the "Wild Thang" OG outside of LAX, where he opened up about Coolio's death leaving an immense void in his life -- a painful absence he's already felt during his last few performances.

Their friendship runs several decades deep -- Tone tells us Coolio, along with Young MC and the late Shock G, actually performed at his brother's funeral around 16 years ago.

Tone says he and Coolio were regulars on the "I Love The 90s Tour" circuit for the past 6 years, as was Vanilla Ice … who’s also been in mourning since Coolio’s death last week in Los Angeles.

TMZ broke the story -- Coolio died suddenly on September 28 while visiting a friend's home.

At the age of 59, he was still an active hip hopper … with gigs in Vegas and television appearances on "Wild ‘N Out" and "Futurama" already scheduled before he passed.

Tone's DJ M.Walk also chimed in, telling us about his special bond with Coolio ... and it's clear they both miss him dearly, having linked up more than 20 years ago.

Benjamin Bratt's looks over the years will straight-up demolish you!

Here is a 35-year-old version of the "Demolition Man" actor throwing some shade in a pair of retro transitional lenses while at an awards show back in 1999 (left). This was just one year prior to him playing FBI Agent Eric Matthews in "Miss Congeniality" alongside Sandra Bullock.

And, 23 years later ... the 58-year-old dishy father of two is still keeping things in order and recently looked confident at the premiere of "Dead For A Dollar" in Los Angeles (right).

He continues to play the Adonis roles, but the question is ...

Ryan Reynolds despises his one-time costar T.J. Miller -- at least according to T.J. Miller ... who's kinda giving the guy even more cause to not like him after these spicy remarks.

The ex-'Deadpool' star sat down for a chat on 'The Adam Carolla Show' -- where he revealed part of the reason why he believes he might not be in the forthcoming second sequel (aka, 'Deadpool 3') and, in his eyes, it all has to do with RR hating his guts for some reason.

He recounted a story in which he claims Ryan berated him during the filming of a scene in one of the first 2 films. He says Ryan, playing Wade/Deadpool, improvised some super mean lines while addressing him in character as Weasel ... but TJM thinks he was actually just operating under the guise of acting to take some pot shots at him personally.

Miller says Ryan, as Deadpool, told him/Weasel that no one really liked him and that he wasn't funny ... and that he only served as temporary comedic relief that nobody (including the audience) cared about ... basically calling him unnecessary for 'Deadpool' at large.

It was a pretty awkward exchange, so says T.J. -- who claims the crew was just as stunned by the on-set teardown which felt very real. Since then, he says, his relationship with Ryan has soured -- and, obviously, it has with the studio since he isn't going to be in 'DP3.'

But the way T.J. frames it here ... he makes it seem like he's the one who wants nothing to do with Ryan -- saying he wouldn't work with him ever again, going on to openly wonder why he dislikes him so much ... and going further by suggesting RR was jealous/insecure.

T.J. has a lot to say about what he perceives as flaws in Ryan's character ... especially as he got incredibly more famous with the Deadpool gig. He even makes some observations about Blake Lively and their image -- or "brand," as he and his pals call it -- as a couple.

It should be noted ... right as 'Deadpool 2' was coming out, Miller was dealing with very serious sexual misconduct allegations, which he denied. Still, you gotta imagine that may have played a part in either Ry and/or studio heads weighing his future involvement.

Comic nerds won't like this ... one of the greatest writers to dabble in the caped crusade industry says our fascination with superheroes is teetering on Nazi Germany territory.

Indeed ... we're talking about Alan Moore, who's written some of the most well-known comic books/series of the 20th century -- including "Watchmen," "V for Vendetta," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," a VERY famous Batman installment ... and lots more.

The dude's an absolute legend in the biz ... but as he's gotten older -- and stepped further away from writing comics -- he's gotten more and more cynical about the craft he helped shape ... and these latest remarks are doubling down on what he views as a problem.

Namely, he's talking about fascism ... and how he feels like the superhero genre, at large, lends itself to the extreme political ideology -- and not just that, but how our utter obsession with them in Hollywood is a sign for the worst ... at least according to him anyway.

For starters, AM kinda craps on adults who love this stuff ... saying, "Hundreds of thousands of adults [are] lining up to see characters and situations that had been created to entertain the 12-year-old boys -- and it was always boys -- of 50 years ago."

He goes on to say there were a lot of headlines coming out in the late 20th century that said comics had "grown up," but he refutes that with this ... "It wasn’t comics growing up. I think it was more comics meeting the emotional age of the audience coming the other way."

Alan hits his point home with this comment ... "I said round about 2011 that I thought that it had serious and worrying implications for the future if millions of adults were queueing up to see Batman movies. Because that kind of infantilization -- that urge towards simpler times, simpler realities -- that can very often be a precursor to fascism."

He points to Donald Trump's presidency and the sheer number of superhero movies that were being pumped out at the time (and since). It's because of this, in part, that he says he's done with comics ... apparently because they do more harm than good, subconsciously.

As for what he's getting at with the whole superheroes-are-fascist thing -- it's an age-old argument that's been debated ad nauseam ... which you can read about here.

Basically, some argue that superheroes -- by their very nature and story arcs -- prop up the idea of one person wielding ultimate power over society ... but doing it for the common good. It's very in the weeds on a sociological level, but this POV's been around for a while.

Jennifer Lawrence is getting back to her indie roots -- not so much because she has to, but wants to ... as it appears going mainstream in Hollywood has taken its toll on her.

The A-lister is in London plugging her latest flick, "Causeway," which sees her taking on a very quiet, dramatic role ... playing a U.S. soldier with PTSD and getting acclimated to regular life again. It's drastically different than anything she's done in recent years.

What we mean, of course, is that this isn't a major blockbuster by any stretch of the imagination -- it's an A24 film, with a way smaller budget and limited release via Apple.

Beyond just that, though, this is territory that JLaw hasn't ventured into in a while. Fact is, she's been one of the industry's highest-paid actresses for quite a while now ... which, of course, is due to her starring in major franchises like "X-Men" and "The Hunger Games."

Her Academy Award for Best Actress -- for her lead role in "Silver Linings Playbook" -- also shot her into a new stratosphere ... making her one of the most desirable hires in the biz.

As it turns out ... Jen is actually looking back on all that with a fresh perspective -- this on the heels of giving birth to a baby, and getting hitched. During a staged sit-down Saturday, Jen was quoted as feeling a sense of instability after achieving the pinnacle of acting fame.

Per Variety, she said ... "I think I lost a sense of control. Between "The Hunger Games" coming out and winning the Oscar, I became such a commodity that I felt like every decision was a big, big group decision. When I reflect now, I can’t think of those following years, [because there was] just a loss of control."

There's another quote floating around that's being attributed to JL -- and it touches on her future in movies ... which seems to swear off doing anymore big-time popcorn films.

Jen reportedly said during this same chat, "I loved superhero movies. Franchise is art and they’re so fun; I could never do one now because I’m too old and brittle. I love them too. This generation understandably likes a world to escape to, and I can relate to that."

That's pretty interesting. It sounds like she's going to be far more selective with the projects she signs onto going forward -- which could mean more Oscar-bait-y flicks like "Causeway."

Draymond Green just spoke publicly for the first time since punching teammate Jordan Poole at practice this week ... apologizing for his actions and announcing he's taking a break from the Golden State Warriors.

The 32-year-old 4x NBA champ met with media Saturday morning in the Bay Area, telling reporters flat out ... "I was wrong."

As for what led up to the punch, Green wouldn't say, answering, "things that happened in practice should stay in practice."

Draymond went on to say he isn't trying to convince people he was in the right ... he's here to own up to what he did wrong.

"I'm not here to change an opinion. I'm here to acknowledge my mistakes." He did, however, say the fact that the video leaked was "bulls***."

Green says he apologized to the team, organization, Jordan Poole, the Poole family, and his own family.

TMZ Sports posted video Friday showing the NBA star punching Poole in the face at practice Wednesday in San Francisco, after the two men got into a verbal argument.

Draymond says he watched the video "15 times, maybe more" and admitted "it looks even worse than I thought it was."

DG also expressed anger at the release of the video, saying ... "I thought it was bulls**t. No other videos leak from practice. When we're working on our sets, that don't leak."

Rep. Sean Casten is revealing how his daughter died unexpectedly earlier this summer -- saying her heart simply gave out ... without any explanation whatsoever.

The U.S. congressman from Illinois broke the sad news Friday -- elaborating on his earth-shattering post from June ... when he told the world his 17-year-old, Gwen, had passed away suddenly. At the time, he didn't share any details ... but now, he's shedding some light.

Casten says Gwen died of a cardiac arrhythmia -- adding, "[S]he was fine, and then her heart stopped. We don't know what caused the arrhythmia, and likely never will."

The Representative says his daughter was a healthy teen who got regular checkups, exercised, ate well, didn't suffer from any behavioral health issues and had strong relationships with her friends and family. He notes ... she was also fully vaccinated.

Casten says Gwen came home one night after a night out with friends, and didn't wake up the next morning -- something doctors haven't been able to make sense of ... and ditto for the family. He says they're completely heartbroken and devastated -- exacerbated by such a freak thing with no real rational reason behind it. This is rare, he says, but it happens.

He ends his thoughts with a poignant remark ... "None of us know when our last heartbeat will come. The best we can hope for is when our loved ones do pass, we will have no regrets about the time we were lucky enough to share."

Casten finishes with this -- "So hug the folks you love a little harder today. Be present in their lives. And spread your love a little farther. Because in the end, it's all that matters."

Kanye West wore his 'White Lives Matter' shirt at his daughter's basketball game ... right behind Kim Kardashian, no less.

The controversial long-sleeve was on display Friday night while North played in Thousand Oaks with other kids -- plus, a bunch of parents on hand to watch. Ye was rocking it proudly, and he was within arms reach of the mother of his children too.

Kim doesn't appear to acknowledge him in the photos, and eyewitnesses say she never turned to look in his direction either while they were both there. We're also told KW had a cameraman with him who looked busy. No word of any trouble due to his wardrobe choice.

What we do know ... Kim completely avoided him outside of this seating arrangement. We're told she actually moved her car to the opposite side of the building once he rolled up ... in order to avoid any run-ins afterward. Indeed, her focus was all on North for this outing.

It's interesting ... Ye seemed pretty animated here, and he wasn't trying to hide what he was wearing either. If anything, you could argue he was trying to draw attention to himself.

He's obviously sticking to his guns on this -- remember, he first trotted out the 'WLM' shirt earlier in the week during a fashion show ... and after a lot of criticism, he doubled and then tripled down online. Eventually, he went on Tucker Carlson's show to try and explain.

Even at this point, though, Kanye's rationale behind the move isn't all that clear. He did say he thought Black Lives Matter was a scam, but aside from that -- he hasn't thoughtfully laid out his position ... although he has thoroughly described the backlash coming his way.

Deshaun Watson made his way to Los Angeles before heading back to northeast Ohio to rejoin his teammates ... having a night out on the town with his girlfriend during his last weekend away from the Cleveland Browns.

The 27-year-old quarterback and Jilly Anais showed up at Catch Steak for dinner on Friday ... just days before he's allowed to return to Browns practice.

Watson is currently serving his 11-game suspension for multiple sexual misconduct allegations made against him ... but is allowed to train with the team starting Monday.

The Browns are currently 2-2 ... and will continue rolling with backup Jacoby Brissett until Watson can make his debut in Week 13 against his former team, the Houston Texans.

It's a rare public appearance for Watson ... who has stayed relatively under the radar as he awaits his return.

Kim Kardashian's new podcast is taking over ... quite literally.

Her big true crime project, "The System," shot to the top of Spotify's "Top Podcasts" list this week -- surging past "The Joe Rogan Experience" and even the famed "Call Her Daddy" ... which fell in line behind her at #2 and #3, respectively.

Meghan Markle's podcast, "Archetypes," was #4 -- and from there you got "Huberman Lab," "Crime Junkie," "The Try Pod" and "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" ... in that order.

It's pretty impressive, considering this is less than a week old. If you're unfamiliar -- this first season of "The System" tackles a case pertaining to convicted murderer Kevin Keith ... whom Kim believes is innocent, only to dive deep into the deets/evidence.

Clearly there's interest in what she has to say in a podcast setting, but keep in mind -- this is a Spotify exclusive ... so it's hard to tell how "The System" would translate across other platforms. Rogan and Markle's podcasts are also exclusive to them -- so jury's out there too.

In any case ... she's all in on promoting it. Looks like KK snapped up some old-fashioned billboard advertising in Calabasas to plug the podcast, with her face front and center.

Justin Bieber believes Kanye West has gone way too far to carry on their friendship, after Ye attacked his wife, Hailey, claiming she got a nose job.

If you missed it, Kanye went after Hailey on social media after she defended Vogue Editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, whom Kanye attacked. Ye called Hailey "nose job Hailey Baldloose" and told Justin, "Get your girl before I get mad. You spose to be my friend right," after posting an old article from 2016 about Hailey and Drake out on a date.

Sources close to Justin and Hailey tell us they're obviously hurt by Kanye's attacks -- especially since they were there for him in 2020 when he was going through a tough time in his life -- traveling to Wyoming to visit him at his ranch.

It's obvious, but we're told both believe Kanye crossed the line, especially because Hailey never attacked him in her defense of Gabriella ... she only said supportive things about her friend after Kanye publicly ripped into her. What's more, Hailey claims she's never got a nose job.

Our sources say Justin has always been super supportive and sensitive to Kanye's issues, but this time, he's gotta distance himself and stand up for his wife.

Judge Mathis thinks Kanye West is degrading African-American with his antics -- and by extension, he believes Ye makes Adidas look bad too ... giving 'em every right to break up.

The TV magistrate went scorched earth on KW Friday in L.A. where he told our photog what he thought of the shoe company looking into its options as it pertains to their relationship with Ye ... and according to him, they likely have the legal ground to kick him to the curb.

Of course, nobody but Adidas and Kanye know the specific terms of whatever contract they have -- so all of this is totally speculative. Still, based on his experience ... Mathis says there's likely a morality clause that gives the 3-stripe honchos an out if they choose.

The reason ... most of these agreements, per JM, have something in them that says the individual (in this case, Kanye) can't make the company look bad and/or exhibit behavior antithetical to their principles/mission statement -- often written vaguely to give them cover.

Considering all of Kanye's anti-Black rhetoric this week -- not to mention over the last few years -- Mathis believes Kanye's crossed that line more than enough times for Adidas to pull the plug and cancel their partnership ... even if that means no more Yeezys.

Mets fans gave Emma Stone a nasty New York welcome Friday night, booing her LOUDLY when she threw her support behind the San Diego Padres in their playoff game.

The Academy Award-winning actress and her hubby, Dave McCary, showed up at Citi Field in Queens to root for their team in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series. The pair are well-known Padres fans.

Check out this video of Emma smiling and wearing a Padres jacket on the jumbotron in the stadium. The image cuts to a man in a Mets hat, trying to whip the crowd up into a frenzy. The audience takes the bait and starts BOOING.

Witnesses also spotted Emma and Dave dancing in the front row as the Padres routed the Mets 7-1 in the opener. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday night at Citi Field.