R. Kelly's crisis manager says he was NOT canned for going on national TV and saying he would never leave his daughter alone with an accused pedophile ... he says he left his post to deal with a family emergency.

Darrell Johnson tells TMZ ... he's stepping away from R. Kelly's defense team so he can spend time with a family member he claims is on their deathbed. Darrell is adamant he was NOT fired, and he's leaving the door open on a potential return as Kelly's crisis manager.

Darrell's removal from Kelly's defense raised eyebrows, because it came on the heels of him telling CBS' Gayle King he would not leave his 21-year-old daughter alone with someone who was convicted or accused of pedophilia.

As you know ... R. Kelly is back in jail and being held without bond after being arrested on 2 federal indictments alleging he made sex tapes with underage girls.

Darrell is walking back his pedophile comments ... he tells us his answers were taken out of context and he says he would have no problem leaving his daughter alone with Kelly.

Elizabeth Warren isn't taking any chances when it comes to visuals for the next week's Democratic Presidential debate ... she says she's wearing all black.

We got Sen. Warren, Tuesday, at Reagan National and our photog wanted to know if she's picked out her outfit yet. Warren outsources some fashion advice, then nixes it and says she's going with black pants, a black top and a jacket when she takes the stage next week in Detroit.

And, speaking of nixes ... when it comes to televised debates ... appearance matters.

If you paid attention in history class -- or are old enough to remember the 1960 election -- you've probably heard Richard Nixon's drab wardrobe choice cost him dearly in the first televised debate, when he faced off against a dapper looking John F. Kennedy. Some experts say Nixon's drab appearance even cost him The White House.

Warren's going the safe route after wearing purple to the first debate ... can't go wrong with black.

Forget mother's little helper -- Mick Jagger's son is on his way to being his father's future replacement!!!

The Rolling Stones front man's 2-year-old look-alike son, Deveraux, and his mom, Mick's girlfriend, Melanie Hamrick, were in the crowd for the band's show in Jacksonville, FL last week ... front and center.

Though Dev didn't appear to be getting much satisfaction watching his dad perform "It's Only Rock 'n Roll" with baby earmuffs on early in the set ... he had plenty of fun dancing around backstage like his old man before the Stones took the stage.

As you can see ... Mom's a fan of her little man's moves.

We're told Dev and Mel only stayed for a few songs -- 2 year olds have early bed times, you know -- but Jagger went on to put on a hell of a show ... and he liked it.

Beyonce's omission of any Kenyan artists on her 'Lion King' album is a slap to the face and a damn shame -- so says a famous East African, who helped coin "Hakuna Matata."

John Katana -- the frontman of the Chakacha Kenyan band, Them Mushrooms -- tells us he and a bunch of other Kenyans noticed Bey didn't include ANY local artists (big or small) in her new 'Lion King' album, "The Gift" ... a self-described "love letter" to Africa.

While the Disney folks tapped tons of other African artists that are hot and poppin' in their own countries -- for example, Nigerian pop star WizKid, Ghanaian producer Shatta Wale, Nigerian singer Burna Boy, South African artists Busiswa and Moonchild Sanelly, Nigerian stars Tekno, Yemi Alade and Mr Eazi -- they excluded Keynans.

Considering a lot of the scenery, culture and language used in '94's and 2019's "The Lion King" appears to come straight FROM Kenya (or at least East Africa) ... John says he and lots of other Kenyan creatives found it puzzling not one of 'em made the cut for "The Gift."

John and music critics alike have noted the omission, and he's super bummed about it ... especially since he says no one from Disney even reached out to the "Hakuna Matata" OGs.

As we've reported ... a petition was started last year that called for Disney to drop its trademark over "Hakuna Matata," which is a well-known Swahili phrase that John and co. claim to have popularized in their '80s platinum hit, "Jambo Bwana."

Manny Pacquiao's team is ALL IN for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather -- so says his trainer, Freddie Roach who tells TMZ Sports, "I really think Manny can knock him out."

After 40-year-old Manny put a hurtin' on Keith Thurman this weekend, there's a huge buzz about a MayPac II rematch ... following the first superfight back in 2015.

Roach, who's been training Pacquiao for years, says Manny and the entire team is down ... if Floyd is man enough to get back in the ring.

"[Floyd] would be a fight we'd want. I'd like to get that one back one more time. I know we can do much better. We had an injury in that fight, but regardless, we lost a close decision. I know Manny can do much better than that."

Remember, after their May 2015 fight, Manny revealed he suffered a shoulder injury in training camp which he says held him back in the main event.

But now, Manny's healthy -- and looked awesome in the Thurman fight -- and Roach ain't all that impressed with the work Mayweather's done inside the ring over the past few years.

"Floyd's last couple of fights against a kickboxer and whatever the other guy was [Conor McGregor] he wasn't too impressive," Roach tells us ... "I think it's a good time to catch him right now."

Freddie says Manny was planning to call out Floyd in the ring after he defeated Keith Thurman ... but Floyd bolted out of the arena.

Of course, 42-year-old Floyd keeps insisting he's retired ... but c'mon, you really think he'll turn down another $300 million payday?!?

"I do think it could happen, yes. Probably not 'til next year. But, the thing is, it is a big fight out there. And, again a fresh Manny with no injuries, I love that fight."

Los Angeles native Paul Butcher was only eleven years old when he gained fame as the genius younger brother, Dustin Brooks, in the 00's Nickelodeon think piece, "Zoey 101."

Paul Butcher was cast alongside stars like Sean Flynn as the PCA friend, Chase Matthews, and Christopher Massey as his BFF roomie, Michael Barret ... and of course, Jamie Lynn Spears as the peppy main character, Zoey Brooks.

There's no telling if he'll be included in the possible reboot ... but we do know what he'll look like if he does!

Wendy Williams says rappers should absolutely follow the money if it leads them to Sweden ... she says there's no point in turning down shows in the country because of A$AP Rocky.

We got Wendy out in New York City Tuesday and she told us she's totally against the proposed rap industry boycott of Sweden ... because it's money over everything.

The beloved talk show host says rappers have to do what's best for them, and if that means booking shows in Sweden, so be it ... after all, she says they've got to pay their bills by any means necessary.

Wendy's stance on the potential boycott is opposite Slim Jxmmi's position ... the Rae Sremmurd rapper said Monday there's no reason for artists to perform in Sweden as long as A$AP is rotting in a Swedish jail.

Wendy wants A$AP freed, and she feels like he was baited into the street brawl that landed him behind bars ... but she doesn't see the sense in others hurting their bottom lines as a show of support.

Lamar Odom has zero regrets about his reality TV past -- in fact, he says the experience was the best part of his adult life and he desperately wants to repair his relationship with the Kardashians.

39-year-old Odom appeared on "TMZ Live" and told us how taking up motivational speaking with a company called MicDrop has become therapeutic for him. He's learning to forgive himself for the mistakes he's made in the past ... from drug use to other bad life decisions.

One of those mistakes ... Odom says he feels he's failed as a father. But, Lamar says he's including his children in his motivational speaking work and it's bringing his family closer together.

"This is a great way for me to make up the time I lost with them and help them get better as well," Odom said.

As for reality TV, there are a lot of people who feel doing a reality show is a recipe for disaster -- but Lamar says he wouldn't go back and change a thing.

"Doing reality TV and being married to Khloe, besides having children and besides me doing this motivational speaking that I'm going to start doing, that was the most memorable part and the best part of my adulthood. So, there's nothing I regret about that."

"And, hopefully, me going to public speaking can even bring me closer to the Kardashians and help me rebuild that bridge."

Lamar has previously talked about how he will always love Khloe -- despite the fact the she's moved on -- but it seems now he'll settle for a non-romantic friendship.

Odom also tells us why he feels surviving that infamous 2015 overdose in Nevada was God's plan ... and how he hopes others will learn from his mistakes.

Anderson .Paak feels bad for A$AP Rocky, not just because he thinks the rapper's getting royally screwed by Sweden ... but because he's losing something priceless -- time.

We got the "Bubblin" rapper out in NYC Tuesday, and he's among the choir in the U.S. who are outraged that A$AP's still sitting in a jail overseas ... awaiting charges for his role in a fight that -- according to video -- he didn't seem to start.

Anderson says he got angry just watching the video of the guy harassing and allegedly attacking Rocky's crew ... so he can't imagine what it must have been like dealing with it.

A$AP's still dealing with it too -- 3 weeks later -- and .Paak says that's the true outrage of it all. We broke the story ... Sweden might be on the hook to pay Rocky back millions if he's found not guilty, but Anderson tells us that's beside the point.

According to him ... the travesty is A$AP's missing out on valuable time with family and friends and losing experiences he'll never get back.

HERE'S THE RUNDOWN

Lindsey Graham says it SUCKS Tom Cruise's iconic bomber jacket got tweaked just to please the Chinese.

We got the Senator on Capitol Hill Tuesday and asked him about the brewing controversy surrounding "Top Gun: Maverick." ICYMI ... hawkeyed fans noticed in the new trailer that the back of Tom's jacket no longer includes 2 flags from the original 4-flag pattern -- Taiwan and Japan.

If you look closely, the new pattern is replaced by two obscure symbols with similar color schemes. This led to speculation it was done to please China ... given that Chinese tech giant Tencent is one of its film's financiers.

The issue with Japan and Taiwan on the iconic jacket? China's got a tense relationship with Japan in recent years over their fight for islands in the East China Sea. China's also got a complicated relationship with Taiwan ... which the Chinese used to control before Taiwan separated in 1949.

The senator tells us he's still gonna watch the movie cause he's a huge fan -- who isn't?! -- but thinks it sucks China's got this much power in the modern world.

Kim Kardashian West says she is shocked and saddened by recent allegations against Marcus Hyde by models claiming the photographer tried to bribe them for nude photos.

Hyde -- who was a longtime photographer for Kim and Kanye -- has come under fire by numerous women this week. In one alleged DM conversation between Hyde and a model, he asked her for nude photos, saying he'd do a shoot with her for free if she sent. When the model refused, Hyde allegedly said the charge would be $2,000 for the shoot.

Kim said of the situation, "My own experiences have always been professional, and I am deeply shocked, saddened and disappointed to learn that other women have had very different experiences. I stand in full support of every woman's right to not be harassed, asked or pressured to do anything they are not comfortable with."

Kim ends her statement with, "We cannot allow this type of behavior to go unnoticed and I applaud those who speak out."

Hyde almost lost his life in a car accident in October of last year when his Mercedes went 200 feet off an embankment. The accident left him in a coma for weeks ... and he was seen at Kanye's Sunday Service performance at Coachella for the first time since the accident.

Aretha Franklin's son says the rep who controls his mother's estate is on a spending spree -- with the singer's fortune -- and he wants a judge to put a stop to it ... stat.

Aretha's son, Kecalf Franklin, wants a judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the estate's rep, Sabrina Owens ... barring her from making any decisions on behalf of the estate until the court decides whether Owens -- who is also Aretha's niece -- should even have that authority.

Kecalf claims Sabrina has sold property, personal items and spent money to advertise the items for sale. Kecalf also says Sabrina transferred a car to her name and received money on behalf of the estate ... though he doesn't name a specific amount.

It was first believed Aretha died without a will in 2018 but Owens found 3 wills in Aretha's home. Now, according to the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the family wants the court to decide which will is valid.

Three adults at the center of an all-out melee at Disneyland this month have been hit with a bunch of criminal charges ... and one of 'em could do serious time if convicted.

The fight erupted in Toontown -- right in the middle of throngs of kids and families. You hear one of the people in the fight say, "I'm ready to go to jail tonight." That person seems to also reference a Southern California gang.

Just before the fight breaks out, you hear someone in the video talk about disrespecting family. You see a woman spit on the guy in pink and all hell breaks loose.

One of the people charged -- 35-year-old Avery Robinson (the guy in pink) was hit with 5 felonies for allegedly beating up his girlfriend. He's charged with domestic battery and assault with a deadly weapon.

And, since his kid was in the middle of the fight, along with 3 other children, he's also been charged with child abuse and endangerment.

And, it doesn't end there. Disneyland's security ordered Robinson out of the park and he allegedly tried hitting a Disneyland's employee with his car and threatened to kill his sister and her husband.

He faces upwards of 7 years in prison.