NASCAR's Noah Gragson Suspended Indefinitely After Liking George Floyd Meme

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Noah Gragson's getting taken out of the driver's seat after liking a meme that mocked George Floyd -- and he's owning up to the fact that he screwed the pooch.

The race car driver -- who competes professionally for NASAR's Cup Series -- was suspended indefinitely Saturday by his stock car team, Legacy Motor Club, which announced he was being benched just a day before the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway ... in which Gragson was supposed to participate.

That ain't happening now -- Josh Berry is now taking his place. LMC denounced Gragson's social media activity by saying his actions "do not represent the values of our team."

As for Gragson himself, he's apologized ... writing, "I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media. I understand the severity of this situation. I love and appreciate everyone. I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple."

It's unclear when NG hit the like button for this Instagram meme, but it was pretty offensive. The image shows the live-action version of Sebastian the crab from 'The Little Mermaid,' with Floyd's face superimposed. A caption reads, "Under Da Knee, Under Da Knee."

Gragson's big in NASCAR ... he tends to place high up in the races he's been in of late.

Jamie Foxx Apologizes For Anti-Jewish Remarks ... Cites Betrayal From Fake Friend

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Jamie Foxx is apologizing for anti-Semitic remarks he made on social media about Jews killing Jesus ... while making a cryptic reference to being betrayed by a "fake friend."

The actor posted a message on Instagram Saturday, saying, "I want to apologize to the Jewish community and everyone who was offended by my post."

Jamie continued, "I now know my choice of words have caused offense and I'm sorry. That was never my intent. To clarify, I was betrayed by a fake friend and that's what I meant with "they" not anything more."

He went on to say, "I only have love in my heart for everyone. I love and support the Jewish community. My deepest apologies to anyone who was offended."

As you may know, Jamie posted his controversial remarks on Instagram Friday, stating, "They killed this dude name Jesus… what do you think they’ll do to you?" The message was soon deleted, but not before users took snapshots and posted them to social media.

Jewish groups spotted the message and started spreading it online, which caught the interest of Jennifer Aniston. The actress was thought to have liked Jamie's post, but later clarified that she hadn't and was horrified by his words.

Jennifer said, "I want to be clear to my friends and anyone hurt by this showing up in their feeds – I do NOT support any form of antisemitism. I truly don’t tolerate HATE of any kind. Period."

Meanwhile, Jamie recently broke his silence about his major health scare in April, which landed him in the hospital for a little over a month. He's recently been seen around Chicago doing some fun activities as he recovers from his medical condition, which has not been publicly revealed. Jamie personally thanked his family and friend in a video posted online.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Sharon Tate Sister Slams Auction of Murder House Front Door

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Sharon Tate's sister is disgusted a guy is trying to make a buck off the door to the home where her sibling was butchered ... slamming the whole sale as immoral.

Debra Tate tells TMZ ... the current owner of the door, Christopher Moore, and the auction house through which he's peddling it, Julien's Auctions, oughta be ashamed of themselves for trying to profit off the murder of the late actress, who was 8 months pregnant at the time.

It goes without saying, there's a very dark history behind this former piece of the Tate house ... and Debra hopes whoever ends up buying the front door knows this, and realizes it isn't something to gawk at or marvel over. On the contrary, she says it's morbid.

She tells us the door should be destroyed, and the only reason it's even being sold and generating interest is due to the shock factor -- something Debra laments.

Debra says while she's horrified over the sale, she's actually not all that sure it's the real McCoy. Her reasoning lies in the details ... namely the design of the doorknob.

The door was well-documented in photos, and she insists if you look at the ribbing lining the handle in the OG ... it doesn't appear to match the handle on the door being hawked.

Moore and Julien's have assured us this door is authentic ... and have documented where it's been over the years. It seems folks believe it's legit ... the bids have soared past $22k.

In any case, don't expect to see Debra bid -- she wants nothing to do with it, and believes it oughta be erased from the face of the Earth.

Anheuser-Busch Heir 'My Ancestors Would Have Rolled Over in Their Graves' ... Over Bud Light Ad with Dylan Mulvaney

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The heir to the Anheuser-Busch fortune is appalled the company that bought his family out used a transgender person to advertise Bud Light ... saying, "My ancestors would have rolled over in their graves."

Billy Busch (not the host of "Extra") appeared on "TMZ Live" Friday to discuss his new book, "Family Reins: The Extraordinary Rise and Epic Fall of an American Dynasty," when Harvey asked him about the Bud Light ad featuring Dylan Mulvaney -- a move which triggered a massive boycott.

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Busch believes the company that succeeded his family should never have put a transgender person on a Bud Light can, arguing beer drinkers "want their beer to be truly American," adding, "I just don't think the audience that drinks beer is into transgenders."

He went on, saying, "People who drink beer care about wholesome things."

Busch argued being a transgender person is a sexual preference, and Harvey shot back, "It's a matter of identity, not sexual preference."

That triggered a whole argument about prejudice, but Busch was adamant -- he feels the successors to Anheuser-Busch screwed up royally.

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The full interview airs Friday on "TMZ Live."

YouTube Star Fousey Rapping The N-Word Was Huge Mistake ... Hope I Don't Get Canceled!!!

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YouTube star Fousey says the first thing that went through his mind after using a racial slur while rapping along to a J. Cole song was having to move back in with his mom ... telling us he worried he would be canceled.

Fousey sat down on the "TMZ Verified" Podcast and told us he regrets singing the n-word on a live stream ... saying it was an honest mistake and explaining why he feared the gaffe would cost him his bread and butter.

As you may know, Fousey is currently on a live stream marathon and earlier this month he went viral for using the racial slur while singing along to J. Cole's "Love Yourz."

Fousey says J. Cole is his favorite rapper and he normally substitutes the n-word for similar-sounding words ... insisting it's not in his character to use the slur, even with rap lyrics.

After the tongue slip, Fousey punched his bed in disgust ... and he says he couldn't stop thinking about being canceled and having to call his mom and tell her what happened, fearing the worst.

Fousey's still streaming, though ... and he's got his sights set on live streaming for the rest of 2023 ... and it sounds like his initial fears of a downward mental spiral due to the incident may have been premature.

Terence Crawford I Have No Interest In Fighting Canelo ... He's Too Heavy!!

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DOWN FOR JERMELL

Sorry boxing fans, there will be no Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez super fight ... 'cause Bud tells TMZ Sports he has absolutely zero interest in fighting his fellow boxing superstar!

In the wake of his dominating performance against Errol Spence, which Bud ended with a 9th-round TKO, the boxing world has been salivating over a potential future scrap between Crawford and Alvarez.

So, we caught up with 40-0 (31 KO) Terence, and asked him ... do you want Alvarez?

"No, not at all," Bud flat out told us. "Canelo really don't interest me because of the size factor."

Bud's got a point. While both men are about 5'8", Crawford's a 147 lb. welterweight. It's true, Alvarez used to fight in the weight class, but it's been years since he's been that light. Canelo, who has bounced around divisions over the last few years, is currently fighting in the 168 lb. super middleweight weight class.

Speaking of Saul moving around ... even Bud joked that it's hard to keep track of where he is, saying, "You don't know what weight [Canelo's] fighting at when he fighting."

Even though it won't be Canelo, that doesn't mean there aren't big fights on the horizon for the welterweight king ... including a possible rematch with Errol. Though, it's clear Bud prefers another bout over running it back with ES.

"That's my obligation in the contract and I gotta honor that if that's the next move for me and my career," Crawford said of the rematch clause.

Jermell Charlo is also very much in the mix.

"I would definitely choose Jermell Charlo. It's a meaningful fight," Crawford said. "It's more history. It's more on the table."

Regardless of who it is ... fans would be wise to appreciate the undefeated boxer while he's still kickin' ass, because the soon-to-be 36-year-old says he won't be around for too much longer.

"I've been doing this sport for a long time now and already stated and said that I'm gonna retire from boxing before I let boxing retire me."

Leah Remini Dragged By Church of Scientology for Lawsuit ... Calls Her 'Bigot,' 'Toxic'

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The Church of Scientology is clapping back at former member Leah Remini, dragging her for a lawsuit against them -- something the Church claims is total BS.

In an intense statement issued to TMZ from the church Thursday, they call the actress an "anti-free speech bigot." The church says Leah's "a horrible person and toxic to so many who have the misfortune to come in contact with her."

The church even compares her to "an anti-Semite complaining about the Jewish Anti-Defamation League for exposing the anti-Semite's bigotry and propaganda."

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It claims Leah's been making a fortune on her "obsession" to take Scientology down since publicly leaving the religion in 2013 ... pointing towards her recent lawsuit by adding, "If Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself."

The church says it's "not intimidated by Remini's latest act of blatant harassment and attempt to prevent truthful free speech. If Remini does not believe in free speech, then she should consider emigrating to Russia."

As we reported, Leah's claiming she's been stalked and harassed by the church ever since she got outta there a decade ago... and she's also going after its leader, David Miscavige. Leah says Scientology's alleged attacks against her are getting worse in order to destroy her career.

LL Cool J Rappers Don't Retire, Hip Hop's No Sport 55-Yr-Old Drops 💥 Freestyle To Prove Point!!!

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DROPPIN' BARS

LL Cool J is sick of hearing how rap is both a "young man's game" and comparable to sports ... setting the record straight on how he feels hip hop culture should thrive.

The legendary rapper appeared on SiriusXM’s "Sway In The Morning" Thursday to promote his new tour, the 50th anniversary of hip hop, and he closed the interview with his first-ever freestyle on the celebrated radio show. ... supplying a dizzying array of rhymes.

LL rocked the mic for nearly two minutes, causing all Sway's Universe cohosts to go wild as Tracy G proclaimed LL shut down their freestyle segment for the rest of the year.

Earlier in the interview, LL expressed his disappointment with older rappers being rubbed out of the culture, much like he did when he took DJ Akademiks to task last year.

LL admits he's a fan of songs from the likes of Lil Baby, Lil Durk and DaBaby but says his reason for creating his "Rock The Bells" platform was so he didn't have to pretend like he's not older than he is.

The 55-year-old MC also laid into the rap debates that liken the genre to sports and says rappers only flirt with retirement like pro athletes over insecurities of becoming obsolete ... a position LL says he's allergic to!!!

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He's not letting his fellow rap legends wither away either ... Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Jadakiss, Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, Method Man, Redman and many more are joining him on the RTB Fest and F.O.R.C.E. Live Tour for the rest of summer!!!

Woman In Blackface Terrorizes Target, Starbucks

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11:43 AM PT -- The Aurora PD tells TMZ Ersilia Campbell was taken into protective custody -- which usually means someone is unable to take care of themselves.

A woman in blackface showed up at a Target store ... that's outrageous enough, but wait till you hear how she went off the rails.

Ersilia Campbell sauntered into a Target in the Aurora area of Colorado and beelined it for a store employee -- demanding to know where to find the Pride section. The employee explained Pride month was over, and she then suggested the LGBTQ community had hijacked the American flag with the Pride flag.

The employee was clearly taken aback ... Campbell said what she was doing was no different from Lester Holt dressing up for Halloween as Susan Boyle, a white woman.

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PROUDLY POSTED

Her work wasn't done. Campbell also went to a Starbucks, with Trump stickers emblazoned on her shirt as she groused she was fired from the post office.

We did some digging, and found Ersilia apparently got the axe from the P.O. back in February, but she must've caused a similar stink there, because a trespassing notice was posted Tuesday alerting employees to call the Postal Inspection Service if she showed up again.

She ranted against her former coworkers online, calling them "some of the loneliest, miserable, trashiest, lazy people in my life."

Maybe she needs to look in a mirror.

Originally Published -- 7:30 AM PT

Lizzo Accusers Dancers Fear Retaliation ... Do What She Wants, Or Else

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Lizzo makes it clear her backup dancers will face repercussions if they don't do what she asks, even if that means getting freaky at a live sex show ... at least, that's what 2 of the women suing her are claiming.

The singer's former backup dancers, Arianna Davis, and Crystal Williams, joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and told us about their experiences working under Lizzo.

Arianna and Crystal accused Lizzo of coercing backup dancers to participate in nude cabaret shows ... and they say there's an unspoken feeling among the group of having to bend to Lizzo's demands or be fired if they don't play ball.

As they allege in the lawsuit, sometimes that means eating bananas out of sex performers' vaginas in Amsterdam -- and they told us dancers who went along with Lizzo's idea of fun were rewarded with lavish private jet trips to tropical locations.

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On the flip side, they claim dancers who didn't feel comfortable doing everything Lizzo wanted would be threatened with termination.

As for why they're no longer working with Lizzo -- Crystal says she was accused of drinking before performances, and Arianna claims Lizzo body-shamed her for gaining weight ... and she claims Lizzo used an admission of an eating disorder to justify firing her.

Lizzo has yet to comment publicly, or respond to the lawsuit in court ... but her accusers have a lot to say here.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Lizzo Showed Interest In Banana Sex Show ... Now Being Sued Over It!!!

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Lizzo kept an eye on the famed banana sex show in Amsterdam for years ... sharing her desires way before being sued for allegedly pressuring backup dancers to get in on the act.

Here's the deal ... Lizzo talked about wanting to go to a specific live sex show in the city's infamous Red Light District during a 2019 interview with an Amsterdam radio station ... the same show she's now being sued over.

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In her interview with 3FM DJ Frank van der Lende, Lizzo reveals her love for live sex shows in Amsterdam ... and she asks the hosts about the banana sex show, where patrons eat bananas out of sex performers' vaginas.

Lizzo excitedly talks about her desire to find out where the banana show happens ... explaining, "That's what I want to do, I need my potassium if you know what I'm saying. My puss-tassium."

The radio hosts tell Lizzo the place she's looking for is Bananenbar ... a venue that's mentioned several times in the lawsuit she's now facing.

As we reported ... Lizzo is being sued by 3 of her former backup dancers, who say they were sexually denigrated by Lizzo while on the job.

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In the suit, the dancers claim during a February 2023 tour stop in Amsterdam, Lizzo took them to Bananenbar and pressured them to interact with the sex performers.

The dancers claim "Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers' vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers' vaginas."

It's unclear if the alleged incident was Lizzo's first time at Bananenbar ... but she's clearly had the banana sex show on her mind since 2019 at least.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Leah Remini Sues Church of Scientology ... Stalking Me Since My Exit!!!

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Leah Remini is being stalked and harassed by the Church of Scientology as part of a coordinated campaign to destroy her life because she left the religion ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The actress just filed suit against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, and she says Scientology is dead set on making her life a living hell now that she's no longer a part of the church.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Leah claims Scientology is stalking her and invading her privacy because the church is determined to silence her and others who are critical of the religion.

Leah claims the alleged abuse coming her way is part of a broader policy and practice of intimidation within the Church of Scientology ... which she says dates all the way back to founder L. Ron Hubbard.

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In her suit, Leah says Scientology has been attacking her with systematic and coordinated campaigns of harassment ever since she renounced the religion ... and she claims the retaliation tactics are ramping up in order to damage her Hollywood and business careers by tarnishing her reputation.

Leah says she was a Scientologist for nearly 40 years before leaving ... and in the decade since she left, she's been the victim of "intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors" via hundreds of social media accounts controlled by Scientology, which she says exist solely to intimidate and spread misinformation.

For example, Leah claims Scientology enlisted dozens of members to videotape messages falsely accusing her of being abusive and a racist and uploading them to web domains using her name.

She says she first became aware she was being followed by private investigators hired by Scientology in 2015, when she was promoting a memoir she wrote about Scientology's alleged abusive conduct ... and she says she hired private security as a result.

Leah also claims Scientology had members send threatening letters to news outlets who were promoting her book ... and she says the church created websites to smear A&E after her documentary series on Scientology.

In the docs, Leah claims the alleged stalking and harassment is causing her to lose personal relationships, business deals and other opportunities ... and she's going after the church for damages for what she says is "enormous economic and psychological harm."

We reached out to the Church of Scientology ... so far no word back.

Beyoncé Leaves Lizzo's Name Off 'BMS' Remix After Lawsuit

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Lizzo isn't sitting at Beyoncé's table right now in the wake of claims made against her by a few former backup dancers -- at least that's how it seems after this apparent Bey sting.

The singer was doing a show in Boston Tuesday -- as part of her "Renaissance" tour -- and during her performance of "Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)" ... Beyoncé noticeably failed to mention Lizzo's name in the lyrics, despite having done so repeatedly in the past.

If you're unfamiliar, Lizzo is actually written into the remix -- meaning her name is supposed to appear in the song naturally, so the fact Bey switched it up live is telling.

The name-drop happens in verse 3, where Beyoncé is listing a bunch of trailblazing women -- which normally includes Lizzo as well -- but on this particular outing ... Bey omitted her and instead chose to mention Erykah Badu 4 different times (more on this later).

Of course, to some ... it felt like, perhaps, Beyoncé had caught wind of the lawsuit filed against Lizzo Tuesday -- which had some pretty scandalous accusations in it, like the notion that she allegedly coerced her backup dancers to participate in nude cabaret shows ... not to mention allegedly badgering/body-shaming one of the dancers over a weight issue.

The internet certainly chatted about it yesterday, and now with this ... some are assuming Beyoncé did as well, and possibly made a decision to leave her off her 'BMS' list.

Now, there's another explanation for this would-be snub. As we reported ... there's bad blood between Erykah and Beyoncé right now. The former called out the latter for ripping off her fashion sense ... this 'cause Bey's worn similar 'fits onstage that echo EB's style.

It was a pretty public call-out ... and you could interpret Beyoncé's move as a response to Erykah stirring the pot. Eye of the beholder, we suppose ... but a choice was certainly made.

LaToya Tonodeo Method Man's Totally a Sex Symbol ... Being Objectified Sucks, Though!!!

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METHOD MAN'S GOT MUSCLES, MAN!!!

Method Man won't be walking anyone's runway anytime soon, but his "Power Book II: Ghost" castmate LaToya Tonodeo thinks the rap legend should embrace his newfound status as a Hollywood heartthrob!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with LaToya at LAX on Tuesday who told us she's happy Meth is getting looked at in a different light, but understands as a woman what it's like to be treated like a piece of meat and wanting to shy away from being propped up in the public eye.

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The Wu-Tang Clan rapper was recently profiled for "Men's Health" magazine and he totally railed against being called a sex symbol. His reasons were pretty simple: he doesn't think he's doing anything special to provoke such a title ... save for working out 500-lb dumbbells on occasion.

He also shared how his nutrition routines, something LaToya credits him for sharing with her on the 'Power' set ... educating her about proper dieting and protein shakes in her own fitness journey.

LaToya says as long as fans and admirers respect Meth's boundaries, all should end well.

After all, they could be calling him much worse.

Donald Trump Hit with Third Indictment ... 2020 Election Interference Alleged

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3:31 PM PT -- Special Counsel Jack Smith just spoke about the indictment of Donald Trump. Interestingly, he emphasized the defendant must be considered innocent until proven guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, in a court of law.

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One way to read that is ... Smith is confident the case the feds have built.

Donald Trump has another criminal case on his hands -- another grand jury has indicted him, this time for attempting to undermine the 2020 election with his actions on, before and after January 6, 2021.

The ex-President's been hit with 4 new counts -- conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct and official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights (to vote).

Trump took to Truth Social to beat the feds to the punch, announcing he would be indicted before the feds could drop the bombshell. Trump wrote, "I hear that Deranged (Special Counsel) Jack Smith, in order to interfere with the Presidential Election of 2024, will be putting out yet another Fake Indictment of your favorite President, me, at 5:00 P.M."

He adds, "Why didn’t they do this 2.5 years ago? Why did they wait so long? Because they wanted to put it right in the middle of my campaign. Prosecutorial Misconduct!"

Remember, Trump has two other criminal cases that are currently pending -- one pertains to his alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, and another is tied to his classified documents scandal post-presidency down in Florida.

In both instances, Trump has pleaded not guilty. Ya gotta assume, he'll do the same here.

Trump was impeached over his role in the Jan. 6 riot -- but was ultimately acquitted in Congress when the proceedings reached the Senate. He very memorably encouraged protesters that day to head on over to the Capitol, and was slow to tell them to stand down.

Interestingly, Trump's been full steam ahead on the campaign regardless of his legal woes -- he continues to hold rallies, including one this past weekend, as the 2024 election nears.

Trump has been summoned to appear in federal court Thursday in D.C. to face the new charges.

Originally Published -- 2:56 PM PT

'ARROW' STAR STEPHEN AMELL I Stand with SAG, but Disagree with Striking ... Reopen Negotiations!!!

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WALKING A TIGHTROPE

Stephen Amell is explaining why he supports his union, SAG-AFTRA, but doesn't support leadership's decision to strike ... he believes that's not the only way to hammer out a good deal.

The "Arrow" star joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and shared his thought process behind opposing the strikes in Hollywood, and admitted he's walking a fine line between supporting his union and wanting to work.

Stephen says SAG-AFTRA absolutely should fight for a better contract for its members ... but instead of marching in picket lines outside studios, he recommends getting back to the table to negotiate with the studios.

While Stephen's been one of the only actors to speak out against the strike, he tells us dozens of his colleagues are privately reaching out to him ... and he says his fellow actors agree with his strike outlook, even if the outside noise is against him.

Stephen's also caught the attention of SAG leadership ... and he said he's meeting with them later on Tuesday. He told us his goal for the meeting is to show union leaders he supports them while also offering up alternatives to striking.

It's an interesting look at what's going on behind the picket lines ... and Stephen tells us why he can support his union without agreeing with their every move, plus he's got a message to those who are outraged by his opinion.