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The artist behind a Meghan Markle painting Beyonce and Jay-Z used during the Brit Awards says they never got his permission, nor did they pay him a cent -- but he's letting it slide.

Tim O'Brien tells us ... he was shocked and honored to see his piece behind the Carters at Wednesday's award show. Bey and Jay recorded their acceptance speech for Best International Group -- and Tim's homage to the Duchess of Sussex was prominently displayed.

The speech was a recreation of their "APES**T" music vid ... but instead of the Mona Lisa behind them, it was "Queen Markle."

Tim says no one from Jay and Beyonce's camps hit him up for permission. He explained why he's also certain they didn't buy the portrait from him online. It costs $75 so ... yeah, they can afford it.

This kinda sitch typically leads to big fat lawsuits, but Tim's willing to give 'em a pass. Well, at least this time. Watch ... it's pretty clear he's happy for the publicity, but he'd be way happier with a check.

Good news, bad news for Cleveland Browns star Antonio Callaway -- officials have DROPPED the drug possession charge against him stemming from a 2018 weed arrest.

BUT ... he just got sentenced to probation for driving on a suspended license.

As we previously reported, the 22-year-old wide receiver was pulled over in Ohio at 2:59 AM on August 5 for a routine traffic violation.

During the stop, cops found a small amount of weed, gun parts and bullets in Antonio's Dodge Charger -- and he was cited for weed possession and driving on a suspended license.

Callaway told the officers the weed was not his -- it was left over from someone else who had been driving the car. Antonio's attorney, Kevin Spellacy, tells us the amount of weed in the car was so "insignificant" it became clear to prosecutors they "couldn't make a case on the drugs."

Now, we've learned Callaway appeared in court on January 25 -- where prosecutors decided to drop the weed charge but pursued the suspended license situation.

Callaway pled guilty to the license charge and was sentenced to 1 year probation and was ordered to pay around $400 in fines, plus other court fees.

There's more ... Callaway also pled guilty in court to a speeding charge he picked up for a SEPARATE incident in the fall -- when he was busted for going 58 mph in a 35 mph zone before the Browns played the Chargers on Oct. 14.

Court records show Callaway was ordered to pay a fine in that case.

Bottom line -- he's basically out of the woods ... as long as he keeps his nose clean for the next year.

4:45 PM PT -- Jussie has been indicted for a felony ... filing a false police report. He's now facing a possible 3 years in prison.

The Cook County grand jury just handed up the indictment after hearing testimony and examining the evidence.

4:37 PM PT -- Gloria Schmidt, the lawyer for Ola and Abel Osundairo, just said her clients testified before the Grand Jury for 2 and a half hours and laid out their story that Jussie put them up to a fake assault. Schmidt said the brothers testified separately and they have no criminal exposure.

She added Jussie's conscience "won't let him sleep so he should come clean."

Jussie Smollett is now officially in the crosshairs of law enforcement, because Chicago PD said he's now "officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation ... for filing a false police report."

The cops say detectives are currently presenting evidence to a Cook County Grand Jury.

If Smollett is charged the felony carries a maximum 3-year prison sentence.

We're told the 2 brothers are at the courthouse now and are expected to testify ... most likely today.

The 2 brothers who claim Jussie Smollett staged the "attack" say he paid them $3,500 before the attack, but the reason for the payment is muddled.

Sources tell TMZ, Jussie wrote a check for the $3,500, but he wrote on the memo line on the check it was for training.

Sources connected to Jussie tell TMZ, the money -- paid shortly before the incident -- was for workout sessions and a dietary regimen.

Sources connected to the brothers tell TMZ, Jussie was indeed paying for training, but he threw in more money than they were owed. When pressed, our sources admit Jussie did not say any additional money was for participation in the alleged scheme, but they say it was clear to all.

Originally Published -- 2:24 PM PT

Larsa Pippen's weighing in on the Tristan Thompson cheating scandal, saying if she was Kylie Jenner ... she'd put an eviction notice on Jordyn Woods' door pronto.

One of Kim Kardashian's best friends was leaving Bev Hills beauty salon Blown on Canon Wednesday, and we asked her about Jordyn's current status with the fam after she allegedly hooked up with Tristan.

As you know ... Jordyn is Kylie's BFF and Kylie said last year that Jordyn lives with her. Well ... she used to. She's reportedly getting the boot as of Wednesday. Soooo ... Larsa's prediction here about Jordyn's future seems absolutely dead-on.

As we reported, Kim unfollowed both Tristan and Jordyn on social media, and some of her sisters followed suit. The big question has been how Kylie is going to handle the situation moving forward.

Larsa says ... consider it handled.

Just one day after Kim Kardashian tore into a fast fashion company for ripping off her style ... she's hammering the message home by taking a different one to court.

Kim just filed suit against Missguided USA -- an online retailer that sells outfits resembling ones worn by celebs, and oftentimes by Kim herself -- for using her name and image without permission to advertise their own "knock-off" designs.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kim cites multiple instances where Missguided posted its own versions of outfits Kim was photographed wearing. Kim claims the outfits are often whipped up and peddled in a matter of days, sometimes hours.

Her lawsuit includes a side by side of her own post, next to one from Missguided as evidence of what pisses her off about the company.

She also says Missguided often tags her on their social media posts -- and includes photos of her -- giving people the wrong idea that she's working with the co.

Sources close to the case tell us the Missguided lawsuit is just one of many more to come against fashion knockoff brands.

It's interesting ... Kim just slammed Fashion Nova for recreating her vintage Mugler "boob belt" dress from the other night, saying this practice by fast fashion companies was "devastating." Fashion Nova did not use her image to sell their stuff.

Missguided, however, did ... and that's why Kim's going after them.

3:21 PM PT -- More footage has emerged of the brothers reportedly leaving a store after buying items allegedly used in the attack.

2:20 PM PT -- Chicago PD says Jussie is now "officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation" ... and detectives began presenting evidence Wednesday afternoon to the grand jury.

The brothers who say Jussie Smollett hired them to stage the alleged attack were caught on surveillance camera buying a bunch of items they used during the incident.

The video -- first posted by CBS2 in Chicago -- shows Ola and Abel Osundairo at the checkout counter as they pile up the items, which include ski masks, gloves, bandanas, sunglasses and red hats.

At one point Abel pulls his hoodie over his head, perhaps attempting to hide his face, but he'd already been seen clearly on the video.

CBS2 says the brothers bought these items the day before the "attack" on Jussie.

The items are interesting ... we know Jussie said his attackers were wearing ski masks, and we also know police seized red hats when they raided the brothers' home in Chicago. The surveillance image police had released last month appears to show Abel and Ola with their faces still concealed under the ski masks.

As we first reported, the brothers were at court Tuesday, ready to testify for the grand jury -- but were called off at the last minute because Jussie's attorneys are going to speak to police.

We're told they will go before the grand jury when it finally convenes.

5:18 PM PT -- Khloe has followed suit, deleting all recent photos of Tristan on her Instagram.

Kim Kardashian feels betrayed by Tristan Thompson and Kylie's best friend, Jordyn Woods ... so now, they're dead to her on Instagram.

Kim pulled the plug -- unfollowing the 2 on Instagram -- in the wake of TMZ's story that Khloe split with Tristan after he hooked up with Jordyn over the weekend at an L.A. house party.

As we reported, Khloe broke up with Tristan over the latest cheating scandal, and this one has a twist with a ripple effect through the entire Kardashian fam.

The big question now ... what's Kylie gonna do? We're told at first she didn't believe the story, but after talking with friends she's come around. As you know, Kylie and Jordyn have been inseparable ... Jordyn even lives in Kylie's guesthouse.

Kim has 127 million followers on Insta and now only follows 120 folks.

2:45 PM PT -- Looks like the party's over, or at least this stage of it. We got Meghan's friends -- including Amal Clooney and Gayle King -- pouring out of the Mark Hotel where they held the baby shower.

They walked out into some crappy winter weather, but still ... smiles all around.

Priyanka Chopra couldn't make it to Meghan Markle's baby shower -- a sure sign there's trouble in paradise for close pals ... normally, anyway, but these 2 are a different breed o' BFF.

Sources close to Priyanka tell TMZ ... the actress did NOT make it to Meghan's NYC baby shower -- despite reports to the contrary -- and it's because she was stuck working in Los Angeles.

We're told Priyanka was bogged down on the left coast with meetings for a book she's writing.

Although, Meghan's pal Serena Williams made it to NYC ... it's been a while since she and Priyanka and have been able to find time for each other.

Priyanka crossed the pond for Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding last summer, but Meghan wasn't there when Priyanka and Nick Jonas tied the knot in India.

We're told Meghan's December schedule simply didn't align with Priyanka and Nick's nearly endless stream of wedding receptions. The Duchess of Sussex has a ton of obligations ... and being pregnant further complicates her social schedule.

Despite the missed connections ... we're told Priyanka and Meghan's friendship hasn't changed, and they still talk regularly. No issues here!

Le'Veon Bell just compared NFL free agency to the civil rights movement -- using Martin Luther King's most famous quote to celebrate becoming "free at last."

Hours after Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert announced the team would not use a franchise or transition tag to force Bell to stay with the team, the disgruntled running back spoke out on Twitter.

"Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty I am free at last."

Of course, the quote comes from MLK's legendary 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech -- in which he imagines a future of racial equality.

Bell has been at odds with the Steelers for years -- claiming he has been wildly underpaid and unfairly treated by the team ... despite the fact, he made $12 mil in 2017 and sat out in 2018 when he was supposed to make $14.5 mil.

Miranda Lambert's new police officer hubby is no stranger to the fame game -- in fact, his 15 minutes trace way back to 2015 and a little something called the "Cupid Shuffle."

Brendan McLoughlin -- who was already working for NYPD a few years ago -- was cited as the "hot cop" who did the Cupid Shuffle during NYC's Pride weekend that year.

Officer McLoughlin was caught on camera doing his duty ... stepping to the right, to the right, to the left, to the left while shuffling with a bunch of civilians -- including some women who couldn't resist his moves.

Can't blame those ladies ... the guy's a stud in or out of uniform. In fact, he even moonlighted as a model back in those days. Unclear if he's still doing that though.

As we reported ... Brendan's been temporarily taken off foot patrol and placed on driver duty due to the media attention he's drawing following his surprise marriage to Miranda.

No more flash dances in the street from this dude, at least not in uniform. We're guessing Miranda gets private shows.

Jussie Smollett and/or his attorneys are prepared to sit down with police, and that decision staved off a grand jury at the 11th hour ... TMZ has learned.

Ola and Abel Osundairo were at a Chicago courthouse Tuesday, ready to testify before the grand jury ... according to sources connected to the case, however, that was nixed at the last minute. We're told they got a call that Jussie's legal team -- and possibly Jussie himself -- had agreed to talk to police.

End result ... the grand jury was postponed. We're told the meeting between cops and Jussie's team has not happened yet. We're also told the grand jury will not convene Wednesday morning.

As for the ongoing investigation into the "attack" ... we're told law enforcement believes it happened when it did, January 29, specifically because Jussie knew the Osundairo brothers were leaving for Nigeria the next day. Our sources say that trip was pre-planned, and not connected to the alleged attack.

Also, we're told the FBI met with the brothers Tuesday to talk about the hate mail that was sent to Jussie at Fox Studios in Chicago. The feds are checking to see if the postal stamp on the letter matches stamps police seized at the brothers' home in Chicago.

We're told the FBI is also looking into the ripped out magazine pages found in their home ... to see if there's any match to the cut-out letters used in the racist and homophobic letter.

Our sources say the brothers told police they had nothing to do with the letter, and only saw it in a photo on Jussie's phone.

We reached out to the Osundairos' attorney, Gloria Schmidt, for comment ... and she said, "All the facts will come out soon."

Rich the Kid's playing hard to get in his divorce case ... so claims his estranged wife who wants the judge to make him pay for being a pain in the ass.

Antonette Willis has filed new legal docs claiming she's been trying to serve the rapper with papers, but he's nowhere to be found. And, in her multiple attempts, she's racked up tons in legal fees and wants him to pony up some of the dough to pay her lawyers.

In the docs, Antonette says Rich has been shelling out $4,500 for her rent and around $3k in other expenses. She says she has no income and her expenses -- which includes $1,225 per week in a luxury car rental -- makes it hard for her to pay her lawyers. She wants $30k from him to help with her legal bills.

She says Rich can afford it cause he makes well over $100k per month.

This is just the latest in their ongoing divorce. TMZ broke the story ... Antonette filed for divorce in March 2018. She claimed he forced her to have multiple abortions and alleged he was violent.

Russell Wilson could be the guy who replaces Eli Manning as QB of the NY Giants ... and it's all 'cause of Ciara -- so says Colin Cowherd.

The FS1 star reported on his show, "The Herd," that he's hearing from sources "in the entertainment agent world" that Russ' wife would absolutely prefer New York over Seattle.

And, with Wilson's Seahawks contract expiring after the 2019 season ... he says it all makes too much sense -- and thinks the deal could actually go down.

"[Ciara] would prefer to live in New York, and the Giants need a quarterback. And there's nobody in the draft they love."

Cowherd added, "A lot of things add up."

Cowherd says because Eli's career is all but over ... and since Wilson can essentially force his way out of Seattle after his deal ends -- he thinks Ciara could get her way.

Colin also thinks it'd be a winning move for Wilson on the field too -- saying the 30-year-old could become a much bigger star than he ever was in the Pacific Northwest.

R. Kelly is leaving the Chicago recording studio where he produced some of his biggest hits.

The singer's lawyers, Melvin Sims and Steven Greenberg, tell TMZ ... Kelly is moving out because court-ordered restrictions made it impossible for him to keep his creative juices flowing.

As we've reported ... a judge limited the studio's working hours after city inspectors found tons of building code violations.

Kelly's people say he's struggling to adjust to the sweeping changes -- especially cutting off his overnight access -- so he's looking for a new place to record. They insist 24-hour access is the widely accepted industry standard, so his 9 PM curfew has impaired his "musical innovation."