Oprah paid tribute to Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison by reading some of her literature and sharing a great anecdote about their first meeting.

Toni's celebration of life was held Thursday at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. Angela Davis, Fran Lebowitz, Jesmyn Ward -- along with Oprah -- stepped up to the pulpit to honor their friend.

Oprah talked about the first time she met Toni -- during a gathering in Maya Angelou's backyard, of all places -- and called it "One of the great thrills of my life." That's despite the fact Oprah admitted saying something a little embarrassing to the celebrated author -- watch the clip, the story got big laughs.

To close out her time, Oprah recited a passage from Toni's 1977 work "Song of Solomon" ... and, again, the audience burst into applause.

Toni died in August of complications from pneumonia while surrounded by her loved ones.

Toni was perhaps best known for her 1987 best-seller, "Beloved." She was a renowned figure in literature for her novels that spoke to the African-American experience. "Beloved," "Jazz" and "Paradise" made up a loose trilogy -- with the first book being adapted into the 1998 film starring Oprah and Danny Glover.

Myles Garrett told NFL officials Steelers QB Mason Rudolph hurled a racial slur at him before the infamous helmet attack ... though Rudolph is calling BS.

As we previously reported, the Cleveland Browns star met with NFL officials to appeal the length of his suspension from the Nov. 14 incident.

During the meeting, Garrett told his side of the story ... and claimed it was a racial slur from Rudolph that got him so pissed off, he ripped off the QB's helmet and attacked him with it, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

But, Rudolph is VEHEMENTLY denying the claim -- his lawyer has already issued a statement calling the allegation a flat-out lie.

"This false allegation was never asserted by Garrett in the aftermath of the game, never suggested prior to the hearing, and conspicuously absent in the apology published by the Browns and adopted by Garrett."

"The malicious use of this wild and unfounded allegation is an assault on Mason's integrity which is far worse than the physical assault witnessed on Thursday."

"This is reckless and shameful."

Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens just addressed the situation at Browns practice on Thursday, saying, "I stand by Myles and that's not going to waver. I'll support Myles in every way possible."

Kitchens refused to disclose what he and Myles talked about following the incident.

Story developing ...

Ray J is opening up about the recent drama with his pregnant wife -- he denies her claim he left her and their daughter "stranded," and expresses disappointment that she aired her grievances on social media ... of course, he's saying all this on social media.

As you know ... Princess Love recently blasted Ray J online, claiming he left her high and dry in Vegas and blocked her from calling. He also apparently blocked her on Instagram.

But, in a video posted to IG, Ray says he's confused about how he could have "stranded' her and their girl, Melody, if they never left the pad they were staying at in the first place.

He goes on to direct comments at Princess Love about it not being cool to take their argument to social media ... and says they need to embrace and love each other during the tough times, especially with another child arriving soon.

As for what sparked the debacle ... sources close to Ray J tell us he traveled to Vegas on a business trip and his wife and daughter came too, but while they were there some issues that had been building up exploded.

We're told they got into an argument over how much he's working with her being 8 1/2 months pregnant -- and he didn't want to deal with the fight so he left and got his own hotel room.

Ray J's adamant he didn't abandon his family or put Melody in harm's way ... and seems to suggest this is just a regular couples' fight that got overblown. We're told Ray wanted to give Princess some space and it got misconstrued.

In his video, he does manage to slip in an apology near the end ... and says the devil is trying to mess things up, but he's committed to not letting that happen.

To make it all even more confusing, though, he added in the caption ... "Love lost this time" with a broken heart emoji.

Jeremy Meeks will be back in court soon, and in a very strange coincidence ... the same man who was busted with him when he became hot mug shot guy is mixed up in this too.

According to new legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Meeks is being sued by WeHo Auto Rental, Inc. along with Terry Joe Bailey, Jr. More on him later.

WeHo Auto alleges Meeks rented a 2016 Porsche Cayenne and a 2019 Mercedes-Benz in September ... and both vehicles were involved in separate car accidents.

The rental company claims one accident occurred on Sept. 5 and the other on Sept. 10. Based on photos we obtained of Meeks at one of the crash scenes ... the Porsche wreck went down on the 10.

Here's where it gets even more interesting -- when cops in Stockton, CA busted Meeks back in 2014 on felony weapon charges ... Bailey was arrested with him on the same charges.

This arrest led to Meeks' mug shot going viral and eventually helped launch his modeling career ... which led to him dating and having a child with Topshop heiress Chloe Green.

Bailey didn't get that kinda fame, but now he's back -- as a codefendant in this lawsuit. It's unclear what his alleged role was in the accidents, but maybe this is his second shot.

There's MORE sand in that hour glass, after all -- "Days of Our Lives" ... the soap opera just got renewed for its 56th season on the heels of the cast being released from their contracts.

Sources involved in production confirmed the long-running sudser got the good word Thursday from executive producer Ken Corday. The green light means the cast doesn't have to sweat the bad news they got just 10 days ago.

As we reported, producers let all the actors out of their deals, but the show was still scheduled to air through the end of this season ... in summer 2020. They've taped that far ahead.

You'll recall ... Chrishell Hartley, who plays -- or played (spoiler alert) -- Jordan Ridgeway on the soap, told us the situation wasn't as dire for 'Days' as it seemed, and she predicted more episodes after the current well ran dry. Turns out, she was right!

Liam Hemsworth is boo-less in Malibu ... but he's still having a helluva time being single, ripping waves on his surfboard with older brother Luke.

Liam and Luke took full advantage of a nice swell Thursday in the 'Bu, paddling out to catch some waves and get away from all the drama back on dry land.

The youngest Hemsworth bro looked happy and at ease in the water, hanging ten before showing off his toned bod as he got out of his wetsuit.

As you know ... Liam's single for the first time in over a decade after filing for divorce from Miley Cyrus. She's already moved on to Kaitlynn Carter and now Cody Simpson.

Aside from an outing with Australian actress Maddison Brown last month in NYC, Liam's pretty much been flying solo.

Liam's sister-in-law, Elsa Pataky, made headlines Thursday when she said Liam "deserves much better" than Miley. Chris Hemsworth's wife also said her brother-in-law is a little bit down and coping well with the split.

It's the right idea here for Liam ... surfing's good for the mind, body and soul.

Chris Brown's second child has been born ... and he subtly shared the good news on Instagram.

Sources close to the singer tell TMZ ... his ex, Ammika Harris, gave birth to their son. As we first reported in August ... it's their first child together.

Both Chris and Ammika shared cryptic messages on social media Thursday, seemingly announcing the birth of their baby boy. In fact, we know she did just that.

Chris posted a pic of himself smiling and looking down at something off camera with the caption of the date ... 11-20-19. Right after that, he shared a pic of himself wearing a hoodie with the word "BORN" embroidered on it.

Harris also alluded to the child's birth on her Instagram Story, writing ... "I was in love, when I first saw you."

The boy is Ammika's first child. CB has a 5-year-old daughter named Royalty with Nia Guzman.

Brad Rutter says he came out on top in previous battles with fellow "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings thanks to a little luck, but Ken got the biggest break of all ... from the TV gods.

Rutter -- the highest money winner of all time on the game show -- joined "TMZ Live" Thursday to talk about his storied rivalry with Jennings ... which is set to be renewed on the upcoming 'Greatest of All Time' tournament.

Brad reminds us his past matchups with Ken were very close and could have gone either way, but points out that you make your own luck too. So, yeah ... fair to say he's suggesting he's a LITTLE better, and that's why he's slightly favored over Jennings.

Despite their history, and the fact Rutter's never lost a match (to a human, anyway), Jennings is the more famous of the 2 "Jeopardy!" champs.

Why? Brad has a pretty solid explanation -- face time equals fame ... and Ken was lucky to get more of it.

It's all in good fun, of course ... Brad tells us he and Ken are friends outside the show, and a very notable butt-kicking they both received brought them closer together. Like we said, Brad's undefeated ... if you don't count robots.

Rutter also says Alex Trebek is doing an astounding job hosting the game show despite dealing with pancreatic cancer ... and marvels how he seems to be getting better.

"Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time" will air in January, and it should be noted -- recent phenom James Holzhauer will be the third champion looking to take the title from Brad and Ken.

An Uber driver whipped out a breathalyzer and blew into the device during a ride -- a bizarre moment, recorded by his passenger -- but Uber says it's not what it looks like.

Check out this video shot during an Uber ride last week in Nashville ... you see the driver waving around a huge breathalyzer in his right hand as he drives down a street.

The passenger, Kyle, tells TMZ ... he noticed a sudden beeping noise in the car. He says the driver told him it was a safety feature in his vehicle causing the noise, and then reached under his seat to pull out the breathalyzer. Kyle says the driver blew into it, and the trip continued.

In the video, you hear the driver say, "I just had this put in today, I haven't perfected it."

The rider reported the troubling incident to Uber and requested a refund, and it hit him back with a generic response and a measly $5 credit to his account.

Doesn't seem like a great response to finding out your driver possibly has a DUI that requires him/her to intermittently blow into a device, just to keep the engine running -- however, an Uber rep says the driver was using a family member's car because his car was getting repairs. Uber says the device belonged to the driver's relative.

We're told the driver is not being disciplined because he had registered the relative's car as a secondary vehicle on his account.

The ridesharing app has a policy that people cannot drive for Uber if they've been convicted of DUI within the past 7 years, and the company claims it conducts criminal background checks and driving record checks to ensure its drivers meet certain safety standards.

"Man, it's been rough, to say the least."

That's an emotional Montae Nicholson -- still clearly distraught -- talking about how he's been handling the death of a 21-year-old woman while cooperating with police.

"I'd like to make it known that this week has been extremely hard on not only myself but Julia's friends and family as well," the Washington Redskins safety said.

We broke the story ... cops say Nicholson and another man dropped Julia Crabbe off at a Virginia-area hospital last Wednesday night, where she died from a suspected drug overdose.

Montae played for the Redskins vs. the Jets just 3 days later -- and on Thursday, Nicholson was asked point-blank if the team pressured him to take the field.

"End of the day, it was my decision. I wasn't forced into anything."

In fact, Nicholson says the Redskins organization has been extremely supportive while he deals with the tragedy and police investigation.

"My teammates and fans ... the head office, they made it very well known that they have my back ... they could have shut the door on me and turned their backs, but they didn't."

As we previously reported, investigators believe Crabbe had been at Montae's house before the OD ... and a search of Nicholson's home turned up marijuana, pills and "foil with residue."

Nicholson has NOT been accused of any criminal wrongdoing -- and says he's cooperating with police.

Meanwhile, the Redskins are set to play the Detroit Lions this week and Montae says he plans on taking the field again.

"Little Women: LA" star Christy Gibel is dying to be single right away ... she's asking a court to change her marital status ASAP and to go back to her maiden name.

Christy is going through a nasty legal war with her estranged husband, Todd Gibel ... and according to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Christy wants to be officially single and have her name restored to Christy Lynn McGinity, even though the court has not yet finalized the split of the former couple's assets.

In the docs, Christy says she wants her maiden name back because she's pregnant and doesn't want the name Gibel anywhere near her baby's birth certificate.

TMZ broke the story ... Christy's moving on fast from Todd, and she's expecting with her new BF's child. Remember, Christy claimed she and Todd had a sexless marriage.

Fact is, Christy doesn't NEED the name change for her baby -- she could put whatever name she wants on the birth certificate -- but maybe she's just a stickler for details.

According to the docs, Christy says she also needs to get a new driver's license and passport and she wants to use her maiden name on both.

Even if she gets a single status and the name change, she and Todd still have to settle support and property issues at a later date.

Jamie Lynn Spears and the cast of "Zoey 101" are finally back together for a reboot ... but it's for another beloved show Nickelodeon brought back to life.

TMZ's learned Spears and several of her former castmates reunited Thursday on the set of "All That" ... the long-running sketch comedy show from the '90s that returned to TV this summer with an all-new cast.

It's unclear if Jamie and company were filming for an episode of the "All That" reboot or if it's some sort of promo shoot ... but it definitely suggests a 'Zoey' revival is close to becoming a reality.

We broke the story in July ... Spears was in talks to reprise her iconic role, as the grown-up mom version of Zoey a decade later. A bunch of cast members even got together for dinner amid talks the show was coming back.

Our sources say the entire cast is willing to make the reboot happen, but negotiations with the network still haven't gotten off the ground. We're told there are some meetings planned for next week.

Along with featuring Spears ... "Zoey 101" is known for helping launch the careers of stars like Victoria Justice and Austin Butler. The original "All That" is known for launching the careers of Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes and Nick Cannon.

Robin Williams' former crib along the San Francisco Bay is up for grabs ... and the view alone might make it go quickly.

The late funny man's single-story Mediterranean home in Northern California -- located in Paradise Cay -- is a nearly 6,500-square-foot palace with walls of windows in the living room and kitchen to ensure you never lose sight of the gorgeous bay.

The house features a wood-paneled library/den, an office and 6 beds and 6.5 baths. Outside, there's a gorgeous stone patio with a pool and spa.

Williams -- who first started doing stand-up comedy in the San Fran area in the mid-1970s -- bought the property in 2008 for just over $4 million. Following his suicide in 2014, the home was transferred to a trust tied to his widow, Susan.

Dustin McNeer -- best known for appearing on cycle 22 of "America's Next Top Model" -- has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman believed to be his girlfriend ... TMZ has learned.

Cops arrested McNeer Wednesday in Charlotte, NC after a 21-year-old woman reported him for domestic assault the day before ... according to police docs.

The model turned bodybuilder was booked on 2 misdemeanor charges -- one count of assault on a female, and one count of injury to personal property. Sources close to the situation tell us the female is McNeer's GF.

Cops say she told them the incident happened on November 8, and she suffered minor injuries, but did not get any medical treatment. She also claims her iPhone was also damaged during the alleged confrontation.

McNeer's being held on a $500 bond.

Dustin appeared on 'ANTM: Guys & Girls' in 2015 and finished in 7th place. He's since moved on to the world of bodybuilding.