Lizzo is going to be VERY busy in 2020 ... especially if Tommy Hilfiger can get her people on the line, because he's got big plans for the singer.

Tommy was leaving an Autism Speaks event Wednesday night at David Yurman Jewelry in L.A., and we asked about his upcoming collabs. He's already said he and J. Balvin will be getting creative in the fashion arena ... so we wanted to know what else he's got cooking, and with whom.

He said there's a long list of big names he wants to team up with, but when pressed to name just one ... L-I-Z-Z-O rolled off his tongue. You gotta see it, because you know Tommy can line up just about anyone in show biz -- but he was totally beaming when Lizzo came up.

And, btw, all that controversy over Lizzo's assless outfit at the Lakers game this week ... it's not scaring off the Hilfiger brand. Tommy told us why he's anxious to work with her, no matter what she's wearing.

Harvey Weinstein has gone under the knife in hopes of alleviating his severe back pain and is now recovering.

The disgraced studio mogul underwent what's called bilateral laminectomy surgery Thursday at an NYC hospital. We're told the procedure lasted around 3 hours. The surgery -- better known as decompression surgery -- enlarges the spinal canal to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.

As we reported ... Weinstein could barely walk on his own when he headed to court last week. He needed help from 2 handlers. He's also needed assistance from a walker. You'll recall Weinstein's lead attorney said earlier this week HW would undergo surgery while also slamming haters who accused Weinstein of attempting to play the sympathy card.

It's only right that the women who made pageant history would get together for a whole lot of "black girl magic" under the same roof.

We're told not long after Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa was crowned in Atlanta, Miss USA's Cheslie Kryst and Miss America's Nia Franklin reached out to her to tell her they wanted to officially welcome her once she's flown to NYC for her press tour.

The meet-up makes a lot of sense considering Cheslie and Zozibini recently became new roommates.

And, that's exactly what went down Wednesday night when everyone met up at Cheslie and Tunzi's new pad. The American beauties also had a gift for Tunzi -- a painting featuring the trio to commemorate their historic wins.

As you know by now ... for the first time in history, black women swept the major pageants, which included Miss Teen USA's Kaliegh Garris. Cheslie didn't take long to appreciate the historic significance ... saying she was proud to be part of this group.

So, what'd the girls talk about on girls' night? They talked about progression, representation and how they hope a clean sweep by women of color sparks inspiration to women around the world. Their deep convo should come as no surprise -- Miss Universe is an activist who fights against gender-based violence; Miss USA is an attorney who boasts a JD/MBA from Wake Forest; and Miss America advocates for female empowerment and music creativity.

Juice WRLD's family is breaking their silence on the death of the 21-year-old rapper, shedding light on his battle with prescription drug abuse and his fight to help others beat their addictions.

In an exclusive statement to TMZ, the late rapper's mom, Carmella Wallace, says, "We loved Jarad with all of our hearts and cannot believe our time with him has been cut short. As he often addressed in his music and to his fans, Jarad battled with prescription drug dependency."

Juice rapped about drugs often, something his family says wasn't to promote using ... but instead to help those battling addiction who may have felt alone in their fight.

His mom continues, "Addiction knows no boundaries and its impact goes way beyond the person fighting it. Jarad was a son, brother, grandson, friend and so much more to so many people who wanted more than anything to see him defeat addiction."

However, his family believes his story can help others moving forward, with the mom telling TMZ, "We hope the conversations he started in his music and his legacy will help others win their battles as that is what he wanted more than anything."

Carmella wraps by thanking Juice's fans, friends and family for their support during the incredibly difficult time, saying, "We know that Jarad's legacy of love, joy and emotional honesty will live on."

TMZ broke the story ... Juice WRLD died after a private flight from L.A. to Chicago Sunday. Law enforcement sources tell us the rapper swallowed several Percocet pills upon landing when he learned federal agents were going to search the plane.

President Trump's getting one-upped in his favorite arena -- Twitter -- by Greta Thunberg, or as he refers to her ... that kid with the "anger management problem."

The Prez took a pretty condescending shot Thursday morning at Time's Person of the Year. His reaction to her getting the honor ... "So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend!"

And, for the coup de grace, he added, "Chill Greta, Chill!"

Well, the 16-year-old champion of the environment took Trump's advice ... in the most facetious way possible.

She straight-up jacked his tweet and slapped it in her Twitter bio, which now reads ... "A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend."

Ex-NFL star Clinton Portis is accused of defrauding the NFL and stealing money from the league's healthcare program ... and now, the former RB is facing up to 20 YEARS behind bars.

United States Department of Justice officials say Portis and 9 other ex-NFL players developed a scheme back in 2017 to make money off of the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Plan.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, some of the names involved in the scam included Robert McCune, John Eubanks, Tamarick Vanover, Ceandris Brown, James Butler, Fredrick Bennett and Etric Pruitt.

Officials say the scheme wasn't too complicated ... Portis and the former players allegedly made up fake claims, submitted them to the plan (which is designed to help retired players pay for medical bills) and were reimbursed.

Officials say some of the fraudulent claims included the players looking to be reimbursed for things like pricey hyperbaric oxygen chambers, ultrasound machines and electromagnetic therapy devices designed for use on horses.

Billy Porter believes some of our most beloved stories need to change going forward to reflect changes in society, but he adds -- there's no need to cancel the original tales.

We got the "Pose" star in NYC -- who's set to step into the fairy godmother role in Disney's future, live-action "Cinderella" film -- and asked him about calling the reboot a movie "for the #MeToo era."

Billy tells us it's not a knock on the classic "Cinderella" or any of the other fairy-tales, it's just a statement about how things have evolved. He says it's time for remakes to reflect that.

As the Golden Globe-nominated actor puts it ... we're in a different place now.

For the first time in the history of 'Survivor' -- the long-running reality competition show -- a contestant's been kicked off for misconduct ... after already receiving a warning for his behavior.

Dan Spilo, a Hollywood producer and talent manager, was removed from the game with only days left for an undisclosed incident described as happening "off-camera."

At the end of Wednesday's episode -- after tribal council on 'Island of the Idols' -- host Jeff Probst came to the tribe's camp and informed everyone Dan was gone and wasn't coming back ... and wouldn't be serving on the jury.

As the show ended, a message read ... "Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player."

It's not too hard to read between the lines, though, because Spilo was involved in the most controversial episode of this season when he was accused by contestant Kellee Kim of inappropriate and unwanted touching.

Two other female contestants made similar claims, but later admitted they did it for gameplay and weren't actually offended by Dan.

However, he was seen touching Kellee on multiple occasions despite her apparent resistance, and was issued a warning by 'Survivor.' After Kim was voted out, Spilo apologized, saying ... "if anyone ever felt for a second uncomfortable about anything I’ve ever done, I’m horrified about that and I’m terribly sorry."

The final straw reportedly dropped after an immunity challenge, and involved someone on the crew as they were getting into a boat to leave. It's unclear exactly what happened during the incident, but it was enough to get him booted.

Elizabeth Smart's parents are putting 34 years of marriage in the rearview mirror ... 'cause they're officially divorced.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Ed and Lois finalized their divorce in Salt Lake County Court. The terms of the divorce -- the division of their property and financial accounts -- are not disclosed in the settlement.

As we reported, Ed revealed back in August that he's gay -- and also announced he and Lois were in the process of getting divorced. They hammered out the settlement pretty quickly -- by Hollywood standards, anyway -- and the judge has already signed off.

At the time, Ed said he would no longer live a lie and insinuated he contemplated suicide while he kept his secret. Ed spoke out publicly Monday for the first time and talked about being gay, telling Gayle King on "CBS This Morning" ... "There is no cure. This is absolutely not a choice. And, I wish my wife knew that. I wish that, more than anything."

Illinois hoops star Kofi Cockburn was TRYING to celebrate after hitting a crucial shot Wednesday -- but accidentally clocked the ref in the face instead with a BRUTAL elbow.

In fact, the ref immediately dropped to his knees -- and was HOSPITALIZED for further treatment.

Cockburn -- 7'0", 290 lbs -- had just hit a put-back floater (and got the foul) in the 2nd half against Michigan ... and tried to celebrate with a big Tiger Woods-styled fist pump.

But, ref Lewis Garrison accidentally got in the way ... and took a BIG elbow right to the face.

Garrison dropped to his knees and had to be helped off the floor ... and after trainers checked him out at the stadium, he reportedly went to a local hospital for further evaluation.

Thankfully, doesn't seem Garrison's injuries are too serious ... it's reported the trip to the emergency room was for precautionary reasons -- but still, scary stuff!!

As for the game, Cockburn ended up leading Illinois to a huge 71-62 win over the Wolverines -- a massive upset.

DaBaby taketh, and DaBaby giveth right back -- at least that's what one ecstatic fan learned when she ran into him at a gas station and freaked the hell out.

Alexandria Coleman tells TMZ ... the rapper hooked her and her friends up with free tickets to a makeup show -- one they kinda got the shaft on, originally.

Long story short, Alexandria says she was supposed to catch DaBaby in D.C. last weekend, but because of his 'SNL' appearance, it got bumped to Sunday night -- which sold out before she could score seats.

So, how's this for a stroke of luck? Alexandria ran into DB by total chance at a gas station as she was driving from D.C. back to Albany, NY. The run-in went kinda as you'd expect -- panicked, but also gleeful.

DaBaby and his team -- whom we're told were already recording some shenanigans -- noticed her pure excitement, and captured most of it on camera. You gotta see the moment they finally came face-to-face in an aisle ... and he ended up cradled in her arms.

They don't call him DaBaby for nothin'.

Alexandria tells us his team promised to get them into the sold-out D.C. show -- and come the day of the show, we're told he snuck them in through the back for the best seats in the house.

Juice WRLD's 2018 arrest at LaGuardia Airport had nothing to do with racial profiling -- so say law enforcement sources ... who claim it was a standard luggage check that led to his bust.

We broke the story ... the late rapper's friends are pissed because they believe his history of run-ins with cops at airports -- like the LaGuardia arrest -- show he was targeted, and they think it's simply because he's a rich, young, black man.

However, law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Juice checked his bag at the NYC airport last year and it was put on a carousel at the ticket counter to go through the jumbo x-ray machine -- just like all the other checked luggage.

We're told JW's bag triggered an anti-terrorism alarm signaling organic materials were potentially inside ... which can be used to make bombs.

So, TSA conducted a search of the bag, but instead of discovering bomb-making ingredients ... agents allegedly found marijuana and bottles of codeine and notified law enforcement, which we're told is standard procedure.

Our sources say cops then searched the bag, confirmed it contained more than 2 ounces of marijuana and codeine and was Juice WRLD's luggage. We're told the rapper had already boarded his Southwest flight by that time, but cops got to him before it took off ... and arrested him once he admitted the bag and contents inside were his.

Pro hockey player Akim Aliu tells TMZ Sports the racism he was forced to endure over the years held him back from reaching his full potential ... and the proof is in the racist pictures.

You're looking at pics of Aliu at the 2011 Halloween party for the Colorado Eagles -- which, at the time, was the minor league affiliate for the Winnipeg Jets.

Aliu says when he arrived to the party, he was greeted by the team's equipment manager Tony Deynzer, who was dressed up as Aliu in blackface -- complete with a custom jersey sporting Aliu's nickname, "Dreamer."

"The hardest thing about that ... just how much planning went into that," Aliu tells us.

"He got my jersey made, so that means this was planned in advance."

Aliu says people at the party laughed at him -- and his instinct was to raise hell and cause a scene -- but he was new to the club and there were families at the party "so I tried to play it off as cool as possible."

A short time later, Aliu says he demanded to be traded to another club.

It's just one of the MANY examples of racism black players at all levels of hockey have been forced to deal with. Aliu recently made headlines after revealing NHL coach Bill Peters hurled the n-word during a locker room rant back in the day.

"It's been a tough road and obviously I’ve bumped into a lot of barriers with racism and discrimination," Aliu says.

"People don’t really understand how bad it is unless you’re on the inside of the hockey world, inside the hockey establishment. I’ve dealt with a lot. I think my career has faltered because of that."

Now, 30-year-old Aliu says he wants to help fix the racism issues affecting the sport he loves.

"I think there’s still been failure to agree to the fact that we have a systematic problem in the National Hockey League and in hockey in general. From grassroots, from Tykes to all the way up to the professional rank."

"I think [hockey officials] need to come together with minorities and people that have been affected by these issues, and talk to them, and get together and say, 'Hey, what did you guys experience? How do you feel about what’s going on? How do you feel about moving forward? What ideas do you have moving forward for us?"

Massachusetts-born Amerie (real name Amerie Mi Marie Rogers) was only 25 years old when she became a huge star after her R&B album, "Touch," landed in the top 10 of the Billboard charts and the super catchy single, "1 Thing," spread like wildfire on the ears of the world.

During her music career Amerie works with a monster list of A-list artists including Jay-Z, Eve, Lil Wayne, Nas, Trey Songz, Fabolous, Usher ... and many more.

Amerie -- now a mother -- will be turning the big 4-0 next month!

Tekashi 6ix9ine is pretty much on his knees begging a judge to give him a lighter sentence and a second lease on life -- writing hizzoner a super apologetic note in his words.

The incarcerated MC submitted a personal letter that's attributed to him under his government name -- Daniel Hernandez -- and he sounds incredibly regretful of his past actions ahead of his sentencing next week in front of Judge Paul Engelmayer.

In his letter, Tekashi writes ... "As my sentencing date approaches, I am becoming more and more overwhelmed with emotions. More than anything, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to express my remorse to you, your Honor, over this situation."

He goes on to say while there's no excuse for his past crimes, he'd still like to apologize and be given the opportunity to turn his life around with a fresh start ... as he's seen the light.

Tekashi69 says, "I know that my life will never be the same but hopefully this change will be for the better because beyond all of this, I still consider myself a role model to millions of people as an artist, a celebrity and as a human being. I'm happy that the public was able to witness me dealing with the consequences of my actions because I feel like it sheds a light on what can come from gang affiliation." He says he knows this was God's plan all along.

6ix9ine continues by disavowing his former gang ties, recounting his kidnapping and declaring definitively that he was seen the error of his ways. He writes, "I now know that I am remorseful for what happened because I was blessed with the gift of an opportunity that most people dream of but I squandered it by getting involved with the wrong people and misrepresenting myself when I should have been true to myself and my fans."

He finishes by writing, "I'm truly sorry for the harm that I've caused. If given a second chance, I will not let this Court down and I will dedicate a portion of my life to helping others not make the same mistakes that I've made."

Of course, prosecutors have already submitted their own request for a lighter sentence in Tekashi 6ix9ine's RICO case ... telling the judge he was a great snitch and helped them seal convictions.