Lionel Richie -- I'm Not Khloe Kardashian's Father! (VIDEO)

Lionel Richie didn't answer immediately when we asked him if the rumor was true that he's Khloe Kardashian's dad ... but he answered definitively.

Khloe's paternity made headlines again when a tabloid claimed the "Dancing on the Ceiling" crooner was actually her pops.

But as he left Madeo Monday night, Richie laughed it off ... though he does care for KK very much.

Of course he isn't, everyone knows it's really O.J. Simpson ... We kid.