Family

12:25 PM PT -- Oprah just released a statement on her mom's death, saying, "Thank you all for your kind words and condolences regarding my mother Vernita Lee's passing. It gives our family great comfort knowing she lived a good life and is now at Peace."

Oprah Winfrey's mother has died.

Oprah's niece, Alisha Hayes, posted that Vernita Lee died on Thanksgiving Day. The family just confirmed the death.

Vernita was born in 1935 in segregated Mississippi. She met Vernon Winfrey and they gave birth to Oprah in 1954.

Vernita couldn't raise Oprah because she moved to Milwaukee where she worked as a housemaid.

Oprah was raised early on by her maternal grandmother. When Oprah turned 6, she moved to Milwaukee to live with her mom ... who was a virtual stranger.

Oprah says her relationship with her mom was rocky because of the long separation ... "I was asking the question ... what is a mother? What are you supposed to feel about your mother?"

Oprah was living with her mom when she was molested by her cousin and abused by an uncle.

Vernita had another child in 1963 and gave her up for adoption. Oprah had not met her half-sister Patricia until 2010 and said she was shocked to learn about her long-lost sibling. Oprah paid for her college education.

Vernita had a son, Jeffrey, who died in 1989 from AIDS. Oprah and Jeffrey reportedly had a difficult relationship.

The relationship between Oprah and her mom was eventually repaired. Oprah had Vernita on her talk show in 1990. O's personal stylist gave her a makeover.

There are reports Vernita retired from a hospital dietitian job sometime after she reconnected with O, moved into a luxury condo in Milwaukee and got a stipend from her famous daughter of $5k a month.

Vernita is survived by Oprah and Patricia Amanda Faye Lee and grandchildren Alisha Hayes, Chrishaunda Lee Perez, Aquarius Lofton and Andre Brown, as well as great-grandchildren Jaxon Praise Perez, Chai Theresa Perez, Donovan Hayes and Trinity Hayes.

A private funeral service has already been held. Memorial donations in Vernita's name can be made to Feeding America (feedingamerica.org).

Vernita was 83.

Kaley Cuoco took a break from saving wild animals to party like one ahead of her 33rd birthday.

The "Big Bang Theory" star threw on some Mickey Mouse ears Sunday and hit up Disneyland to kick off her birthday week. She turns 33 on Friday and brought a bunch of friends and family members to celebrate early.

Kaley was there with her hubby, Karl Cook, who had a pretty sweet tongue-wagging pose for the camera on the way down Splash Mountain. Kaley screamed her ass off. Can't blame her ... it's a steep fall.

It's been an eventful week for Kaley already. As we reported ... she tried her best to save a distressed baby sea lion while spending the first Thanksgiving with her in-laws in Santa Barbara.

There's a ZERO percent chance LaMelo Ball will follow in his bro's footsteps and play at UCLA next season ... so says LaVar Ball who tells us he's still furious over the way the school treated LiAngelo.

17-year-old LaMelo is playing pretty well at the Spire Institute in Ohio -- and recently dropped 30 points during a game in Atlanta.

LaVar tells us his son is "better than LeBron" was as a teenager -- calling him "unbeatable" and "the coldest person on two feet."

So, where's he gonna play his college ball next year? Definitely not in Westwood.

"Heck no, he won't be at UCLA," LaVar says ... "UCLA? Why? After what they did to my other son? Are you crazy?"

Remember, LiAngelo withdrew from UCLA after the shoplifting incident in China. UCLA had suspended him indefinitely but that didn't sit well with LaVar.

"Suspend him and don't tell him when he supposed to be able to play and all that? No, they ain't behind him like that. One mistake and now you put him to the side and act like he's supposed to come the next year?"

LaVar says he's also upset that UCLA forced LiAngelo to wear #15 when he wore #3 all his life -- "so it started off wrong."

As for LaMelo, Ball says he'll start taking recruiting trips to colleges "when he feels like it."

Diddy delivered a moving, emotional and heartfelt tribute to Kim Porter Saturday at her funeral ... evidence by audio of the eulogy.

The eulogy lasted 15 minutes ... and Diddy toughed it out without breaking down. Diddy talked about how Kim taught him how to love. He revealed ... at the beginning of the year he was dealing with depression and Kim would come over and comfort him, making sure he was okay.

Diddy went on to describe their evolving relationship ... a relationship that produced 3 children and a relationship that was solid from beginning to end.

There were moments so moving the mourners cheered.

Diddy made it clear ... he would always be there for his kids, and he got a big laugh when he talked about how his daughters could confide in him ... confide "everything."

Travis Scott torched not one but two venues Saturday night when he lit up the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ for his Astroworld tour, then hit up the Red Rabbit Club in New York City for the afterparty where he performed again!!!

We got the rap megastar walking into the club last night, dodging every question we had about his "wife," Kylie, whom he shouted out last week at his show in Houston.

The club went crazy for Travis, especially when he performed "Sicko Mode" ... the footage from inside the club is insane. After Travis performed he chilled in VIP section.

Kate Hudson took the latest addition to her fam out for a stroll on Thanksgiving weekend.

Kate and bf, musician Danny Fujikawa, took their newborn out Saturday night, on their way to dinner. It's unclear if the kid actually went in the restaurant or if she was deposited back home before the meal.

She gave birth to Rani Rose on October 2. She and Danny named the baby after his grandfather.

Hudson has 2 other kids from previous relationships -- Ryder Russell Robinson, the son of Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, and Bingham Hawn Bellamy, whose dad is Muse frontman, Matt Bellamy.

The saying "old habits die hard" was on full display Saturday night at The Forum when Tito Ortiz, 43, knocked out Chuck Liddell, 48, in the first round of their highly anticipated trilogy fight ... as the 2 UFC legends showcased decades of experience inside the Octagon.

We got Chuck after the loss in WeHo at Nightingale, chilling with his parents and friends. He was in good spirits and unsurprisingly didn't rule out a fourth fight with Tito.

Chuck's parents have different thoughts on their son's future in the Octagon.

This was Tito's first win against Chuck. The last time they squared off was 12 years ago. The long respite clearly didn't subdue their rivalry, because the two had been trash-talking each other for months leading up to this fight.

Hulk Hogan's 65 years old and has wrestled for 4 decades ... but his son, Nick, tells TMZ Sports the WWE Hall of Famer will NEVER RETIRE from the sport he loves.

"He always says he loves it. He loves training. He loves the wrestling business. It runs too deep in his blood. I don't think he'll ever quit," Nick told us at LAX.

Of course, Hulk just made his return to WWE after being fired in 2015 ... appearing at the 'Crown Jewel' event in Saudi Arabia, and you could tell he was back in his element.

Nick agrees ... and says he's still impressed with his dad's athletic ability and physical appearance.

Kevin Hart and his wife Eniko thought it was all good to throw their son, Kenzo, a "Cowboys and Indians" party on Thanksgiving for his first birthday.

Many people disagree.

The Harts are getting slammed for going the culturally inappropriate and offensive route with their kid's bday bash theme, in which the attendees wore either cowboy gear or Native American-inspired clothing.

Eniko captioned a pic from the party ... "Zos cowboys & indians party was nothing but amazing! Thanks to everyone for coming.. we love you guys!"

But, many of Kevin and Eniko's followers don't find it amazing at all and are blasting the couple, calling the idea shameful and ignorant instead.

We will say this, though ... Kenzo looked pretty adorable in his cowboy costume.

Just last week, Kevin and his ex-wife Torrei threw their 11-year-old son Hendrix a Fortnite party ... without a whiff of controversy.

2:00 PM PT -- A forlorn Diddy was spotted sitting next to Kim's gravesite looking deep in thought. Several mourners -- including Usher -- later gathered on the cemetery lawn to watch the fireworks show for Kim.

Meanwhile, Diddy shared a touching tribute to her on his Instagram with the caption ... "The truest definition of a MOTHER."

Diddy and hundreds of other mourners have filed out of Kim Porter's funeral service at the Cascades Hills Church in Columbus, Georgia ... and family and friends are en route to her final resting place.

The procession is heading to Evergreen Memorial Park, where Kim will be buried next to her mother. We're told the fire department is already there because fireworks will be shot off in her honor, and police are on hand for security.

Diddy spoke at Kim's service along with many others -- including her son Quincy, Mary J. Blige and Dallas Austin ... while Yolanda Adams and Faith Evans paid musical tribute. Bishop Noel Jones delivered the eulogy.

Kim's being laid to rest in a golden casket. We're told as the procession left the funeral home, Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" was playing.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim was found dead at her home last week after her family members say she was battling an illness.

She was 47.

10:19 AM PT -- TMZ's obtained a photo from inside the funeral, before Diddy arrived. Kim's golden casket's front and center topped with a bouquet of beautiful flowers, along with a black and white photo of her. We're told a band and church choir are providing music.

11:30 AM PT -- Several speakers delivered eulogies for Kim during the service, including Mary J. Blige, Dallas Austin, Bishop Noel Jones, her son Quincy Brown and Diddy. We're told Quincy's dad, Al B. Sure!, joined him and Diddy on stage when Quincy broke down while speaking.

We're told Yolanda Adams performed "Just a Prayer Away", and Faith Evans sang "His Eye is On the Sparrow."

The hearse carrying the body of Kim Porter arriving at Cascades Hills Church in Columbus, Georgia.

The funeral is scheduled for 11 AM ET. We're told Diddy hopes to deliver a eulogy, however, it's possible he will bow out at the last minute because of what we're told is a fragile emotional state.

Kim will be buried next to her mother, Sarah Lee Porter, who died in 2014.

The Combs and Porter families are there in force for the service, which is expected to be large ... an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 mourners are expected to attend.

Porter's two sons and Diddy were seen leaving her wake in Georgia on Friday night. Quincy Brown and Christian Casey Combs attended the private service at Charles E Huff International Funeral Home, in Columbus, alongside friends and family, including Kimora Lee Simmons and her husband Tim Leissner.

"7th Heaven" star Beverley Mitchell coped with a huge loss earlier this year after miscarrying twins.

Beverley made the stunning announcement with a Thanksgiving Day post on her blog "Growing Up Hollywood." She said she was naturally excited when she found out "a few months back" she was pregnant with twins. But, only a few weeks later, Beverley found out "our new dream of our growing family came crashing down" after learning about the miscarriage.

The 37-year-old actress and mother of 2 said she was puzzled by the experience given she had 2 healthy pregnancies before, but soon realized, after opening up to others, that miscarriages sadly happen.

Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger got all Kennedy fam for Thanksgiving ... goofing around and playing a little football.

Katherine and mom Maria Shriver spent Thanksgiving morning on a hike and then watched as the guys got into it with the pigskin.

It's actually a momentous and sad day in the Kennedy family ... 55 years ago yesterday, Maria's uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas. Football is a significant sport because JFK and the brood always played during holidays.

It's clear, Chris and Katherine are super serious ... almost a year after his split from Anna Faris.

Hailey and Justin Bieber celebrated Thanksgiving together, as well as Hailey's 22nd birthday, along with friends and family.

Justin's mom, Pattie Mallette, posted the vid ... capturing the fam singing to Hailey as Justin holds a cake with candles. The second video shows how they did it up with a larger cake that Justin shoves into Hailey's face.

As Hailey blows out the candles, someone happily yells out "First married birthday!" They hug, and Justin says, "I just want to say, she's the love of my life, she's amazing..."

Hailey's cousin Kahlea Baldwin was also there.

Justin and Hailey secretly tied the knot in September at a New York City courthouse after taking out a marriage license. Still unclear why they wanted to keep it so under the radar.

They're expected to have a big ceremony sometime early next year ... possibly in Canada.

So far, so good.

Kim Porter's funeral will be an elaborate affair, but certain key moments are still up in the air, because of the shock associated with Kim's death.

We're told Diddy would like to deliver a eulogy to the mother of 3 of his children, but he's still so distraught over her death last week, he's not sure he could make it through.

Our sources also say Faith Evans will perform during Saturday's service at the Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, GA. Faith has a unique connection to Diddy. When Biggie died Diddy was a huge source of comfort to Faith ... now she's returning the gesture.

Mary J. Blige will also attend the service, though she's not scheduled to perform.

As we reported, Kim's casket will arrive at the funeral in a horse-drawn carriage. We're told Diddy wanted this because Kim adored horses.

Jill Zarin's return to "The Real Housewives of New York City" will touch on the new man in her life and her relationships with other cast members ... but her story's only getting part-time shine.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Jill's role on the upcoming season of 'RHONY' that of contributor -- not a regular -- as a "friend" to full-time 'housewives' like Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, Dorinda Medley, Sonja Morgan and Tinsley Mortimer.

We're told Jill's filmed episodes for Season 11 in which she divulges details about how she's found happiness with her new boyfriend, Gary Brody, following the death of her husband Bobby earlier this year after a long battle with cancer. Jill appeared briefly in Season 10 when the cast attended the funeral.

Our sources say it's unclear how much the show will touch on Jill's life in the aftermath of Bobby's death or her new rug line business, Jill Zarin Rugs Collection, but will definitely cover her relationship with Brody ... who she started dating a couple months ago.

We're told the 2 have known each other longer, but bonded over tennis and things got serious quickly -- they're already living together in Manhattan.

As for Zarin's "friend" status with the cast ... we're told it doesn't apply to Bethenny Frankel, with whom she had a notorious falling out years ago. Our sources say the women are cordial, though still not close enough to hang out.

As we reported, Frankel dealt with a tragic loss of her own recently ... when her boyfriend died of a suspected OD. It's highly likely 'RHONY' will cover that incident.

The new season is expected to premiere in Spring 2019. We reached out to Bravo ... so far, no word back.