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Chris Harrison has at least one person in his corner as his racism apology tour begins -- author Michael Eric Dyson tells us Chris is being sincere.

Harrison apologized to Rachel Lindsay Thursday on 'GMA' and we've learned Chris has been meeting with Dyson and other leaders in the Black community recently to educate himself on why his controversial take was so hurtful.

Remember, the firestorm started when the longtime 'Bachelor' host defended current 'Bachelor' contestant Rachael Kirkconnell over a 2018 antebellum south bash ... during an interview with Lindsay.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Chris has spent a ton of time meeting with Michael and others over Zoom to go over the subject. We're told he's also working with a very reputable race educator who is helping him learn from history and fully recognize the magnitude of his mistake.

Michael, who's authored books about Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama, tells TMZ ... Chris took a major step with Thursday's 'GMA' appearance, and it was heartening to see him apologize directly and sincerely to Rachel.

Dyson says Chris was right to own up to his mistake, admit his imperfections, denounce Rachel Lindsay's online trolls and emphasize a need for change. He says his time with Chris convinced him he's sincere.

Dyson tells us, "He also made it plain that he is not the victim here, a crucial point to emphasize as he rightfully refuses to revel in self-pity. At no point was he defensive, which is an important part of showing that he recognized his error."

The gloves are off for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who are now flat out accusing Buckingham Palace of spreading lies about them, and insisting they can't be silenced.

In a new clip from their upcoming interview, Oprah asks Meghan if she's worried about the palace hearing "your truth" ... and Meghan responds by directly calling out Buckingham -- aka The Firm.

She said, "I don't know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us."

If it sounds like Harry and Meghan are ready to go to war, it's because they are. Several Royals insiders say it's no coincidence stories came out this week accusing Meghan of bullying her staff when they lived in Kensington Palace.

The insinuation is Queen Elizabeth's team is behind those leaks, and it's a direct response to what Buckingham believes Harry and Meghan are about to say when the Oprah interview airs Sunday on CBS.

Meghan makes it clear ... she and her husband really don't have much to lose by speaking out now, because they've already quit their roles as Senior members of the Royal family.

The original cast members from the 'Real World' are going back to their roots ... for a reunion show in the famous New York City loft where they first met.

The "seven strangers" are getting the band back together for the first time in almost 30 years for a new docuseries now streaming exclusively on Paramount+ ... "The Real World Homecoming: New York."

Yes, it's been that long since Eric Nies, Julie Gentry, Heather B. Gardner, Kevin Powell, Norman Korpi, Andre Comeau and Becky Blasband were under the same roof ... and ya gotta check out the gallery to see how they're looking these days!!!

Talk about a blast from the past ... the gang first moved into the loft way back in 1992, laying the foundation for 'The Real World' franchise. Don't worry, the digs have been spruced up a bit since, and the loft looks super cool. Oh, and we will finally get an answer to the big question -- what's up with Eric?

The new 'Homecoming' episodes stream Thursdays ... all ya gotta do is sign up for Paramount+ and try it for free.

Bill Cosby's contributions to Black culture cannot be ignored just because his legacy's tarnished ... that's what Cedric The Entertainer believes anyway.

According to the comedian, Cosby was THE role model for Black people for so many years -- paving the way for others to follow his lead -- so it's impossible to ignore the positive impact he's had on the community.

Cedric lists many examples of how the guy once referred to as "America's Dad" was a trailblazer not only in entertainment, but in life ... and even suggests today's moguls like Jay-Z and Tyler Perry have Cosby to thank for their status.

Cedric's remarks come after he shared a video series called "Black History in Comedy" -- in which he gave props to comedians like Bernie Mac, Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy along with Cosby.

Ced makes it clear his feelings have nothing to do with Cosby's current situation -- as you know, Cosby's currently in prison for a sexual assault conviction -- and he's not pushing for redemption.

The comedian seems to simply believe the good should be taken with the bad when it comes to Cosby, and he's able to compartmentalize.

Cosby's responded to Cedric already on Twitter, saying ... "I plan to do more, too. Thank you very much for feeling, knowing & keeping the legacy alive through your great work."

Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt, tells TMZ ... he has another not-so-humble message for Cedric, which is that ... "Cedric is a king of comedy but I'm the original king of comedy. When I get out -- I can't wait to show him how's it done."

Will Smith says his encounters with blatant racism all involved pure stupidity -- as in, really stupid people, but he also has a theory about smart racists.

The actor dished on the 'Pod Save America' podcast, in which he discussed his experience with racism both before and during his time in Hollywood ... all with the backdrop of a new Netflix series he produced about the 14th Amendment, 'Amend: The Fight for America.'

Will was asked about how his own personal run-ins with prejudice helped steer the project, and he didn't hold back ... saying he'd been called the n-word to his face at least 5 times before.

Then, Will got a bit philosophical ... saying everyone who'd said that to him wasn't very bright -- which he chalked up to ignorance. But, he goes on to distinguish that form of racism from its ugly "twin" ... evil.

Watch the clip to see how Will phrases it, but essentially ... he's saying ignorance can be treated with education, but there's no easy fix for evil, if that's what's at the core of someone's racism.

Dr. Oz saved a life at the Newark airport after a man collapsed face down at baggage claim ... and the good doc was in the right place at the right time.

Sources close to Dr. Oz tells TMZ ... Oz rolled the man over Monday night, cleared his airway and began giving him CPR before using a defibrillator. We're told the guy flatlined and Oz shocked him back to life as a huge crowd watched.

We're told there were no other doctors there, but a Port Authority police officer was there who helped Oz continue CPR while he cleared the man's airway.

It appears the man might have suffered a heart attack ... he's recovering at a New Jersey hospital and doing "okay" as he awaits test results. We're told Oz is in touch with the man's wife, who was traveling with him at the time.

Questlove says Amy Poehler and Tina Fey calling out the Golden Globes organization for a lack of diversity doesn't amount to much more than a performance ... at least for now.

We got "The Tonight Show" band frontman heading into work Monday at NBC Studios in New York City and asked about Amy and Tina taking shots at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for having NO black members during the award show.

It certainly seemed strange for the show's own hosts, and other celebs, to openly raise the issue during the broadcast -- but Quest, for one, was not impressed.

He called the remarks purely "performative," and put it squarely on the HFPA to actually add Black members. Until then, he's basically saying ... spare me the lip service.

There's been a lot of backlash against the HFPA, whose members vote on the Golden Globes. As you might have heard ... it's got 87 members, and not a single one is Black.

Taylor Swift is picking up the battle her fans started with Netflix -- ripping one of its hit shows for a sexist and misogynistic joke targeting her dating life.

Taylor fired back Monday morning at the streaming service and the writers of "Ginny and Georgia" over the show's finale which showed Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and her mother Georgia (Brianne Howey) arguing about relationships. Ginny quipped, "What do you care? You go through men faster than Taylor Swift."

Well, Taylor ain't laughing. She says, "2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back. How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse s**t as fuNny."

Swift's fans are also peeved ... #RespectTaylor started trending overnight, and one fan tweeted, "It's not sitting right with me [that] Netflix has two Taylor Swift projects on their platform and they are okay with treating her like this!!! RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT."

James Corden looks unrecognizable these days -- which, we suppose, can be credited to his new gig with Weight Watchers ... something he's clearly taking seriously.

Check out these photos of "The Late Late Show" host Sunday, where he's out making an ice run for his at-home party for the virtual Golden Globes ... which he later beamed into via Zoom, like all the other nominees.

No, that's not Zac Efron ... it's just JC, who was rocking some basketball shorts, tennis shoes, a hoodie and a face covering. The dude looks to be in really good shape right about now -- check out those calves!

James has said he's down around 16 pounds since the start of the year -- when he made a resolution to lose weight ... this on the heels of inking a deal to be the new face of WW right at the start of 2021. Yeah, we'd say he's living up to the brand name and then some.

James has always been known as a heavier guy, but recently he opened up to say he wasn't all that happy with the way he looked. He's credited his wife, Julia Carey, for keeping him on the straight and narrow with his diet and exercise.

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle are about to drop some bombshells about their Royal lives ... at least that's how Oprah's teasing her sit-down with the couple.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex apparently allowed O to broach any topic she wanted for their upcoming 2-hour primetime TV special, "Oprah with Meghan & Harry," which hints at some "shocking" revelations ... including a suggestion Meghan's been "silenced" by Queen Elizabeth and the Palace.

As for Harry ... both promo clips show him talking about his late mother, Princess Diana, and expressing his concern that his life would tragically end up like hers if he didn't do something about it.

As we reported, Harry recently confided in James Corden that he stepped away from his senior Royal responsibilities and left the UK with his family to protect them ... and his own mental health.

Chris Harrison's out, and Emmanuel Acho is in -- he's officially set to fill in as host for 'The Bachelor' season finale episode ... this amid a racism scandal that won't go away.

The former NFLer and current FS1 sports broadcaster broke the news Saturday, taking to Twitter to write ... "IT’S OFFICIAL: I’ve accepted the Rose & am honored to be hosting the @bachelorabc After the Final Rose this year."

He adds, "It’s been a pivotal season & this episode will be one of the most storied shows in its history. Empathy is needed and change is coming. See y’all then! 🌹 ❤️"

It'd been widely rumored that Emmanuel would get a serious nod from ABC ... especially after Rachel Lindsay -- the first Black 'Bachelorette' in the franchise -- publicly name-dropped him recently as a great potential option to step in for Chris.

She said he'd be ideal since he has no affiliation with the franchise, and could be relatively neutral. Not just that, but Emmanuel is Black too ... and well-versed in issues of race, as he's quite vocal on his own programming. He seems pretty stoked for the opportunity too.

GMA confirmed the announcement as well, and Emmanuel responded ... "Life changing. I can't wait!" It'll be interesting to see how he moderates the convo with Matt James and whoever he ends up picking -- including potentially Rachael Kirkconnell, the problem-contestant from whose old racist photos this whole situation arose.

As we reported ... ABC execs were looking for a 'Bachelor' outsider to fill in -- and despite the fact that Emmanuel hadn't been approached as of Wednesday ... it looks like they came knocking shortly thereafter.

Remember, Rachel herself had also been approached ... but she respectfully declined. And while 'Bachelor' Nation thought Tayshia Adams -- the second Black 'Bachelorette' ever -- would also be ideal to serve as the 'ATFR' host ... she had not been approached.

The flip side to this is that Rachel Lindsay took a break from Instagram, apparently because she was getting bombarded with hostile 'Bachelor' fans who were sending hateful comments.

Bill Maher took aim at cancel culture, saying it's become McCarthyism in reverse.

Maher ended 'Real Time' Friday night with a blistering attack on cancel culture, using examples like Chris Harrison and Justin Timberlake, but warning it's not just about celebrities anymore ... he says it's coming to a neighborhood near you. Bill grouses he can't keep up anymore with who's on the s*** list.

Maher scoffs at the Chris Harrison and "The Bachelor" -- which he calls the "F*** a Stranger Show." And, he says San Francisco has canceled Abe Lincoln. In case you didn't know, back in the day, Lincoln embraced white supremacy ... despite ending slavery.

"Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston's moving on to new turf, and leaving behind a beachfront property he turned into a home with a net-zero carbon footprint.

The Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated actor has listed his super hip, eco-friendly pad in Ventura, CA -- called "Three Palms" -- for just a touch under $5 million ... after paying about half that for it back in 2007.

BC says he put his "heart, soul and blood, sweat and often tears" into renovating the place and turning it into the modernized, unique, sustainable and energy-efficient home it is today.

Completed in 2013, the house now features a 2-story floor plan with 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and 2,450 sq. ft of living space. Along with an ocean view, it comes with the option of buying Bryan's custom furniture and personal art collection too.

Cranston says of his decision to sell ... "There’s something lovely about creating something with tremendous pride and effort and turning it over, letting someone else take it to the next level of appreciation."

The listing agent calls it "one of the most remarkable green homes ever built in California."

Prince Harry says he moved his family to L.A. to protect his family like any husband and father would -- and blamed the media for "destroying my mental health."

Harry's episode with James Corden for 'The Late Show' finally aired Thursday night and while riding an open-air double-decker bus -- COVID-safe -- he denied leaving the Royal family.

In his eyes, "It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down. It was a really difficult environment. As I think a lot of people saw, we all know what the British press can be like, and it was destroying my mental health. This is toxic. I did what any husband, any father would do. I needed to get my family out of here."

Just last week, Buckingham Palace said Harry and Meghan had "confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family."

James and Harry, who are mates off-camera, also talked about Netflix's "The Crown" ... with Harry saying even though the series is clearly fictional it's loosely based on the truth.

Don't count Jeff Ross among the people -- Jewish or otherwise -- outraged over Michael Che's joke about Israel on last week's 'SNL' ... he thinks Che should keep it up.

We got the "Roastmaster General" out in Bev Hills and asked for his take on the joke ... which many decried as anti-Semitic, but Jeff had another word for it -- "hilarious."

The comedian says people need to have thicker skin and just enjoy comedy ... which he describes as "essential business" after nearly a year of COVID lockdowns.

As for those who were offended by Che's joke, Jeff says Israel jokes aren't off-limits ... neither are jokes about our camera guy.

Ross also weighed in on the recent Mr. Potato Head news, and in classic Roastmaster fashion ... he used it to poke fun at a late comedy legend.

Jon Hamm, Audrey Hepburn, Jimmy Fallon and Al Roker are inviting New Yorkers to dine out in the pandemic ... and you can be sure they're not carrying the virus.

Celebrity wax figures from Madame Tussauds in New York City are creating a new dining experience at the legendary Peter Luger Steak House ... you can toast with Jon at the bar, hang out with Audrey and share a much-needed laugh with Jimmy.

Oh, and if folks get lost inside the sprawling restaurant -- it's been a while since many have gone out to eat -- Al's waiting to direct them to the 2nd floor.

Restaurants in the Big Apple just got the green light to increase occupancy to 35 percent starting Friday, thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo, so Peter Luger is bringing out the big guns and having these celeb wax figures fill empty seats to maintain social distancing measures.