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Meghan Markle’s friend is calling BS on the Royal Family's claim it didn't fully understand the challenges Meghan and Prince Harry were going through ... and she says she has receipts.

"The Morning Show" actress, Janina Gavankar, has been friends with Meghan for almost 2 decades, and she spoke out earlier this week to support her pal and call out Buckingham Palace for essentially playing dumb about her mental health struggles.

Janina says she has emails and texts proving the Queen's family and staff were all fully aware of what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were going through ... which contradicts Buckingham Palace saying they didn't know the "full extent."

Though Janina says she's happy Queen Elizabeth's people are finally publicly acknowledging Meghan and Harry's issues, she adds ... "Though their recollections may vary, ours don’t because we lived through it with them."

If you're looking for a clear answer about Chris Harrison's future as 'Bachelor' host, it's not in New Mexico, where the upcoming 'Bachelorette' cast is quarantining ... with no Chris in sight.

Sources close to production tell TMZ ... the entire cast and crew arrived at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa -- outside Albuquerque -- for quarantine bubble time, but so far, Harrison's not among them.

We're told pre-production has already begun via virtual meetings and calls, and the plan is to begin shooting in late March ... but nobody knows for sure who will be hosting the show.

Our sources say the internal speculation is 'Bachelor' honchos want to wait and see how the 'After the Final Rose' show plays out with the fill-in host, Emmanuel Acho, before any decisions are made.

Harrison, meanwhile, spent some time this past week at a golf course in L.A., and sources connected to him tell us while he's not in New Mexico right now ... that doesn't mean he's been axed from the gig.

We're told there are still a lot of moving parts, and the network's not rushing its decision. Perhaps, as Acho recently said, it's trying to determine what's in the best interest of everyone involved.

Sharon Osbourne's going to bat for her pal Piers Morgan, and his right to sound off about Meghan Markle -- but doing so has her feeling "like I'm about to be put in the electric chair."

Yeah, things got that heated when Sharon squared off with her co-host Sheryl Underwood on "The Talk," and demanded to know how in the world Piers is racist for simply criticizing Meghan.

Wednesday's argument brought Sheryl close to tears ... while Sharon was pissed she actually had to defend herself as not being racist.

Sharon begged Sheryl to explain how anything Piers said about Meghan was racist, and not just his opinion about the Oprah interview. Watch the clip, Sheryl made a calm and passionate attempt to explain ... but Sharon wasn't having it.

As you'll recall ... Piers dragged Meghan over her and Prince Harry's interview with Oprah ... calling her a liar over her claims of racism against the Royal Family, among other things.

He doubled down on "Good Morning Britain" before he quit the show. Since then, the UK's media regulator said it received over 41k complaints over Piers' comments.

'Pioneer Woman' Ree Drummond's nephew is hospitalized in critical condition after an accident at the family's Oklahoma ranch, where her relatives were battling a fire.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol tells TMZ ... Ree's 21-year-old nephew, Caleb Drummond, was involved in a head-on collision Wednesday, and the force of the crash sent his body flying 70 feet away.

OHP says Caleb was driving a fire truck when he crashed head-on into another fire truck driven by Ree's husband, Ladd Drummond. When they collided there was low visibility due to high winds on a dirt road, and we're told Caleb was not wearing a seatbelt.

He's been transported to a Tulsa medical center, where he's in critical condition with head, arm and leg injuries as well as internal bleeding.

Kevin Powell says his very first season of 'The Real World' 28 years ago foreshadowed many of the racial problems that have been brought to the forefront in America ... bookended by the Capitol riots.

One of the OG stars of "The Real World: New York" appeared on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to explain how the controversial discussions he sparked with his housemates about racism are more pertinent than ever today ... despite the fact no one seemed to take it seriously back then.

He says the cast -- especially his friend, Norman Korpi -- now fully acknowledges he was onto something ... and their discussions are ongoing.

If ya don't know, Kevin and the rest of the original cast reunited to film a 'Homecoming' docuseries ... and cameras were rolling as they witnessed the January 6 insurrection together from their famous NYC loft.

Kevin likens what went down at the Capitol -- along with the recent cases of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd -- to the 1992 Los Angeles riots ... which also occurred when the OG cast was together under one roof.

He tells us the recent events show no matter how much society has progressed, there's still a lot of work to be done ... and he hopes people see how his experience with his 'Real World' co-stars can make a positive impact.

Piers Morgan's throwing up his hands and saying 'good day' on the set of his own show, because a co-host called him out to his face about constantly bashing Meghan Markle.

TV presenter and weatherman Alex Beresford was going in on Piers during a 'Good Morning Britain' segment ... calling his comments about Meghan in the aftermath of her Oprah interview "diabolical" and accusing him of having it out for her no matter what.

Beresford made the point that aside from their wedding day, Meg and Harry haven't much good press at all in the UK -- and he suggested Piers played a big part in that.

Then came the crucial blow that forced Piers' hand -- Beresford seemed to spill some insider info ... saying he knew Piers had been pals with Meghan once upon a time, but that at one point or another ... she cut him off. Beresford implies that's why Piers is always trashing her.

Morgan then got up and said he was done, walking off while Beresford continued going off to others on set.

Piers got into another spat over Meghan and Harry just a day earlier with Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, who also took him to task for his one-sided slant against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

BTW, Piers insists Tuesday's walkout wasn't staged -- but did say the chat that followed in his absence was great TV ... so, worth it.

Kim Kardashian's divorce from Kanye West might not be the sole focus of the farewell season of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" ... but it's definitely gonna get some airtime.

In a trailer for the show's 20th and final season, Kim cries with a wad of tissues in her hand and exclaims ... "I feel like a f***ing loser."

It's presumed since the show was filming for much of the past year that Kim's breakdown is related to the tumultuous times for her and Kanye, as their marital issues came to a head during his 2020 run for President, several Twitter tirades ... and a bipolar episode.

Kim and Kanye aren't getting all the shine -- Kendall wanting kids, Khloe and Tristan considering surrogacy, Kourtney and Scott Disick possibly reconciling and Kris talking about meeting up with Caitlyn Jenner are all topics to look forward to ... based on the trailer.

Pepe Le Pew was never meant to be interpreted as rape-y, but the times have caught up with him to make it seem that way ... so says the daughter of the guy who first drew him.

Linda Jones -- whose father, Chuck Jones, is credited as the creator and original animator of Pepe and other Looney Tunes -- tells TMZ she strongly disagrees with the notion the suave skunk contributed to rape culture, as suggested in an NYT op-ed.

On the contrary, Linda says she doesn't think anyone who ever watched Pepe was inspired to go out and rape, or even harass, people. She gets pretty literal, saying Pepe never raped another character on the show -- which, okay ... that's a given.

Still, LJ just doesn't think Pepe should be canceled or shelved over this -- because the OG running gag with him was never meant to be predatory ... she says it was more about how much he stunk as a suitor, despite thinking he was desirable.

She does admit Pepe's grabby approach toward Penelope Pussycat certainly doesn't look good by today's standards ... but insists folks who were watching him in the '50s, '60s and '70s were NOT thinking of that dynamic as normalizing rape culture.

Perhaps that was wrong or ignorant of audiences back then, she muses, but that just wasn't the vibe, nor the intention -- as she explains her pops, Chuck, was a super liberal dude, and was never out to hurt people. Linda says the purpose of Pepe was pure comedy.

As for axing Pepe from the new 'Space Jam' movie entirely ... Linda tells us that's Warner Bros.'s prerogative -- and that if they choose to give him a break for a while, so be it.

She did suggest something interesting to rebrand Pepe and capture the spirit her father intended -- write him as a perpetual job-seeker who keeps getting rejected, but constantly changes up his routine thinking he's the perfect candidate.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry accused members of the Royal Family of shocking racism ... with Oprah's interview delivering the goods -- a stunning attack on the Royals.

Perhaps the biggest moment was when Meghan told Oprah that she'd been informed her and Harry's son, Archie, would not get the title of prince, and as a result, would get no security either.

Meghan then fired the shot, saying people had conversations with her while she was still pregnant, saying Archie's skin might be too dark for the role. Oprah was speechless and stunned, and when she asked Meghan who made such a comment ... Meghan clammed up.

But, it seems almost inadvertent that a minute later ... she said these were convos with the "family."

Meghan says it got so bad that she contemplated suicide. She says she went to human resources begging to get professional help, but she claims they turned her down flat.

Meghan also threw Kate Middleton under the bus by saying stories that she made Kate cry in the lead-up to the wedding simply weren't true. Meghan said it was the reverse -- Kate made her cry, but she apologized later and Meghan forgave her.

Meghan also said she was silenced by the Firm, which manages Royal business, but given assurances she would be protected. Meghan then said they never protected her, saying ... "They were willing to lie to protect other members, but not willing to tell the truth about me."

Prince Harry eventually came on and corroborated Meg's claim that somebody brought up race as it pertained to their child, Archie, and even elaborated ... saying it was brought up early and often.

Oprah grilled Harry for details, but he refused to share any about what exactly was said ... or who allegedly said it. Basically, he's taking that to the grave -- but he did say this ... it was clear from the get-go with Meghan that race was something that was on the Royal Family's mind, and that it was going to be difficult to navigate.

He said things were brought up to him about Meghan, like suggestions that she carry on with her acting career, as the Family supposedly didn't have enough money to support her or offer security for her. He also said the question was asked ... what would their kids look like?

Another takeaway ... Harry said he and his father, Prince Charles, became estranged during 'Megxit' ... claiming Charles stopped taking his calls and pretty much went cold on him after Harry made it clear he wanted out, with PC apparently being pissed Harry was trying to change up the sitch.

One last thing ... Harry and Meghan revealed they're due to have a baby girl, so Archie's got a little sister on the way. Congrats!

Piers Morgan had an on-air shouting match with a Black woman during his morning TV show over her claims Queen Elizabeth is racist toward Meghan Markle.

Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu was one of the panelists who joined Piers Monday on "Good Morning Britain" to discuss Oprah's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan -- and she ripped into the Royal family, calling it an institution rooted in white supremacy and racism.

Piers wasn't having it, though, when the Doctor went after Her Majesty the Queen, saying ... "What kind of grandmother would be so close to her grandson Harry but then not use her power and influence as Queen to protect them from racist media coverage?"

He shouted back at Dr. Mos-Shogbamimu that her comments about QE2 were "disgusting" ... and then she fired right back at him.

Remember, Meghan and Harry said people in his family had conversations with him about their children potentially be too dark-skinned.

Piers made his feelings about the Oprah interview clear, tweeting it was "disgraceful" and a "betrayal".

"Entourage" star Kevin Connolly put the E in "eruption" after his car got towed at a flower shop ... and the store's banning him after the blow-up.

The manager of Nicolai Bergmann Flowers & Design in L.A. tells TMZ ... there’s a podcast studio next to the shop, and they claim Kevin's frequently parked his Tesla in their parking lot ... presumably while recording podcasts.

On Tuesday, the manager says the shop had enough -- after having left multiple notes on Kevin's car about jacking their parking -- so after it had been there more than an hour ... they called a tow truck.

Kev's car alarm was sounding as the tow truck left with his baby.

Shortly afterward, Kevin entered the flower shop -- captured on security camera -- and appeared to grow increasingly irritated while speaking to the staff.

We're told he asked where his car was and was told to call the towing company ... and that's when you see him getting really upset. Kevin appears to yell at someone as he's walking out, then delivers a couple of swift kicks to items near the exit.

The shop manager says the business is closing soon, but regardless ... Kevin is not allowed to come back to the store while it remains open.

The Kardashians are all about expanding their business empire ... and now it looks like they want to tap into the greeting cards biz.

Kim, Kourtney, Khloe and Kris filed trademark docs to lock up the rights to a name for their potential new revenue stream ... "Kardashian Kards." Ah, it just rolls off the tongue.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the Kardashians are looking to use their famous family name to sell greeting cards, calendars, decals, photo albums and postcards.

The docs make it look like they also might slap "Kardashian Kards" on scrapbooks, stationery, paper, notebooks, stickers, erasers, bookmarks and gift wrap.

Chris Harrison's apology might not have happened without a far-ranging conversation he had with author Michael Eric Dyson ... about historical racism and the perception of Black people in this country.

Dyson joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the guidance he gave the embattled host of the 'Bachelor' franchise ... and says it was crystal clear to him how genuinely committed Chris was in trying to grapple with race.

He said, "You don't have to spend 50 days with somebody to get whether they're sincere or not and whether they're willing to put in the work. He was."

As we reported ... Harrison mentioned Dyson during his 'GMA' interview as one of the people he turned to for counseling after the backlash he got for excusing historical racism during an interview with ex-'Bachelorette' Rachel Lindsay.

Michael, who wrote "Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America," says he believes Chris isn't just trying to get his job back, either. Instead, he says Chris "knew he had done something wrong, and he was extremely sad about that."

MED points to the fact, Harrison didn't just apologize to Rachel and the Black community -- but he also made sure to denounce the online trolls spewing hate at Rachel.

Lance Waldroup, a famous bootlegger from Discovery's "Moonshiners," has died.

Lance died Feb. 25 in his home state of North Carolina ... according to his father, Jeff, who also appeared on the reality show alongside his son. The cause of death remains unclear.

Discovery tells TMZ ... Lance will be remembered as an adventurous distiller who was always looking to take his flavorful recipes of moonshine to new heights.

Lance appeared in several early seasons of the show ... bootlegging out of North Carolina with his father. He was one of the younger and less experienced moonshiners, and would often turn to his dad for guidance. He also distilled absinthe and scotch.

Lance's family set up a GoFundMe to raise money for a memorial fund, and the description says he was a recovering drug addict who had turned his life around after going to rehab.

The Waldroups have really been through it -- the family says Lance had survivor's guilt because his sister died when she was 11, and his brother died when he was 20.

Lance was only 30.

'Walking Dead' makeup artist and executive producer Greg Nicotero doesn't need CDC guidelines to prepare for a zombie apocalypse ... he already knows a safe place to hide.

We got the genius behind the show's most epic zombies at LAX and asked him what would be in his zombie preparedness kit, something the CDC is actually advising folks to have just in case Nostradamus is right about his big 2021 prediction.

Greg tells our camera guy he just needs a makeup kit to survive ... because it would allow him to blend in with the rest of the zombie horde.

Of course, Greg's the most skilled zombie makeup artist in the world ... but for the rest of us, he says duct tape could really come in handy and the big key is hiding out in a place no zombie would ever think to look, like the dentist's office.

As we reported ... the CDC updated its website's "Zombie Preparedness" section and the overall theme is "Get a Kit. Make a Plan. Be Prepared."

Greg says he's sat on zombie panels with CDC doctors and he thinks the federal agency just wants Americans to at least think about what they would do in a situation like a zombie apocalypse. In reality, the CDC is just clowning a bit, but with a purpose ... to drive younger people to the site for important medical info.

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."