Jimmy Fallon Says Golden Globes Teleprompter Bit Was Real

Jimmy Fallon was truly improvising at the start of the Golden Globes Sunday night ... but had to play off a technical issue at the expense of Mariah Carey as a result.

We got Jimmy arriving at Madeo in L.A. after the show, and he confirms it -- that prompter bit was the real McCoy ... even if the Mariah sabotage joke afterward was planned.

It doesn't sound like he meant any harm ... since he plans to "talk" to her soon.