Late Night

James Corden might've been a POS at one restaurant in NYC -- according to the owner, anyway -- but another famous chef is giving a different story ... saying the dude's a dear.

Curtis Stone is coming to JC's defense -- telling us at LAX this week that he's been nothing but great in his own establishments ... although it's unclear which ones. Curtis owns a few well-known spots around the globe, Maude in Bev Hills perhaps being the crown jewel.

In any case, CS says his experiences with Corden are very different than the ones described by Keith McNally -- who owns Balthazar, and who put the 'Late Late Show' host on blast.

Speaking of that, we asked Curtis if KMN broke an unwritten rule among those in the service industry -- namely, protecting the privacy of patrons, especially celebrity ones, even if they are a bit rude.

Check out his response ... he says these should be safe spaces. 👀

McNally's motives have been questioned throughout the debacle -- frankly, he's been flip-flopping like a fish, taking back his ban and even showing sympathy toward Corden and extending an olive branch by offering free food if the guy properly apologizes to the servers.

James Corden has retracted the apology he made to an NYC restaurant owner earlier this week ... 'cause he's now saying he did nothing wrong.

'The Late, Late Show' host sat down with the New York Times Thursday and called allegations "silly" ... he acted like a "Cretin" by twice going nuts at Balthazar brasserie in Soho.

"I haven't done anything wrong, on any level. So why would I ever cancel this," Corden told an NYT reporter, referring to their interview after his embarrassing restaurant flap.

Corden goes on ... "I was there. I get it. I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it's so silly. I just think it's beneath all of us. It's beneath you. It's certainly beneath your publication."

At another point during the interview ... Corden peered over to a customer complaining about her meal in the swanky Mark Restaurant.

"Happens every day," Corden told the reporter. "It's happening in 55,000 restaurants as we speak. It's always about eggs."

Then he got serious ... "Can you imagine now, if we just blasted her on Twitter? Would that be fair? This is my point. It’s insane.”

As we reported ... Corden came under fire Monday after Balthazar owner Keith McNally blasted the funnyman on IG for twice acting like a "tiny Cretin of a man." McNally banned Corden from his restaurant, dubbing the TV host "the most abusive customer" ever. That prompted Corden to call McNally and apologize profusely. As a result, McNally lifted the ban.

Your move, Keith.

James Corden has at least 2 NYC restaurant owners in his corner ... they say he's been a model customer, despite some alleged nasty behavior at other establishments.

While James was briefly banned at Big Apple hotspot Balthazar, the owner of some of NYC's top restaurants tells us JC was always super polite and cordial at his restaurants.

Stratis Morfogen has opened 40 restaurants over the years in New York, and he says James is one of the most pleasant and funny guys he's ever served -- to the point where Stratis says he can't even imagine James being mean.

When Stratis hosted and catered a 2018 post-Grammys event for Bruno Mars and Atlantic Records at his Brooklyn Chop House restaurant, he says James was there singing songs with bartenders and yukking it up with staffers at the bar. He also notes James was a gracious tipper.

James is also being defended by famed restaurateur Todd English ... who tells us every time he's served Corden, the comedian's been "absolutely lovely" to everyone in the joint.

Todd, who's been the head chef at Tony Awards afterparties, says James was always "incredibly personable" to him and his staff who traveled from Todd English's Olives in Las Vegas.

As we reported, James was called out this week by Balthazar owner Keith McNally, who accused Corden of being a "cretin of a man" for what he claims was abhorrent behavior at his highly acclaimed establishment.

McNally initially banned James from the restaurant, but says Corden called him up and apologized ... and the ban's since been lifted.

Stratis tells us he was shocked McNally would rip James on social media, because he says he's never heard any of his restaurateur friends talk about James in a negative light.

Conan O'Brien can break out the bubbly ... because he just accepted an offer on his oceanfront home.

Conan's been on the hunt for a buyer since July. He had listed the property in Carpinteria, CA, just south of Santa Barbara, for $16,500,000.

Conan's 2,142 square foot pad is just steps from the sand ... it underwent an extensive remodel after he and his wife Liza bought it back in 2015 -- at the time they plunked down $7.9M for the property.

The house has panoramic ocean, island and coastline views ... there's a large deck with a built-in BBQ, plus a sunset view deck with private stairs down to the beach.

The main house has two bedrooms, a gym and a detached, 2-bedroom guest house with a wraparound deck. The garage has a Tesla charging station too!

For those salt lifers ... there's an outdoor shower and storage area for surf and paddle boards ... essentials for life at the beach.

Conan and Liza are upgrading in the same area, reportedly plunking down $23M.

Stephen Colbert spits out one-liners like it's his day night job! He is known for his comedic monologues and always gets the crowd chuckling. All jokes aside ... can you improvise with what you see in the two images and find the differences?

The late night host was all smiles after shooting a booster shot segment with Dr. Fauci for "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." There's no doubt this guy looks fresh on the daily, but can you put your best foot forward and locate the minor changes?

Jimmy Kimmel knows how to read the room, so he was quick to apologize to Quinta Brunson for his Emmys bit gone flat.

Quinta appeared on Jimmy's show Wednesday night, and he effusively expressed his regrets for overshadowing Quinta, who snagged a trophy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

As you know, Will Arnett dragged Jimmy out onstage as Kimmel pretended he was passed-out drunk and he lay there as Will read the noms, announced Quinta as the winner and while Quinta gave her acceptance speech.

Jimmy was ready from the jump for a big mea culpa. As soon as Quinta sat down on the couch, Jimmy went right into apology mode ... "it was a dumb comedy bit that we thought would be funny." In other words, he's now in on the non-joke.

Then Jimmy joked..."I lost, and then I drank too much, and I had to be dragged out on the stage. And then people got upset. They said that I stole your moment, and maybe I did. I'm very sorry if I did do that — I'm sorry I did do that, actually."

Quinta was more than gracious, essentially saying it didn't bother her ..."I was honestly in such a moment of having a good time, like I won my first Emmy! I was up there happy, and I was wrapped up in the moment."

Fact is ... Quinta and Jimmy have history. He was an early supporter of her, bringing her on his show and singing her praises.

Ray J has gone OFF on Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian ... accusing them of lying about their involvement in his sex tape with Kim.

As you know, Kris was hooked up to a polygraph on James Corden's show and he asked, "Did you help Kim release her sex tape?" Kris answered "No" and the polygrapher said she was telling the truth. Steve Hirsch, the Prez of Vivid Entertainment that released the tape, has said Kris never met, spoke or worked with him on the release of the tape.

In Ray's 44-minute diatribe, he never says Kris negotiated for the tape's distribution with Vivid Entertainment, the company that released the tape. He does, however, say there were 2 different sex tapes, not just one -- 1 shot in Cabo and 1 in Santa Barbara -- and he says Kris handpicked the one where Kim looked the best. BTW ... the 3rd tape is labeled "Intro."

He also says in his contract with Vivid, where the 3 tapes are mentioned, Kim's fingerprints are on them ... literally. He says Kim wrote the section describing the 3 tapes. What's significant about this ... Ray says this is the original contract he signed giving Vivid the rights, and he says Kim's handwriting is right there.

It's interesting ... Hirsch has said he acquired the tape not from Kim or Ray but from "a third party." He was never more specific, but he did say "We are very confident in our legal position." Under California law, the person whose image is portrayed in such a video must sign off either directly or through an agent in order for the distributor to have a solid legal position.

Kim also allegedly sued Vivid for invasion of privacy, claiming she never authorized its release. She says she ended up settling with Vivid and the suit was dropped. It was taken off the market months later after a "third party" bought it from Vivid.

Kylie Jenner says her mom, Kris Jenner, was VERY hands-on during her first birth.

The beauty mogul dished the birth deets to James Corden on 'The Late Late Show' this week, talking about what Kris is like in the delivery room ... a place she has been many times over the years, for both her own children and her grandkids.

When it came to Stormi ... Kylie says Kris was playing doctor, reaching up into her birth canal and yanking the kid out. Apparently, she did this on her own ... with pros standing by.

Kris clarified that she wasn't going in barehand or anything ... sounds like she was gloved and scrubbed, so it was kosher and clean. Still, though -- it's not a walk in the park, and it seems Kris tackled it with gusto. The second time around, she was on camera duty.

Speaking of kids, Kylie says she and Travis Scott have yet to settle on a permanent name for their son -- who was named Wolf, and still is legally ... but, apparently, the parents changed their mind and opted to name him something else -- which she didn't reveal.

Kris Jenner got herself hooked up to a polygraph Thursday night ... and the question that dogged her for years was on the table -- was she involved in the release of Kim's sex tape!

Kris sat next to Kylie as James Corden fired off the question -- "Did you help Kim release her sex tape?" the audience gasped, but Kris assured everyone it was ok, she gave a firm "No" to the question and a dude named John who was manning the machine said she was a truthteller!

So, couple of things ... the sex tape could not be released unless the parties involved gave their signoff ... Kim filed a lawsuit against Vivid Entertainment, which released the tape, but according to Vivid they reached a financial settlement and they dropped the case.

Vivid has long said it would not release a tape without everyone's consent, because in addition to losing the profits it made off the tape, it would be on the hook for invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress. Nevertheless, Kim sued and they settled.

Corden didn't follow up with whether she knew if Kim was in on the plot ... something Kim has denied.

Mike Tyson is finally telling people why he beat the hell out of an overbearing fan on a recent flight ... with the boxing legend explaining he was just high and irritable at the time!

"Hey listen, I'm usually good at these things," Tyson told Jimmy Kimmel on his show Thursday night.

"I was wrong, that should've never happened. That's me back in my primitive child stages, I shouldn't of done that, but I was just irritated, tired, high, and pissed off. S*** happens!"

"I don't wanna hurt nobody!," MT sang.

So, the dude tried Mike at the wrong time ... and Tyson beat him up for it.

Of course, Mike, who was removed from the plane along with the bloodied and bruised passenger, wasn't charged with a crime for the April 2022 incident.

Melvin Townsend III, the 36-year-old man who was on the receiving end of the beating, hired an attorney several days after the fight ... but it's unclear if he's struck a financial deal with Tyson.

Jokes aside, it certainly seems Mike regrets his actions ... even though anecdotally, most believe the former heavyweight champ was well within his right to serve up the beating.

Kimmel also asked Mike about a possible boxing match with Jake Paul. Mike and Jake are actually buddies ... but Tyson's clearly open to the idea.

Jimmy Kimmel now has an answer for why his emotional monologue calling out the Texas governor about the school shooting got preempted in Dallas.

According to the local station, WFAA ... it was an innocent technical error caused by an automated system -- but you can understand why Jimmy himself was demanding answers Wednesday night for why his powerful message was partially cut off.

Jimmy opened his show with a nearly 9-minute appeal for lawmakers, like Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and all lawmakers to enact gun reform in the wake of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde ... where 19 students and 2 adults were killed.

It was poignant, powerful and extremely critical of Texas politicians ... which is probably why JK immediately got word when folks in Dallas noticed they didn't get to see all of it. Kimmel tweeted he was trying to get answers.

WFAA says the machine that airs its commercials was erroneously triggered because their newscast, which precedes Kimmel's show, ran late ... due to coverage of the Uvalde tragedy.

When it comes to junk in the Spidey trunk, Andrew Garfield says he needs no assist ... no ifs, ands or butts.

Andrew went on "Late Night With Seth Meyers," Thursday, to talk about his latest project, but he also got down to business ... answering what folks have been wondering since "Spider-Man: No Way Home" hit the big screen -- who has the fake butt?!

As you know, three actors play the role of Spider-Man ... and one of em' might have gotten some extra cushion.

But, make no mistake ... Andrew says, "he's totally unmodified" in that department.

ICYMI, Tom Holland actually went on Seth Meyers' show, previously, and said ... "I'll give you a spoiler, and I won't tell you who, but one of us has a fake a** in the suit." "You can figure that out for yourselves."

Andrew insists it's all just a marketing ploy ... "You know, we want to get the audience sat and paying their tickets, and Tom is pretty great at creating subgenres of games for you all, while you're in the cinema-going, "'well, that butt doesn't look real.'"

And, he's right about that one!

Late-night talk hosts are sinking their teeth into Will Smith's slap heard-round-the-world, with some going harder than others ... and at least one didn't really bite at all.

Jimmy Fallon opted to tread very lightly, but Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel took much more direct approaches -- so, we'll start with them.

JK recapped the entire saga well... sprinkling in light jabs toward Will, like joking that while he hoped to be invited back, he also might be waiting for the Academy in the parking lot if he doesn't get the call.

Colbert was even harsher... taking a bunch of shots at Will and his movies (calling those flicks the worst thing he's ever done aside from this), and also criticizing Oscars producers for letting Will give a long acceptance speech without much consequence at all.

Seth Meyers didn't hit the subject himself, but instead, let one of his writers, comedian Amber Ruffin, do a bit in which she recounted the horror of watching it go down with flowery prose and poetic language.

Not nearly as funny as the first 2 guys, but an interesting way to dissect it.

James Corden, meanwhile, found a very creative way to analyze the whole thing ... invoking 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' -- the smash-hit Disney song from "Encanto" -- but applied it to Will/Jada.

It was pretty funny, and made for quite the musical number ... which is right in James' wheelhouse. Dude loves to sing and dance -- and he didn't miss the opportunity here.

Finally, there was Fallon ... who clearly did not want to get into it very much at all -- not even saying Will Smith or Chris Rock's name, but glossing over the moment almost entirely and pivoting to Russia news.

That might have to do with the fact that Jimmy is known to have a close relationship with Rock -- dating back to his 'SNL' days -- but as a late-night host, also wants to have Will on as a guest ... so it's possible he's opting to stay on the sidelines.

Most of the hosts said the obvious ... that violence is unacceptable, and considering the serious nature of the situation -- it's cool they found a way to break it down with some humor, which is what they're paid to do.

Will, meanwhile, has since apologized to Chris ... but CR himself has been mum following the whole thing.

The Academy is investigating -- although it's fairly clear what happened here -- and it remains to be seen what, if any, consequences Will may face.

Jimmy Kimmel remembered Bob Saget Monday night ... in an emotional monologue that left him in tears.

Jimmy broke down as he reminisced about Bob ... describing his friend as "the sweetest man" as he gave us a glimpse into his character ... “He always had a compliment. He’d write sometimes just to tell me he loved me and I know he did that for many people … He had something funny to say about everything and nothing bad to say about anyone."

He read one of Bob's emails, reflecting on their families and kids ... "One night soon let’s go out and have some meat and some good damn drinks and talk about how lucky we are that we have them."

Saget was 65 when he died in his hotel room Sunday in Orlando. As we reported, although the cause of death will not be known for several months, investigators say there is evidence Bob might have died from a heart attack or stroke.

Paul Shaffer's kid is following in her old man's footsteps -- not so much with the music, per se, but certainly with spreading positive vibes for dogs in shelters and the people who love them!

We talked to David Letterman's longtime bandleader and sidekick, as well as Mr. Shaffer's daughter, Victoria, on "TMZ Live" about this new initiative she's got going that puts an emphasis on dog ownership via adoptions/fostering from shelters.

It's called Pup Culture Rescue, and basically ... Victoria and co. are here to educate people on the process of becoming a pooch parent, and why shelters should be the first place to look for a furry friend.

She's also got an accompanying book out -- "Pup Culture: Stories, Tips, and the Importance of Adopting a Dog" -- which helps serve as a guide to picking out the right pup, where to look and how to help your new pet get acclimated to its new home.

It sounds like VS and the rest of the folks working for Pup Culture Rescue have been pretty busy during the pandemic -- when people were adopting dogs like crazy while stuck at home ... but she says a lot of owners are now returning canines to those same shelters.

That's pretty sucky, in Victoria's view ... as she notes, adopting a dog isn't just a hobby or a fad you pick up for a while -- it oughta be seen as a lifelong commitment.

BTS is at the intersection of global fandom these days -- but right now, they're literally at the intersection of Genesee and Beverly in Los Angeles -- with none other than James Corden.

The Korean pop band -- consisting of a whopping 7 members -- appears to be involved in a major showstopping number in the middle of the day, and in the middle of the street too ... right outside of CBS's Television City in the heart of L.A.

That's where Corden films his 'Late, Late Show' ... and it looks like he and his team coordinated an elaborate dance routine of some sort that's blocking off the roads -- complete with costumes, signage, a trampoline ... and probably some BTS music too.

Based on what we can see here ... they're plugging the group's smash hit, "Butter," which has been at the top of all sorts of music charts lately -- emblematic of their pull in general, these guys are very much so on top of the world.

Not only have they been nominated for another Grammy this year, but they just cleaned up at the AMAs -- taking home three trophies total -- and are selling out concerts everywhere they go, including here ... they've got a show this weekend at SoFi Stadium, and tickets are reselling for a fortune (about $600 for nosebleeds, just for reference).

Of course, Corden knows talent when he sees it -- so it's no surprise he's pulling out all the stops for whatever segment they're filming right now. Besides, this is sorta right up his alley anyway ... flash mob-style extravaganzas that stop people in their tracks, and their cars.