Photos: WENN

James Lipton, the fawning host of "Inside The Actor's Studio", revealed to Conan O'Brien that he used to sell ladies in France. He was a pimp! I can't reconcile this man with that profession but we all have occupational skeletons in the closet. I can't picture him slicing up on a girl if she didn't have his cut. He probably wasn't that good of a pimp.

He says, "This was when I was very very young, living in Paris, penniless, unable to get any kind of working permit... I had a friend who worked in what is called the Milieu, which is that world and she suggested to me one night, `Look, you'll be my meck... We would translate it perhaps... as pimp. We were earning our living together, this young woman and I, we made a rather good living, I must say."

Lipton reveals in his new book Inside Inside he would set up sex shows for clients of his lady friend.

He adds, "I had to accompany my clientelle to the Rue Pigalle, which is where these things occurred. And then I'd take them up to the room and I had to remain there because they were very nervous, they were young Americans for the most part... and they didn't speak French."

"Inside the Actor's Studio" sort of hit the skids a couple of years ago when they ran out of actual actors and started having people who aren't good actors on the show. Like J. Lo. So I think he could seriously put the show back on the map if he started the show with a tale of his life in Paree when he was dealing bod. They could even do those "Unsolved Mysteries" re-enactments with the acting students! He could tell us about the time he had to pay for Sylvie's abortion!