So, James Lipton was once a pimp -- for real.
It may sound like the beginning of a dirty joke, but the "Inside the Actors Studio" host just revealed to Parade that he worked as a pimp in 1950s Paris.
Now, don't judge him just yet. The 86-year-old explained his decision to take on the job, saying: "It was only a few years after the war. Paris was different then, still poor. Men couldn't get jobs and, in the male chauvinist Paris of that time, the women couldn't get work at all," adding “Young women desperately needed money for various reasons. They were beautiful and young and extraordinary. There was no opprobrium because it was completely regulated."
When asked how he got into the field, he revealed that he became "good friends" with a prostitute during his time in France, and when he "ran out of money" and faced having to return home, she arranged for him to take on the role.
Lipton further elaborated on his past life, saying he was not only responsible for his friend, but "a whole bordello."
Well, this was unexpected.
[via Parade.com h/t People]
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