Conan O'Brien Stoked Over 'Tonight Show' Return ... Late Night's Here to Stay!!!

4/9/24
RETURNING HOME
TMZ.com

Conan O'Brien is looking forward to his return to "The Tonight Show" 14 years after his messy exit ... telling TMZ there's no bad blood, and that he's excited to hit the stage again.

We caught up with the comedian outside the Whitby Hotel in NYC Tuesday -- just as he was on his way to film his 'TS' appearance at 30 Rock -- where he told us how he was feeling heading into his highly-anticipated late-night comeback.

As Conan puts it ... he's jazzed to be in front of the camera again in that environment -- as he has nothing but fond memories about his time there, which is interesting considering he was fired by NBC in 2010 ... and rather unceremoniously too.

JAMES CORDEN BRITISH PEOPLE THINK I WAS FIRED!!! Don't Buy 'Late' Show Exit

JUST TO BE CLEAR
ABC

James Corden walked away from his "Late Late Show" hosting gig on his own terms ... but people in his native UK just can't quite believe he wasn't fired, at least according to him.

The Brit explained on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Tuesday that despite him assuring people he and his wife Julia moved back across the pond so their 3 kids could be closer to their grandparents, people are convinced he's lying ... and think CBS canned him.

James says he's had his fair share of pub convos about his talk show departure ... and no matter how many times he tries to set the record straight, he says, "People will honestly be like, 'You don't have to give me that bull***. It's fine, mate. If you got fired, you got fired!'"

EL CONSEJERO DELEGADO DE BOEING DAVE CALHOUN DIMITE Por motivos de seguridad

El consejero delegado de Boeing -Dave Calhoun- dice que abandona el barco, y planea hacerlo a finales de este año en medio de los continuos fiascos de seguridad de la compañía.

En un comunicado emitido el lunes, Calhoun reconoció sin rodeos los retos a los que se enfrenta Boeing: "Los ojos del mundo están puestos en nosotros y sé que superaremos este momento como una empresa mejor".

Y añadió: "Seguiremos centrados de lleno en completar el trabajo que hemos hecho juntos para devolverle la estabilidad a nuestra empresa tras los extraordinarios retos de los últimos cinco años, con la seguridad y la calidad al frente de todo lo que hacemos".

BOEING CEO DAVE CALHOUN TO STEP DOWN Amid Safety Concerns

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun says he's jumping ship, he plans to call it quits by the end of this year ... amid the company's ongoing safety fiascos.

In a statement Monday, Calhoun straight-up acknowledged Boeing's challenges, saying, "The eyes of the world are on us, and I know that we will come through this moment a better company."

He added, "We will remain squarely focused on completing the work we have done together to return our company to stability after the extraordinary challenges of the past five years, with safety and quality at the forefront of everything that we do."

Candace Owens Fired from Daily Wire Over Alleged Antisemitism

Candace Owens was fired from her hosting job at the Daily Wire because her bosses were fed up with what they viewed as her repeated promotion of antisemitism ... TMZ has learned.

The conservative media company announced Friday morning that it was parting ways with Candace, and while no official reason was mentioned ... sources with direct knowledge tell us it was squarely over what the Daily Wire honchos saw as antisemitism, and the firing went down early this week.

03/08/24
TAKING A JAB
Fresh and Fit Podcast

Candace and fellow Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro have had a very public feud recently on social media over their opposing views on the Israel-Gaza conflict -- and we're told the last straw for the DW was her March 8 appearance on the "Fresh and Fit" podcast.

The hosts were talking to Candace about the rift with Ben, and every time Ben or his wife -- who is Israeli -- was mentioned the show dropped a cha-ching sound effect, an obvious nod to the antisemitic trope about Jews and money.

While Candace didn't say anything to besmirch Ben, we're told the feeling was she didn't say anything to defend him or call out the antisemitism. To be fair, it's unclear whether she heard that sound effect while recording the podcast.

We're told Daily Wire execs had previous conversations with Candace in an attempt to understand her position -- as they didn't want to censor her -- but they felt the podcast incident crossed the line.

As one source in the know put it, Candace often bragged about being one of the best communicators in media, so the DW execs felt "she knew what she was doing."

We're also told Shapiro was not involved in the decision to fire Candace, and he doesn't have any power to do so.

03/22/24
TRYING TO CHOOSE PEACE
The Breakfast Club

Candace addressed her feud with Ben when she was on "The Breakfast Club" Thursday, saying she was not anti-Israel or antisemitic ... she's simply against all forms of genocide. A source connected to Candace insists the same, telling us "She's obviously not an antisemite."

We've reached out to the Daily Wire and Candace's reps for comment ... but no word back yet.

Shohei Ohtani New Interpreter By His Side In Korea ... After Ippei Ousting

Shohei Ohtani has a new righthand man in Korea ... the Dodgers have appointed Will Ireton to be his interpreter -- this less than 24 hours after Ippei Mizuhara was canned due to his alleged role in a gambling scandal.

L.A. manager Dave Roberts refused to comment on the entire Mizuhara saga in a pregame meeting with reporters Thursday ... but he did confirm Ireton -- the team's manager of performance operations who previously helped Kenta Maeda with communicating -- will fill in for Ohtani's former translator for the time being.

Roberts also said Ireton would handle interpreting duties for Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

And, it didn't take long for Ireton to make his impact felt during the Dodgers' second game of the season against the Padres in Seoul. As Yamamoto struggled in his debut versus San Diego, it was Ireton who hit the mound to help relay coaches' words.

Ireton was also seen standing close by to Ohtani in the dugout throughout the game.

So far, Ohtani's looked solid despite all of the distractions surrounding him, he's currently 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI -- and he just nearly missed hitting a home run in the seventh inning.

As we previously reported, Mizuhara -- who had just worked as Ohtani's translator during the season-opener against the Pads on Wednesday -- was fired in the hours following Game 1 after Ohtani's attorneys accused him of stealing money from the two-way star in order to place bets with an alleged illegal bookmaker.

Roberts told media members he "can't say anything" regarding the matter ... but he did tell journalists Ohtani was "ready" for game action in spite of the outside noise.

L.A. is currently down 12-9.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Juwan Howard Fired By Michigan ... After 5 Seasons As HC

Fab Five legend Juwan Howard is OUT at Michigan ... the school just announced his tenure as head coach has come to an end after 5 seasons at the helm.

“After a comprehensive review of the program, I have decided that Juwan will not return as our men’s basketball coach,” Warde Manuel, Michigan AD, and the man who hired Howard said in a statement.

“Juwan is among the greatest Wolverines to ever be associated with our basketball program. I know how much it meant, to not only Juwan, but to all of us for him to return here to lead this program. Despite his love of his alma mater and the positive experience that our student-athletes had under his leadership, it was clear to me that the program was not living up to our expectations and not trending in the right direction.”

Manuel is likely referring to not just a decline in wins, but also controversy inside the program ... with many calling for change amid a crisis in culture.

On the court, Howard -- who was hired in May 2019 -- had a ton of success early after taking over for John Beilein ... earning a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in year 2, before losing to UCLA in the Elite 8. Howard was named Coach of the Year.

The 2021-2022 season wasn't as good ... the team barely earned a bid into the tourney, but still ended up winning two games, reaching the Sweet 16.

However, that was the last time the former Michigan star would lead his squad to an NCAA berth. Howard's '22-'23 team went 18-16.

Fast forward to this season ... an unmitigated disaster. Michigan finished with an 8-24 record, including going 3-17 in the Big Ten, UM's worst season in decades.

Juwan's 5 seasons were plagued by controversy, too. In 2022, Howard was involved in a postgame scuffle with Wisconcin's coaches ... where he ended up making contact with a Badgers assistant. Howard was suspended 5 games.

JH also had a run-in with Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon, who he allegedly threatened to kill ... in front of a referee.

There was also an alleged run-in with UMs longtime strength coach, Jon Sanderson, who left the school after more than a decade following the incident.

Juwan Howard, who also starred as a player at Michigan in the early '90s, alongside Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson, and Jimmy King, has not yet commented on his dismissal.

DON LEMON SU ALIANZA CON X LLEGA A SU FIN Dicen que Elon está cabreado

03/13/24
¿por qué tan enojado elon?

Don Lemon ha cancelado su acuerdo con X antes de que se emitiera el primer episodio, y culpa a su entrevista con Elon Musk, en la que aparentemente tocó un punto delicado.

El ex presentador de CNN anunció el miércoles en redes sociales el fin de su acuerdo exclusivo con la plataforma de Elon Musk, tanto a través de una declaración escrita como en un breve video que irónicamente publicó en X.

Don explica que se sentó con Elon el viernes para entrevistarlo en el primer episodio de "The Don Lemon Show", diciendo que quería tener a Musk como su primer invitado, porque Elon se considera un gran defensor de la libertad de expresión.

Don dijo que la entrevista no tenía temas fuera de límite, y aunque Don admite que la conversación se puso tensa a ratos, en última instancia dice que las cosas salieron bien.

Sin embargo, parece que Musk no se sentía de la misma manera, y afirma que su acuerdo con X -acordado hace apenas dos meses- se terminó apenas unas horas después de su entrevista.

Lemon le dijo a sus fans que trabajó con X porque es un creyente en la libertad de expresión y quería que su mensaje llegara a un público masivo, y ser "despedido" de X no impide que el ex presentador de CNN lo transmita en la plataforma y en otros lugares.

Lemon dice que todavía piensa publicar la entrevista el lunes 18 de marzo en YouTube y X, lo que podría tomarse como una afrenta hacia Elon. También va a seguir con el programa sin el respaldo de X, así que "The Don Lemon Show" sigue en pie.

En cuanto a lo que exactamente discutieron, no sabemos mucho, pero los informes sugieren que Don hizo algunas preguntas contundentes, incluyendo preguntas sobre el uso de Musk de la ketamina.

Aparentemente, Lemon todavía piensa que X le debe dinero, con un portavoz de Don diciéndole al sitio de noticias Puck, que está dispuesto a ir a los tribunales por el dinero que cree que le deben.

Por su parte, X dice que su plataforma apoya la libertad de expresión, y Don puede publicar libremente lo que quiera, pero X, por otra parte, sigue siendo un negocio y puede optar por iniciar o terminar asociaciones con empresas como mejor le parezca.

En cuanto a Elon... le respondió a una cuenta de parodia de Mark Zuckerberg en X y afirmó que Don todavía estaba haciendo sus trucos de CNN en X y dijo que sentía que solo estaba repitiendo los mismos pasos que su antiguo jefe en la red, Jeff Zucker. Elon también dice que sentía Don no estaba siendo auténtico... y parecer esto fue suficiente para desechar el acuerdo.

Parece que hay mala sangre en ambos frentes, y estamos seguros de que esto no ha terminado todavía.

Don Lemon X Partnership Falls Apart ... Reportedly Pissed Off Elon

03/13/24
WHY SO MAD ELON ???

Don Lemon's X partnership is dunzo -- his deal falling apart before the first episode could even air ... and he blames his Elon Musk interview, where he apparently struck a nerve.

The former CNN anchor took to social media Wednesday to announce the end of his exclusive deal with Elon's platform -- both via written statement and in a short video he posted to X, ironically enough.

The way Don explains it ... he sat down with Elon Friday to interview him for the first episode of "The Don Lemon Show," saying he wanted to speak with Musk as his debut guest because Elon considers himself a major proponent of free speech.

Don said the interview had no off-limit topics, and -- even though DL admits the convo got tense at times ... ultimately, he says he felt it was a good, fair back-and-forth.

However, it sounds like Musk didn't feel the same way according to Lemon ... who claims his deal with X -- agreed upon just two months ago -- was terminated mere hours after their interview wrapped.

Lemon told his fans he worked with X because he's a believer in free speech and wanted his message to reach a mass audience ... and, getting "fired" from X ain't stopping the former CNN anchor from airing it on the platform and elsewhere.

Lemon says he's still dropping the interview in all its glory Monday, March 18 on YouTube and X as well -- seemingly a big middle finger to EM and co. He's also gonna carry on with the show without X's backing ... so, the "The Don Lemon Show" is still on.

As for exactly what the two discussed ... we don't know much, but reports are floating around Don asked some hard-hitting questions -- including queries about Musk's use of ketamine.

GRAND OPENING, GRAND CLOSING
TMZ.com

BTW ... Lemon apparently still thinks X owes him money -- with a spokesperson for Don telling news site Puck he's willing to go to court for the cash he believes is owed ... to be continued, we suppose.

For their part, X is saying their platform is all about free speech, and Don can freely post whatever he wants ... but also X is still a business and can choose to begin or end partnerships with businesses as it sees fit.

As for Elon ... he responded to a Mark Zuckerberg parody account on X -- and claimed Don was still doing his CNN shtick, just on X -- and he said he felt Don was just parroting his old boss at the network, Jeff Zucker. EM also says he felt Don was putting on an act and not being his authentic self ... which was apparently enough for him to scrap their deal.

Seems like lots of bad blood on both sides ... and we're sure it's not over yet.

Giannis Antetokounmpo I Didn't Get Adrian Griffin Fired!!! ... Move 'Caught Me By Surprise'

IT WAS A SUPRISE
Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo just shut down rumors that he had a say in Adrian Griffin's firing ... telling reporters Wednesday night the move blindsided him.

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar opened up on his coach's eyebrow-raising departure for the first time following a 126-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers ... saying straight up Griffin's exit "caught me by surprise."

"We were 30 and 13," he said as he sat at a postgame podium. "I gotta trust the front office, I gotta trust the ownership group that they can see the bigger picture."

Of course, many had believed there was no way Bucks' brass didn't contact Giannis for his thoughts on removing Griffin before pulling the trigger ... but the Greek Freak made it clear he wasn't consulted.

"My job is to be the best version of myself, to lead this team out there and win games," he said. "Their job is to create the best team possible and the best atmosphere around the team possible."

The 6-foot-11 forward also praised Griffin during his talk with media members ... calling his former head coach a "great person" whom he had a good relationship with.

"I refuse to fall into the bubble of, 'Oh, this is accurate, this is not accurate,' because there's always gonna be something out there about me and the team, you know," he said. "'Oh, he didn't have a good relationship with Griff' ... false."

"I love the guy," he continued. "I invited him to my wedding."

Nonetheless, it seems the move is working out for the Bucks for now ... the team is 1-0 -- and Antetokounmpo is still very much playing like an MVP.

Milwaukee Bucks Fire Adrian Griffin

Adrian Griffin's time in Milwaukee is over -- the Bucks just fired their head coach after less than a year on the job ... despite having the second-best record in the league.

Multiple reports confirmed the move on Tuesday ... just hours after Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. beat the Detroit Pistons, 122-113.

It is a bit of a head-scratching move to some ... as the Bucks currently sit at second in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13 record. Others believe the writing was on the wall, as Griffin -- a former Seton Hall star and NBA player -- appeared to be a bad fit with the current roster.

Joe Prunty is expected to take on interim coaching duties for now ... and there are rumblings the team will look for a veteran coach like Doc Rivers to take the reins permanently.

It's a quick turnaround for the organization -- it just introduced Griffin as Mike Budenholzer's replacement in June 2023.

Whoever takes over in Milwaukee will have one of the most talented squads in the league ... with stars like Giannis, Damian Lillard and Kris Middleton.

Rivers won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008 ... and the partnership would make sense, as it's clear the Bucks are looking to add to their ring collection.

Snoop Dogg 'Smokeless' Ad Flops For Company ... CEO Abandons Ship

Snoop Dogg's ad for smokeless fire pits totally won the internet last year ... but the company that hired him says they won nada and their 4th quarter tanked as a result!!!

Solo Stove, the company behind the clever spot that teased the end of Snoop's days of blazin', fired its CEO after it fell short of its $520-$540 million yearly revenue stream ... sounds like they were banking on Snoop to save their asses!!!

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

The outgoing CEO John Marris tells The Daily that Snoop brought them 60k new followers after his spot dropped and data shows the ad ranked high with just a few weeks to live in the public eye.

2024 projections have been adjusted for Solo Stove -- the incoming CEO only has to clear $490 million and $500 million ... which probably won't be coming from rap fans; they were there to be entertained by the D-O double G, nothing else!!!

Snoop's also onboard to cover the 2024 Summer Olympics for NBC. Ya gotta wonder ... what's gonna happen to the execs when he earns higher ratings than the games?!? 🥴

We'll know soon, we suppose.

Guenther Steiner Out At Haas ... After 10 Years

The Haas Formula One team will have a new leader in charge in 2024 -- longtime team principal Guenther Steiner has shockingly left his position after 10 years, the organization announced Wednesday.

Steiner -- a star on Netflix's 'Drive To Survive' -- held the role since Haas joined the grid in 2016, reaching as high as fifth in the Constuctor Standings in 2018.

It was a rough 2023 campaign, though ... as Haas finished last with just 12 points.

According to F1, Steiner met with team owner Gene Haas following the 2023 season ... and it was decided they would go their separate ways.

Haas' director of engineering, Ayao Komatsu, will take over as team principal.

"I’d like to start by extending my thanks to Guenther Steiner for all his hard work over the past decade and I wish him well for the future," Haas said in a statement.

"Moving forward as an organization, it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances. In appointing Ayao Komatsu as Team Principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management."

"We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organization," he added. "We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team."

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen wished his former boss farewell on social media ... saying, "Thanks for taking me on the journey in 2017 and thanks for bringing me on board again in 2022. It has been both fun and tremendously challenging – but never boring. So long and all the best."

Mike Vrabel Fired By Titans

Mike Vrabel is out in Tennessee.

The Titans have just canned their head coach, according to multiple reports ... after he spent the last six seasons roaming the sidelines in Nashville.

The final decision came down less than 48 hours after the Titans' 28-20 upset win over the Jaguars on Sunday.

Vrabel started his Tennessee tenure with a bang ... logging winning seasons in his first four years -- though things have gone a bit south in the past two.

In his last 34 games, he's recorded just a 13-21 record ... and their offense has sputtered.

A lot of change is on the horizon in Tennessee -- star running back Derrick Henry is a free agent this summer. He was a big part in Vrabel’s playoff runs in Tennessee, but gave what felt like a farewell speech following their win.

Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk addressed the move on Tuesday ... saying, "Earlier today, I spoke with Mike Vrabel and told him about my decision to make a change at head coach."

"As I told Coach Vrabel, this decision was as difficult as any I've made as Controlling Owner. I appreciate Mike's contributions to the Tennessee Titans both on and off the field."

"Anyone who has ever met him knows how passionate and genuine he is, and he's been a strong supporter of the Nashville community," she added. "We wish Mike, Jen, and the Vrabel family nothing but the best in the future."

Vrabel -- the third-winningest coach in Titans history -- will almost certainly land on his feet somewhere -- the former New England Patriots star is widely respected around the league and is already viewed as a potential candidate for current head coaching vacancies.

In fact, most think if Bill Belichick leaves Foxborough this offseason, Vrabel could be the ideal man to replace him.

Story developing ...

CHRIS HARRISON 'THE BACHELOR' EXIT WAS 'TOXIC,' GRATEFUL I LEFT!!

the toxic situation
Trading Secrets with Jason Tartick

Chris Harrison has blasted the events surrounding his exit from 'The Bachelor' as 'toxic' ... which kickstarted following a racism scandal.

He says the backlash he endured after defending ex-'Bachelor' contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for attending a plantation-themed party while in college was tumultuous ... praying his worst enemy doesn't go through the same experience he went through 2 years earlier.

Speaking on Jason Tartick's "Trading Secrets" podcast, Chris says he initially thought the situation was something he could've figured out with show execs ... but things escalated to the point he knew he had to remove himself from the situation.

It was a bittersweet moment for Chris ... he wasn't ready to leave the show he'd been hosting since 2002 ... but he was ultimately proud of his decision to walk away.

He adds there's no hard feelings because the show was a blessing  ... changing his life financially.

Jesse Palmer ended up taking over hosting duties -- and as for Chris, he found his own happy ending ... tying the knot with ET host Lauren Zima in November.

'Jeopardy!' Champ Austin Rogers Ken Earned Sole Daily Host Duty ... Mayim Should Do Specials

BOOTED???

One of the biggest "Jeopardy!" champs of all time says the show is in good hands with Ken Jennings ... but he doesn't want Mayim Bialik to vanish completely.

We got Austin Rogers -- who went on a major hot streak in 2017 -- at Gaf East, a bar he just bought in New York City, and we asked him about Mayim announcing her exit as one of the "Jeopardy!" hosts.

Austin says the show will be just fine with Ken taking on an even larger role. Ken's become synonymous with "Jeopardy!" and AR feels he's a big enough name now to soften the blow of Mayim's departure.

Ken Is The Man For The Job
TMZ.com

Another "Jeopardy!" champ, Amy Schneider agrees ... telling us Ken is the right choice for the everyday hosting gig, in part because he's a big hit with the contestants.

While Mayim says Sony brass told her she won't be hosting the syndicated daily show, the studio is leaving the door open for her to host special episodes ... like "Celebrity Jeopardy" and other primetime tournaments -- and Austin explains why she's a good fit there.

TMZ broke the story ... Mayim's absence during the writers' strike made Sony execs realize they didn't need 2 hosts, and ultimately her loss was Ken's gain.

Austin says Mayim was still right to stand in solidarity with the writers, and he hopes she remains involved ... even if it's not on a daily basis.

Ken's not on Alex Trebek's level yet -- but Austin says he's doing a good job filling those massive shoes.

Old news is old news!
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