Feud at heart of battle for Monty Python millions after Eric Idle blamed co-star’s daughter & slams John as ‘bully’
COMEDY icons are usually laughing all the way to the bank, but surviving members of Monty Python say their financial woes are anything but funny.
Eric Idle lifted the lid at the weekend on a new feud within the camp, blaming his money problems on Holly Gilliam, daughter of fellow Python Terry and manager of the legendary troupe.
In a Twitter/X rant, he added that the Pythons — who have known each for seven decades — are not even friends and branded co-star John Cleese “a bully”.
Eric says that giving up work is not an option for him — even at the age of 80 — as he needs to pay the bills.
And he is fed-up with fans thinking he is super rich.
And the rest of the gang?
Cleese is bringing back Fawlty Towers at 84, Michael Palin is making travel shows at 80 and Gilliam is directing films at 83.
When the money is split six ways, it doesn’t travel as far.
Inside source
So why are these veteran funnymen not enjoying a happy, and very rich, retirement?
According to a showbiz insider, the main reason is because there are six of them, including late members Graham Chapman and Terry Jones.
The source said: “When the money is split six ways, it doesn’t travel as far. That’s the big factor.
“And the money they were earning in their pomp is nothing like the amount modern day stars can earn.
“Plus, there is a feeling their back catalogue wasn’t pushed commercially as it should have been.
“Idle especially feels they missed a trick there, and that’s his major gripe with Holly, who he also blames for not making a film from his musical Spamalot.
Out-of-control egos
“He believes after the ten shows for their 2014 comeback tour, the Monty Python brand should really have kicked on and made them all lots more money.
“But it didn’t and now they’re all doing their own thing to ensure their lifestyles remain at a certain level. They’re certainly not poor.”
The source added: “The guys are also still active because they love entertaining. Nobody is putting a gun to their heads.”
Monty Python are one of the best-loved comedy troupes of all time, courtesy of their ground-breaking surreal sketches, hit movies, gags and catchphrases, which still have audiences in stitches today.
We finished in 1983. Do you know how long that was ago? I was 40. That’s half my lifetime ago
Eric Idle
Their heyday was the 1970s, having come to prominence with their Monty Python’s Flying Circus series on the BBC, which spawned best-selling books, blockbuster movies and lucrative stage shows — including ten gigs at London’s O2 Arena as part of their 2014 Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five To Go tour.
They are regarded as comedy’s equivalent of The Beatles given how they have inspired future comics.
But writing on X, formerly Twitter, yesterday, Idle batted away the comparisons with the Fab Four’s legacy, as well as making stark claims about how the troupe’s out-of-control egos and lack of compassion for each other turned their relationship sour.
On the Beatles, he said: “We finished in 1983. Do you know how long that was ago? I was 40. That’s half my lifetime ago.
“I still love and am proud of what we did as Python. It was a very unique group.
“I think of us an ex-Liverpool team. We played together very well. Way back in the day.
“But it was never very supportive of people’s feelings and emotions. Not brothers — colleagues”.
Idle says he last saw Cleese “seven years ago” and when asked by fans if he wanted to meet him during that time, he replied with a blunt “no”.
And asked if he thought Cleese and late member Jones regularly clashed, he said: “No, he bullied Jonesy. I always felt ashamed we did nothing.”
When pushed on whether the term “bully” was fair, he replied: “Totally, still is.”
‘Python is a disaster’
He also claimed Cleese “fired” former manager Jim Beach, who was replaced by Holly. But Beach, who triggered their comeback in 2014, quit due to ill-health. Given Idle’s much-publicised financial concerns, fans on X suggested “bringing the band back together” for another comeback.
But again, he met the idea with another brutal response: “No thanks.”
Idle, who is said to be worth £10million, put his Hollywood Hills mansion up for sale earlier this month.
In 2022, he shocked fans by appearing in The Masked Singer US disguised as Hedgehog.
Speaking at the weekend, he said: “I don’t mind not being wealthy. I prefer being funny. I don’t like being assumed to be wealthy. It’s different.”
In another rant on X, where he revealed he only made £2,000 per Pythons series on the BBC, he added: “I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded.
“’Python is a disaster. Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.’”
Fawlty Towers star Cleese’s fortune has been seriously impacted by his costly divorces — which he has now finally paid off.
Do you know I had to pay her $20million? Can you believe that? Twenty! No children. Twenty million
John Cleese on one of his divorce settlements
It is believed he has shelled out £25million in three settlements with three former wives, the latest being a £15million pay-off to third spouse Alyce Faye Eichelberger, 15 years after they split.
Last summer, Cleese performed a one-man show in Singapore telling his 1,200-strong audience that he had been forced to take the stage. He said: “I know what you’re thinking: What is an elderly English comedian doing here in Singapore when he should be back in his old oxygen tent in London, resting.
“Well, I’ll tell you the reason, I’ll show you.”
Just £6,000 for Fawlty Towers
He then projected a picture of his ex-wife on a giant screen and joked: “This is my ex-wife on her regular morning stroll, going to collect her alimony.
“Do you know I had to pay her $20million? Can you believe that? Twenty! No children. Twenty million.
“The awful thing about that is that you give them ten, then you’ve still got another ten to go.
“Look at it like this. If only she’d been satisfied with a mere $15million, I’d be going to bed in half an hour. Instead, I am forced to go on being a huge international megastar, a comedy icon, a national institution, a living legend.”
His hit Fawlty Towers sitcom only made Cleese £6,000, and zero royalties, but his West End stage show inspired by the series, which starts in May, should be far more lucrative and has already sold out.
He is also set to reprise his role as hotel owner Basil Fawlty in a new TV reboot alongside his daughter Camilla Cleese.
Fellow Python Gilliam, the only US-born member, has directed films including 1981’s Time Bandits and 1995’s 12 Monkeys, which had a combined box office haul of £160million. Unlike Idle and Cleese, Gilliam has never voiced concerns over his wealth.
Palin, meanwhile, has made successful travel documentaries and written best-selling books, helping him to be worth an estimated £20million.
Jones died in 2020, six years after the comeback tour, after suffering from a rare form of dementia that robbed him of his speech. He was 77.
Chapman passed away in 1989 from tonsil cancer aged 48 having played the lead role in Python films The Holy Grail and Life Of Brian.
But despite depleting in numbers, the remaining gang still do not seem to have a large enough pool of cash to dip into — and the funnymen are seriously bitter about what they have been left with.
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