Eric Idle, 80, exposes Monty Python money rift and says he’s now forced to ‘work for a living’ despite his major TV success

Eric Idle has revealed there’s a rift in the Monty Python troupe and confessed the show was a financial ‘disaster’.

The comedian, 80, is the co-creator of the iconic programme, and starred in its various spin-off films including Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life.

Monty Python were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Eric.

And now, Eric has explained he’s struggling financially and has been forced to sell his house and continue working well past retirement age.

He took aim at Holly Gilliam, the TV lawyer daughter of fellow Python Terry Gilliam, on social media. 

She took over the Python brand in 2013 as part of HDG Projects Ltd, and in a new tweet Eric wrote: ‘I don’t know why people always assume w’re loaded.

‘I have to work for my living. I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously. I have been working and earning for Pythons since 1995. And now no more.’

In a dig at Holly, he continued: ‘I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised. One Gilliam is bad enough. Two can take out any company.’

Eric’s daughter Lily publicly stood by her father by penning on X: ‘I’m so proud of my dad for finally finally finally starting to share the truth.

‘He has always stood up to bullies and narcissists and absolutely deserves reassurance and validation for doing so.’

The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974

Last year, Eric denied any involvement in an upcoming stage production of Monty Python’s Life Of Brian.

He contradicted reports that he is collaborating with John Cleese on reworking the 1979 comedy.

Idle distanced himself from the project after sharing a tweet from the British Comedy Guide which read: ‘The stage show version of Monty Python’s Life Of Brian will be launched in London in 2024, John Cleese has confirmed. He and Idle have made changes – for example, there’ll be no crucifixion scene.’

He replied: ‘I have nothing at all to do with this production or adaptation. Apparently Cleese has cut the song. Of course.’

Idle was referring to his song Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life which plays during the crucifixion.

The famous scene has been cut from the upcoming production, according to reports.

Fans were quick to question if the relationship between Idle and Cleese had soured. In response to one person, Idle simply tweeted: ‘I haven’t seen John since the last day of our US tour in New Orleans 2016.’

Another tweet read: ‘I have no problems with the Pythons. I think they are foolish in business, but I have my say and walk away. What can I do but that? Give me a break.’

Last week it was reported that Cleese and Idle, who recently overcame pancreatic cancer, had been ‘workshopping new scenes and plotlines for a blockbuster stage show’.

Cleese, 83, who is working on the project with veteran stage director Caroline Ranger, said: ‘I think Life Of Brian is our best film.

‘We are going to do it in London in the second half of next year and I’ve changed certain things.’

He told an audience at his one-man show that he had to cut a scene in which a male character reveals they want to be known as ‘Loretta’.

Recalling a read through, he said: ‘At the end, I said to the American actors, ‘What do you think?’ And they said, ‘We love the script, but you can’t do that stuff about Loretta nowadays’.

‘So here you have something there’s never been a complaint about in 40 years, that I’ve heard of, and now all of a sudden we can’t do it because it’ll offend people.

‘What is one supposed to make of that? But I think there were a lot of things that were actually, in some strange way, predictive of what was actually going to happen later.’

Cleese, who has joined GB News, has spoken openly against ‘cancel culture’ in recent years – a contrast to Idle who revealed he struggles to be ‘sympathetic’ towards those who complain when their jokes are not received well.

‘You shouldn’t moan about the audience,’ he told the podcast On With Kara Swisher in November. ‘There’s nothing wrong with the audience. If they don’t laugh at your jokes, there’s something wrong with your joke.

‘And so… I’m not terribly sympathetic to that sort of attitude, to be honest.’

Life Of Brian was written by Monty Python comedy troupe’s founding members, Cleese, Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.

It was banned in some areas for blasphemy and faced accusations of mocking Jesus.

Idle previously wrote the Tony Award-winning musical Spamalot! based on the 1975 film Monty Python And The Holy Grail.