Eric Idle On Monty Python Feud With John Cleese: Money Can Lead To “Very Bad Arguments”

Eric Idle is struggling to see the bright side of his estrangement from John Cleese. 

In an interview on the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast, the Monty Python star reflected on his public feud with Cleese over the British comedy troupe’s management.

Asking about the disagreement — and likely voicing what many Monty Python fans are thinking — O’Brien told Idle that he doesn’t want “mommy and daddy to fight.” 

Idle replied: “We don’t disagree about comedy, this is only about money. This is only about business. I mean, a fool and his money are easily parted — six of us, much more quickly. 

“There’s no right or wrong way to deal with business, and if somebody has one view of it, and somebody doesn’t, and somebody has another, those can lead to very bad arguments.

“Unfortunately, we don’t see each other enough. I haven’t seen him in 10 years … if you don’t sit across the table and know that person and what decade they’re in, I think that there’s a lot of room for disagreement.”

The Monty Python legends exchanged barbs earlier this year, when Idle complained that he still had to work because Python’s earnings had dried up. He told O’Brien that he actually enjoys doing the stage work because he’s secretly a “laugh junkie.”

Idle blamed the mismanagement of the Python brand on Terry Gilliam and his daughter, Holly. The latter runs HDG Projects, which manages Python and helped stage Monty Python Live (mostly) – One Down Five to Go, the group’s 2014 reunion shows at the O2 in London.

Cleese, along with Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, later made clear that they endorsed Holly’s management. “I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant,” Cleese said. Members of the iconic British comedy troupe reunited for dinner in May, but Idle was not present.