Eric Idle reveals the real reason for the public row with Monty Python star John Cleese

Eric Idle He explained why he was fighting Monty Python leading actor John Cleese.

Over the past few years, Idle and Cleese got involved in a public fightDue to a change in Monty Python’s management, the former declared their friendship “over” in February.

At the height of the argument between the pair, Cleese said that he and Idle “always hated and despised each other.”

According to Idle, Cleese fired his old friend Jim Beach, the comedy troupe’s former manager, and hired Terry Gilliam’s daughter Holly to replace him. It’s been idle ever since He claimed Holly was the reason he had to continue working and earning money at the age of 80.

However, Cleese responded to this claim in September: calling narrative “an invention”.

Speaking on podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Idle said of Cleese: “We disagree on comedy; It’s just about money. It’s just about business. I mean, a fool is easily separated from his money; As six of us, we leave much quicker.

“There’s no right or wrong way to deal with business, and if one person has one view on the matter and the other doesn’t, and one has another view, these can lead to very nasty arguments.”

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

Fawlty Towers star Cleese supported Holly’s management, describing her as “very efficient, open-minded, hard-working and enjoyable to deal with”.

In a statement, he said: “Michael Palin asked me to make it clear that he shares this view. Terry Gilliam “We agree on this issue.”

When asked about his views on Idle, Cleese wrote on X/Twitter: “We always hated and despised each other, but only recently has the truth begun to emerge.” He later clarified in a follow-up post that he said it as a joke.

In May, Monty Python stars Cleese, Palin and Gilliam reunited to celebrate Palin’s 81st birthday, all without Idle there.

Cleese posted on

Cleese jokingly captioned the photo: “A 60-foot Python celebrates Pallin’s 181st Birthday and 195th Travel Book. “The photo was taken in the cafe at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.”