John Cleese says his comments on the front pages of Fr Monty python Costar Eric Idle are taken too literally.
The actor and comedian, 84, took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify a post he made the previous day after a fan asked Cleese if he and the others were “Pythons” (Cleese, Idle, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones and Michael Palin) got in touch.
In response to the post, Cleese wrote: “We have always hated and despised each other, but only recently has the truth begun to come out.”
Cleese’s February 13 post was picked up by several news outlets, which described his remark as part of a larger feud with Idle, 80, in particular. According to Cleese, the statement was actually directed against all Pythons and was purely comical.
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Clarifying a comment on X on February 14, he wrote: “I just saw the Press Association release” and “they got it completely wrong.”
He added that his “remark about ‘hating and despising each other'” was not just about Idle, but “all members of the group” and “was a joke”.
“I would expect PA staff to have 1. An understanding of irony 2. A sense of humor,” he added.
Eric Idle and John Cleese on ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’.
Radio Times via Getty Images
Cleese’s initial Python remarks came days after Idle sparked an online debate about his financial situation, debunking the idea that he was “burdened” by the success of the iconic comedy troupe.
“I don’t know why people always think we are full. Python is a disaster,” Idle wrote on February 9th. “Spamalot earned 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. It’s not easy at this age.”
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After one fan said he wasn’t sure if Idle was joking about his financial security, the comedian responded by claiming Terry Gilliam’s daughter Holly Gilliam had something to do with the troupe’s lack of income.
“We own everything we’ve ever done in ‘Python’ and I never dreamed that in this age the revenue streams would decline so catastrophically,” he wrote. “But I guess you shouldn’t be that surprised if you make a Gilliam kid your manager. One Gilliam is bad enough. Two can destroy any company.”
Idle’s claims about Python’s financial situation and digs at Terry, 83, and Holly have prompted Cleese to reassure his fans that he is financially sound. On February 13, Cleese shared a post listing all of his upcoming appearances, writing that “a few of my Twits expressed [concern] about my finances.”
“So… no worries,” he ended the post, adding a reference to Idle’s comments about Terry’s daughter by mentioning his own: “BTW, Camilla Cleese is involved in seven of those.”
Also on February 13, Cleese directly defended Holly, writing: “I have worked with Holly for the past ten years and find her to be very efficient, bright, hardworking and pleasant to work with. Michael Palin asked me to clarify that he shares that opinion. Terry Gilliam agrees with that.”
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And while Cleese and Idle appear to be at odds over how Python’s finances are being handled, Idle shared a post clarifying that despite their feud over X, he still admires Cleese as a comedian.
Responding to a fan who recalled how Idle called his Python co-star “the great John Cleese” in the book, Idle wrote: “I never said he wasn’t funny. He was. Funny. For 61 years.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education