Monty Python star Eric Idle has revealed that he is still working at the age of 80 for financial reasons, dismissing assumptions that the comedy troupe made him wealthy. In a series of posts on X, Idle said he sold his home last year and described the group he co-founded in 1969 as 'a disaster'.
'I don't know why people always assume we're loaded. Python is a disaster,' Idle wrote. He noted that his musical 'Spamalot' made money 20 years ago, but added: 'I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.'
Idle, who created the Tony-winning 'Spamalot', expressed surprise at the decline in income from Monty Python projects. 'We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,' he said.
When asked about a potential Netflix documentary, Idle responded bluntly: 'Fuck documentaries' and the streaming company. However, he said he is 'fine' and 'engaged and writing', working on a new show.
Idle survived pancreatic cancer after an early diagnosis in 2022 and appeared on 'The Masked Singer' in the US. He co-founded Monty Python in 1969 with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.
