Eric Idle says he’s not “loaded” from Monty Python: “I have to work for my living”

12 February, 2024

Eric Idle

Monty Python star Eric Idle has said that he must continue to work at the age of 80 for financial reasons, saying he’s not “loaded” and that he has “to work for my living.”

The comedian and actor, most well-known for his role as Sir Robin the-not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir-Lancelot in Monty Python And The Holy Grail, said he had to sell his home last year in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.

He wrote: “I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster.
“Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”

Idle created the musical Spamalot, which later went to Broadway and won a Tony Award for Best Musical. Idle also appeared in Monty Python Live (Mostly) alongside some of the original cast in 2014 on stage.

Idle continued: “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 went on to suggest that management issues in the past might be to blame for his predicament. When asked if a Netflix documentary could help, he balked at the idea, writing: “fuck documentaries”.

He added: “I don’t mind not being wealthy. I prefer being funny.”

“I’m fine. I’m engaged and writing. It’s the thing I do and like the most. Creating a new show. Something that feels so completely normal. Been doing it since 1963. I have learned a lot. But then I had some great mentors.”

In September 2022, Idle revealed he survived pancreatic cancer after receiving a rare early diagnosis.

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