EXCLUSIVE: Revealed — The Tragic Rift Tearing Apart Comedy Legends Monty Python and How It's Devastating Fans
A Monty Python reunion may be dead.
Sept. 16 2025, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Eric Idle has declared there is "no hope" of a Monty Python reunion, after revealing a long-simmering rift with fellow comedy giant John Cleese that has left the pair estranged and fans heartbroken, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Idle, 82, who has just kicked off a UK theater tour, said he had not seen Cleese, 85, in a decade and no longer believes they could work together.
Is A Reunion In The Cards?
Eric Idle doesn't think a Monty Python reunion is in the cards.
Once inseparable members of the legendary comedy troupe, the pair's falling out has all but ended hopes of the surviving Pythons reuniting on stage.
"I think that ship has sailed – and sunk, actually," Idle said. "I did three tours with John Cleese, and he seemed perfectly nice, and now he seems not quite so nice. I don't know why. I haven't seen him for 10 years. So I don't honestly know what's going on.
"Am I bothered? No, I'm not bothered, because what can I do? People say why is he so angry? I don't know. He's got his own life, I've got my own life, and it's a nice life."
John Cleese V. Eric Idle?
Idle claimed former co-star John Cleese isn't a nice guy anymore.
Together, Idle and Cleese helped redefine British comedy in the late 1960s with Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Alongside Michael Palin, 82, Terry Gilliam, 84, and the late Graham Chapman and Terry Jones, the group went on to create Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Life of Brian – films that remain staples of satire.
Idle, who also created the Tony-winning stage musical Spamalot, said the deaths of Chapman in 1989 and Jones in 2020 had left the group diminished.
"There's no Terry, there's no Graham – the nicer ones have gone. It's true. So I don't think there's any hope," he said.
A source close to the comedian told us: "Python fans are devastated by this rift. They know it means they will never get to see the remaining line-up on stage again, and that's entirely because of the feud between Eric and John.
"That division has been amplified by disputes over money. Idle has long complained about royalties from Spamalot being split six ways among surviving members and the estates of Chapman and Jones."
'They're Miserable'
Idle recently bashed his 'miserable' co-stars.
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"They got more f------ money than they've ever been grateful for. They got f------ millions and they're miserable and horrible about it," he said.
In 2014, the surviving Pythons briefly reunited for Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go, a ten-night run at London’s O2 Arena. Idle co-wrote and directed the shows, but relations soured afterwards, and attempts to collaborate again stalled.
"It is sad," said another source. "Eric and John were once the closest of colleagues, and people always hoped for one more big night with them all together. But that looks impossible now."
Idle thinks AI will have an impact on the future of Monty Python
Idle has suggested the future of Python may lie in technology rather than reconciliation.
"Everyone will be replaced by AI eventually," he said. "I'm sure there will be an AI Monty Python at some point, as, let's face it, John Cleese can't do the silly walk anymore."
Despite the tension, Idle continues to embrace his comic legacy. His new show, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live, features songs, sketches, and personal stories, ending with a performance at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Idle said: "I have rude songs. I'm a little on the filthy side. There's a fart joke, too, but it's a philosophical fart joke, of course. My role in life seems to be cheering people up."
