Monty Python star John Cleese defends 'hard-working and pleasant' Holly Gilliam after co-star Eric Idle 'blamed her for the financial disaster' of iconic comedy troupe

• Cleese, 84, hit back at Idle’s criticism with the apparent backing of his co-stars 

Monty Python legend John Cleese has taken to social media to defend the daughter of his co-star Terry Gilliam after fellow trouper Eric Idle appeared to blame her for his financial woes.

Idle revealed earlier this week that he was struggling financially despite the enormous success of the Monty Python franchise – from the Flying Circus TV programme to spin off films like Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life.

And in posts on social media the 80-year-old comic icon took aim at Holly Gilliam, a TV lawyer who runs HDG Projects, a management firm that says it ‘is responsible for managing the 4 remaining Pythons’ – namely Cleese, Gilliam, Michael Palin and Idle.

He appeared to suggest she was to blame for his ‘income streams…tail(ing) off so disastrously’ – prompting Cleese, 84, to hit back, seemingly with the backing of Gilliam and Palin.

Cleese said in a post last night on X, formerly Twitter: ‘I have worked with Holly for the last ten years, and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard- working, and pleasant to have dealings with.’

Monty Python legend John Cleese has taken to social media to defend the daughter of his co-star Terry Gilliam

Idle revealed earlier this week that he was struggling financially despite the enormous success of the Monty Python franchise and appeared to blame Ms Gilliam for his financial woes

He continued: ‘Michael Palin has asked me to to make it clear that he shares this opinion. Terry Gilliam is also in agreement with this.’

READ MORE: How Monty Python stars’ DAUGHTERS have joined feud over cast’s vanishing fortune – after years of ‘financial disaster’ from royalty battles to John Cleese’s £15m divorce

Ms Gilliam, 43, has managed the Pythons for the last decade, co-producing reunion shows Monty Python Live.

He later retweeted a post from Chris Lander, the head of comedy and entertainment podcasts at commercial radio company Global, who said he had previously shared an office with Ms Gilliam.

He said: ‘I had the pleasure of sharing an office with Holly during the pre-production period of the O2 reunion shows.

‘I’ve never worked with anyone more hard working, diligent, passionate (the list goes on!) in my career. She was an inspiration to work with.’

Last week Idle – who was among the six original stars from the hit comedy sketch series – revealed he was still working aged 80 after only receiving £2,000 per series from the BBC.

‘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 tweeted on Saturday.

The comedian appeared to blame mismanagement of Monty Python’s funds for his financial downfall – taking shots at his Ms Gilliam.

Ms Gilliam, 43, (pictured with her father Terry Gilliam) has managed the Pythons for the last decade, co-producing reunion shows Monty Python Live

Cleese wrote on X last night in defence of Gilliam saying he finds her ‘very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with’

Last week Idle revealed he is still having to work at the age of 80 and said ‘I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised’

He continued: ‘But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised. One Gilliam is bad enough. Two can take out any company.’

Idle’s daughter Lily, a writer and photographer living in Los Angeles, went on to praise her father for finally sharing ‘the truth’.

She wrote: ‘I’m so proud of my dad for finally finally finally starting to share the truth.

‘He has always stood up to bullies and narcissists and absolutely deserves reassurance and validation for doing so.’

The feud is just the latest in a series of financial problems to hit the cast and Idle is not the only one who has been left scrambling to keep his Hollywood lifestyle afloat.

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