# Monty Python 40th Anniversary Celebration Without John Cleese? (Python Feud?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 7, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234 "2009-07-07T19:26:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234/1 "2009-07-07T19:26:35Z")
## Last night I was flipping between Conan, Jimmy Kimmel and Craig Ferguson (all Los Angeles based shows) just to see what thier take on the M.J. circus was (all three had been on vacation last week, so this was really the first chance to hear some new Jackson jokes since the day after his death) and Craig Ferguson had Eric Idle on as a guest. Idle announced that to celebrate the Monty Python 40th anniversary, there would be a series of reunion shows at Royal Albert Hall—He mentioned that he, along with Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones would be performing, at which point C.F. said, “hey wait, what about John Cleese?”—Idle mentioned how Cleese had said he was otherwise engaged, and would not be attending. A few min. after this exchange, Ferguson was talking about Python sketches, and said that every party he’d ever attended there was some idiot douchebag in the corner imitating the Parrot sketch; Idle piped up “oh, so that’s where Cleese will be” (or something similar) and laughed, and although Craig laughed along, to me he looked a bit taken off gaurd and uncomfortable… Is there bad blood between Cleese and the Monty Python members? Bad blood just between Idle and Cleese? Was Idles’ comment just an off the cuff remark, or does he really think his old partner John Cleese is a douchebag? ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234/2 "2009-07-07T19:45:42Z")
Cleese has always been “the difficult one” in a lot of ways (Graham Chapman’s alcoholism notwithstanding). He left the series while the others continued another year, he was a wee bit more establishment than the others, etc. From what I’ve read Cleese has recently been through a long nasty divorce (what is this, the 9th one? LOL) and is broke and resenting having to work. He recently re-launched a web presence with lots of Web 2.0 features, but a lot of the content requires paid membership. Idle has always been the one to come up with new ways for the Pythons to make money – the DVDs, the books, [pythonline.com](http://pythonline.com), even Spamalot was his idea. Seems Cleese would jump right on the reunion wagon if it meant a payday, but maybe he’s just tired. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234/3 "2009-07-07T20:04:07Z")
Funny, I would have expected PALIN to be the one to quit! Geddit? Palin? Hee hee I’m so funny ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234/4 "2009-07-07T20:05:30Z")
I hear Chapman is refusing to participate too, the bastard. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234/5 "2009-07-07T20:29:07Z")
Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234/6 "2009-07-07T20:46:30Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Funny, I would have expected PALIN to be the one to quit! > > Geddit? Palin? Hee hee I’m so funny I’ve got $5 says there will indeed be a Palin joke at the reunion. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234/7 "2009-07-07T20:56:06Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > I’ve got $5 says there will indeed be a Palin joke at the reunion. Last night Ferguson joked that (Michael) Palin should give Alaskan politics a shot; it was every bit as funny as I am describing it here!!!😉 ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234/8 "2009-07-07T22:40:08Z")
He does seem to be involved in [this](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1422182/) though. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-40th-anniversary-celebration-without-john-cleese-python-feud/502234/9 "2009-07-08T14:34:51Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > He does seem to be involved in [this](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1422182/) though. Well, this looks interesting.