Monty Python's Eric Idle says he's still working at 80 for financial reasons: "Not easy at this age"

Former "Monty Python" star Eric Idle said he's still working at the age of 80 for financial reasons, sharing on social media that his income has tailed off "disastrously" and adding, "I have to work for my living."

Idle, who also starred in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and created the hit Broadway show "Spamalot," said that people tend to assume that he and other "Monty Python" stars are "loaded." But, he added, "Python is a disaster. Spamalot made money 20 years ago."

Working is "[n]ot easy at this age," Idle added in his February 9 post. 

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. https://t.co/nFDbV9BOfC

— Eric Idle (@EricIdle) February 9, 2024

Idle didn't provide details of his financial situation, and it's likely that his budget requirements are quite different than the average 80-year-old. But Idle is representative of a broader trend of older people staying in the workforce past the typical retirement age, sometimes because they want to continue to work but often due to financial pressures. 

In fact, people over 75 years old are one of the fastest-growing group of U.S. workers. Many of these older workers share a few traits, like relatively good health and a high level of education, experts have found. And they tend to be clustered in fields where people can have flexible hours or work in offices, like education, management and the arts.

Idle suggested that his financial predicament is tied to a combination of poor management at "Monty Python" and shifting tastes. 

"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 noted on X, the former Twitter. 

To be sure, Idle isn't the only celebrity to encounter financial problems. Sometimes an expensive lifestyle can lead to money woes, but dried-up income streams can also lead to rocky financial straits, especially if a celebrity has been counting on a certain level of cash flow to keep afloat. 

Idle last year listed his Los Angeles home for $6.5 million, which the Wall Street Journal said he bought for $1.5 million in 1995. On X, Idle said he sold the house last year, although he didn't disclose how much the buyer paid.

"I don't mind not being wealthy. I prefer being funny," Idle added.

In:
• Monty Python

Aimee Picchi

Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.

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