Leaving the sinking ship? Monty Python’s John Cleese reacts to Orbán’s daughter and son-in-law’s US move
British comedian John Cleese, best known from Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, has once again turned his sharp wit toward Hungary’s political elite. This time, he weighed in on the reported relocation of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s eldest daughter, Ráhel Orbán, and her husband, billionaire businessman István Tiborcz, to the United States.
John Cleese: “This is very, very important”
The debate was sparked by a post from SzabadonMagyarul (“freely in Hungarian”), an English-language Hungarian account, announcing that Ráhel Orbán and István Tiborcz had left Hungary with their children to settle in the US on 28 August. The post accused the couple of amassing wealth from EU and Hungarian taxpayer funds, ending with the biting line: “It’s over for Orban. Rats are leaving the sinking ship.”
John Cleese reshared the post on X (formerly Twitter), adding only: “This is very, very important.”
Orban's oldest daughter and her husband left Hungary with their kids and moved to the USA today.
— SzabadonMagyarul 🇬🇧🇭🇺🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@SzabadonMagyar) August 28, 2025
These two have stolen billions of EU funds and Hungarian taxpayers' money.
It's over for Orban. Rats are leaving the sinking ship. https://t.co/sztrEvNJyf pic.twitter.com/a9CfgeD5Kf
It’s not the first time the legendary comedian has commented on Hungarian politics. Back in 2022, just days before the parliamentary elections, John Cleese openly criticised the Orbán government’s pro-Russian stance during the early stages of the war in Ukraine. According to Telex, he sarcastically asked Hungarian voters whether they remembered who had brutally occupied Hungary in 1956 – “the Ukrainians or the Russians” -, clearly hinting at the contradictions in the government’s narrative.
A family move long in the making
As we reported in July, speculation about Orbán’s daughter moving abroad has circulated for months. In July, Ráhel Orbán revealed on Instagram that she had been admitted to an American university and was considering continuing her studies there. She explained that she had spent a semester at Boston University 15 years earlier and had always intended to return to the US.
In her post, Orbán emphasised the educational opportunities for her children (particularly the youngest, Berci, who is starting school this September), as well as the personal and professional growth she hopes to achieve. She praised the US for its openness, energy, and competitive environment, noting that she wanted to bring back valuable knowledge and experience to Hungary in the future.
Interestingly, her husband István Tiborcz’s plans were not mentioned in detail. Tiborcz, chairman of BDPST Group and Hungary’s third-wealthiest man, oversees an empire that includes several luxury hotels in Budapest, among them the recently acquired Marriott. His fortune, amassed largely through private equity funds and real estate, has long made him a controversial figure in Hungarian public life.
Ráhel Orbán: from influential businesswoman to American student
Ráhel Orbán is far more than just the prime minister’s daughter. She is the Creative Director of BDPST Group and Managing Director of its communications branch, BDPST Koncept. She also launched Odu Store, a premium brand for young children. Her academic background includes studies in Budapest, Lausanne, Paris, and Boston, and she speaks five languages.
In 2024, Forbes ranked her the third most influential woman in Hungary. The family had already tested life abroad once, moving to Marbella, Spain, in 2021, though they returned after just a year.
Read also:
- What’s behind the buzz? PM Orbán’s eldest daughter, Ráhel Orbán, may move abroad with her family – UPDATED
- Budapest’s iconic Marriott Hotel comes under the ownership of PM Orbán’s son-in-law, István Tiborcz
The elites in hungary are all mourning the loss of the wonderful Soros and his brilliant son.
They have done so much for law and order in US cities- millionaires in the US are middle class and more billionares than anywhere.
Soros and his NGOs are the biggest money behind the Dems for the last 20 years along with the brilliant people at the EU.
Speaking of the “Hungarian Elites” – they invariably send their children to international schools in Budapest to subsequently attend foreign universities … What kind of a signal does this send, to “ordinary” Hungarians?
Well – you could just move overseas! If you have ambition and drive, why, indeed, stay in Hungary?
#followtiborcz #followrahel