Lion King Singer Sues Comedian for Mistranslating Circle of Life Chant
Variety • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Lebohang Morake, the Grammy-winning South African composer who performed the opening chant in Disney’s “The Lion King,” is suing comedian Learnmore Jonasi for over $20 million, alleging Jonasi misrepresented the chant’s meaning on a podcast and in his standup routine.
- The lawsuit claims Jonasi falsely translated the iconic Zulu chant “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba” as “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god,” which Morake says damaged his reputation and interfered with his business relationships and royalties.
- Jonasi reportedly made similar jokes during a March 12 performance in Los Angeles, receiving a standing ovation, which Morake argues caused significant financial harm and seeks an additional $7 million in punitive damages.
- The complaint contends Jonasi presented his mistranslation as fact rather than comedy, thus not qualifying for First Amendment protections typically granted to parody or satire.
- Although Jonasi has not officially responded to the lawsuit, he recently expressed admiration for Morake’s work on social media and proposed collaborating on a video to explain the true meaning of the chant.
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