Lion King composer sues comedian for $27m after ‘Circle of Life’ lyrics joke

Many believe the lyrics contained a deeper spiritual meaning, but comedian Learnmore Jonasi had a different idea. He joked that the lyrics simply mean: “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my God.”

The comedian’s clip and his take on the iconic movie intro went viral. Many fans of The Lion King proclaimed the lyrics were way different from what they expected, while others, humorously, said it ruined their childhood.

The chant was originally written and performed by the South African composer Lebohang Morake, also known as Lebo M. He was not amused by the joke made about his lyrics, and Learnmore Jonasi is now facing a huge lawsuit.

The composer says the joke is not only wrong but also disrespectful. The composer stated that the words are part of traditional praise poetry. They should be interpreted as “All hail the king, we bow before the king.”

Lebohang Morake claims the comedian made fun of the words, turning them into something silly and distorting the song’s meaning. As a result, he has filed a lawsuit seeking about $27 million in damages.

Accused of “misleading the world”

Per Newsweek, in a video earlier this month, Morake called the comedian an “idiot” and accused him of “misleading the world.” Moreover, the composer also accused Jonasi of being “intentionally disrespectful and dismissing.”

In the legal complaint, Lebohang Morake claimed the joke had hurt his reputation and could further affect his work with Disney. Moreover, as the comedian repeated the joke in shows and during shows, many might believe it to be true.

The case was filed in the United States. When it will be settled, time will tell.

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