Circle of Life composer had sued Learnmore Jonasi

A judge has officially dimissed a $27million  (£20million) lawsuit brought against a comedian for mocking the Circle Of Life song from The Lion King.

Composer Lebo M had sued stand-up Learnmore Jonasi for joking that the line ‘Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba’ in the Zulu chant which opens the number translates as: ‘Look, there’s a lion. Oh, my God.’

Lawyers acting for the musician – full name Lebohang Morake – has acknowledged that ‘ingonyama' can literally mean ‘lion’ but contend it is used in the song as a ‘metaphor’ invoking kingship. 

Lebo M voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, with Jonasi agreeing. 

In her order making the dismissal official, US District Judge Josephine Staton said  the move would not affect Jonasi’s right to seek to recover his legal expenses from Morake.  

‘We have always believed this was a frivolous lawsuit in violation of our client’s First Amendment rights,’ the comedian’s lawyer Bryan Sullivan told Rolling Stone, which reported on the California ruling.  

The lawsuit, lodged in March, claimed the comedian intentionally mocked Lebo M’s 'creative masterpiece’ and and undermined its ‘cultural significance with exaggerated imitations’. It claimed the joke, 'presented  as factual knowledge with misguided authenticity’  interfered with Morake’s business relationships with Disney and his royalty income

Jonasi raised almost $30,000 from supporters to fight the case. On his Go Fund Me page, he wrote: ‘What started as a bit of humor has escalated into a devastating legal battle.

‘I am a passionate creator who never intended harm, but I now face overwhelming legal fees just to defend my right to speak and tell jokes.’

Published: 11 Jul 2026