Learnmore Jonasi Sued Over a Lion King Joke: Lebo M’s $27M Claim

Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi is facing a $27 million federal lawsuit from South African composer Lebohang “Lebo M” Morake over a joke Jonasi made about the opening chant of Disney’s The Lion King. Morake filed the complaint on March 16, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging defamation, trade libel, misleading representation under the Lanham Act, and tortious interference with his business relationships, including with Disney.¹²

The Joke Behind the Suit

On February 25, 2026, Jonasi appeared on the One54 Africa podcast. The hosts tried to sing the opening of “Circle of Life” with garbled lyrics, and Jonasi corrected them by reciting the actual Zulu words. Asked what the phrase meant, he answered: “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god.”³

The clip went viral. The exchange sat inside a longer critique of how Hollywood portrays Africa, with Jonasi and the hosts arguing that films like The Lion King and Black Panther lean on simplified narratives about the continent.⁴

The Zulu phrase, “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba,” translates closer to “Here comes a lion, father.” Morake renders it as “All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king,” describing the words as a royal metaphor rooted in South African tradition rather than a literal wildlife observation.⁴

What Lebo M Is Claiming

The complaint names Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, Jonasi’s legal name, as defendant and asserts four causes of action:

Misleading representation under the Lanham Act, alleging the statements misled the public about Morake’s work.
Defamation per se, claiming the false translation damaged Morake’s professional reputation on its face.
Trade libel, alleging harm to the commercial value of the chant and Morake’s broader catalog.
Tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, claiming the comments disrupted Morake’s business relationships, particularly with Disney, and hurt his royalty income.

Morake is seeking more than $20 million in actual damages and $7 million in punitive damages, and has requested a jury trial.²⁴

The Fact-Versus-Joke Framing

The core of Morake’s legal theory is that Jonasi delivered the false translation “as authoritative fact, not comedy,” and “mocked the chant’s cultural significance with exaggerated imitations.”² That framing matters. If the statement reads as a clear joke, it enjoys stronger First Amendment protection. If it reads as a factual assertion, defamation claims become viable. Morake’s lawyers argue the podcast format lacked the usual signals audiences use to distinguish humor from a real answer, and that millions took the translation at face value.

The complaint also cites a March 12, 2026, performance in Los Angeles where Jonasi repeated the joke and received a standing ovation, treating that as evidence of intentional mockery.³ An Instagram exchange quoted in the filing shows Morake telling Jonasi the comments were not part of a standup routine and sought to “erase over 30 years of work.”²

Pairing a Lanham Act claim with defamation is unusual in a case about a comedian’s remark. The Lanham Act typically covers trademark disputes and misleading commercial representations, and Morake’s complaint appears to argue the statements amounted to a false commercial representation about his work. Legal scholars have noted that cases sitting at the intersection of personal identity, trademark, and free expression tend to produce inconsistent results, with judges often avoiding the hardest questions about where one body of law ends and another begins.

How Courts Have Treated Comedy

The Supreme Court in Hustler Magazine v. Falwell (1988) held that satire and parody need “breathing space” under the First Amendment, and that a public figure suing over such speech must show the statement could “reasonably have been interpreted as stating actual facts.” The Second Circuit applied similar reasoning more recently in dismissing Roy Moore’s defamation suit against Sacha Baron Cohen, ruling that the comedic context made clear no reasonable viewer would take the segment as factual.⁵ A public-figure plaintiff also faces the “actual malice” standard from New York Times v. Sullivan. Whether Jonasi’s remark reads as obvious humor or as a straight answer on a podcast is the hinge the case will likely turn on.

Jonasi’s Response

Jonasi was served with the lawsuit while performing at The Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, and posted video of the moment to Instagram on March 24, 2026.¹ He has called the suit “unjust” and denied any intent to harm. “I can’t believe I’m getting sued for telling a joke. What kind of stupid world do we live in?” he said in a statement.⁶

Jonasi maintains the podcast appearance was comedic commentary inside a broader conversation about Western portrayals of Africa, and says he is a fan of Morake’s work.⁴ He has also said Morake sent him a private message calling him a “self-hating negro,” which Jonasi said changed how he viewed the dispute: “This person is literally not just attacking the joke, but my character.”⁷ In a separate Instagram video, he offered to collaborate with Morake on an educational piece about the song’s deeper meaning.⁸

He launched a GoFundMe to cover legal fees, writing that “what started as a bit of humor has escalated into a devastating legal battle.” His initial $20,000 target was quickly surpassed, and the campaign has raised more than $28,000 toward a revised $30,000 goal.⁷⁹ He has also reported receiving threats on social media from people offended by his remarks.⁶

Where the Case Stands

As of mid-2026, the litigation is in its early stages. No court rulings or hearing dates have been reported, and as of late March, no attorney for Jonasi was listed on the court record.¹ The Los Angeles Times reported what it called a “white flag moment,” with representatives for Morake contacting Jonasi to explore a structured settlement.⁶

Who the Parties Are

Learnmore Jonasi, born Learnmore Mwanyenyeka in Mutare, Zimbabwe, built a following across southern and eastern Africa as “The Village Boy” and won Zimbabwe’s National Arts Merit Award for Outstanding Comedian twice.¹⁰ He moved to the United States in 2021 on a residency with the Steel City Arts Foundation in Pittsburgh, and broke into the American market on Season 19 of America’s Got Talent in 2024, where he earned a Golden Buzzer from Terry Crews and finished in the top five.¹¹

Lebohang Morake, known as Lebo M, is a South African composer born in Soweto whose collaboration with Hans Zimmer led to his work on the 1994 Lion King soundtrack. He co-wrote, performed, and arranged the choral elements, including the opening chant, and shared a 1995 Grammy with Zimmer for Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocals for “Circle of Life / Nants’ Ingonyama.”¹² He has since worked on the 2019 live-action remake, the stage musical, and projects with Beyoncé and Elton John.

1
NBC News. Comedian Sued Over Circle of Life Chant Lion King
2
People. Lion King Chant Composer Files $27M Lawsuit Against Comedian Over Songs Alleged Misinterpretation
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NY Post. The Lion King Composer Lebohang Morake Suing Comedian Learnmore Jonasi Over Circle of Life Translation
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The Guardian. Lebo M Lion King Circle of Life Chant Learnmore Jonasi Lawsuit
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Commercial Litigation Update. Just Humor Them in Infringement and Defamation Cases
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Los Angeles Times. Lion King Composer Sues Comedian for Viral Botched Translation
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Complex. Learnmore Jonasi Lion King Composer Lawsuit GoFundMe
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LiveNOW from FOX. Lion King Lyric Lawsuit Learnmore Jonasi
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GoFundMe. Help Learnmore Fight an Unjust Lawsuit
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Pittsburgh Magazine. Profile Learnmore Jonasi
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Pindula. Learnmore Jonasi
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Forbes Africa. The South African Composer With a Soundtrack Echoing Life