‘The Lion King’ composer files USD 20 million lawsuit over ‘Circle of Life’ chant mistranslation

Lebohang Morake, the Grammy-winning South African composer who performed the iconic opening chant of ‘Circle of Life’ from ‘The Lion King,’ has filed a lawsuit against comedian Learnmore Jonasi. The composer took this step after the comedian allegedly damaged his reputation by misrepresenting the meaning of the song on a podcast.

According to a report by The Guardian, Lebohang Morake is suing Learnmore Jonasi and seeking over USD 20 million in damages over the alleged mistranslation.

The lyrics of the Oscar- and Grammy-nominated song’s opening chant, “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba,” translate to “All hail the king; we bow in the presence of the king.”

As per the lawsuit filed by Morake, during an episode of the ‘One 54’ podcast, Jonasi joked that the chant in Zulu translates to, “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god.” The podcast hosts burst into laughter, adding that they had always imagined it to be something more “beautiful and majestic.”

The lawsuit further states that Jonasi repeated the joke during a stand-up performance in Los Angeles, where he reportedly “received a standing ovation.”

According to the complaint, such viral statements “are interfering with Morake’s business relationships with Disney and his income from royalties,” causing more than USD 20 million in actual damages. The composer is also seeking USD 7 million in punitive damages.

The report added that Morake argued in the lawsuit that Jonasi presented his translation as an “authoritative fact, not comedy,” and therefore should not receive First Amendment protections typically afforded to parody or satire.

As of now, Jonasi has not officially responded to the lawsuit. However, he recently posted a video on social media, calling himself a “big fan” of Morake’s work. He also expressed interest in collaborating with the composer on a video explaining the true meaning of the chant.

“Comedy always has a way of starting conversation,” he said, adding, “This is your chance to actually educate people, because now people are listening.”Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”