‘Baseless Litigation’: Comic Wants Payback After Composer Drops $27M Lawsuit Over Lion King Joke
Categoria: Musica
Lebo M has ended his case over a viral joke about his famous Zulu chant in "Circle of Life," but the target of the lawsuit isn't letting him walk away that easily.
Por Billboard | 13/07/2026
The composer of the Zulu chant from The Lion King ’s “Circle of Life” has dropped his lawsuit against a comedian who joked about the song on a podcast — but the comic is now demanding that he repay his legal bills for filing a “frivolous” case. Less than four months after South African musician Lebo M (Lebohang Morake) sued comic Learnmore Jonasi (Learnmore Mwanyenyeky) over his viral bit about the iconic Disney song, a federal judge dismissed the case Friday (July 10) because the accuser had voluntarily agreed to drop it. Related Taylor Swift Wins Court Ruling Dismissing ‘Absurd’ Copyright Lawsuit Over Song Lyrics DJ Quik Says His Son 'Made a Mistake' Following Murder Conviction, Pleads With Fans to Stop Asking About It Naoshi Fujikura of Universal Music Japan on Japan's Unique Superfan Culture & Global Ambitions: Billboard Global Power Players Interview Morake’s move to end the case came after attorneys for Jonasi argued the lawsuit was a “sham” and a clear violation of the First Amendment, aimed at punishing a comedian who did nothing more than engage in free speech. If granted, their motion would have not only ended the lawsuit, but also allowed Jonasi to demand Morake repay his hefty legal bills. In dismissing the case on Friday, the judge explicitly noted that Jonasi could still seek such penalties, which are designed to deter bad lawsuits that restrict free speech. And in a statement to Billboard on Monday (July 13), his attorney Bryan Sullivan said they would do so. “From the outset, we maintained that the lawsuit was frivolous and constituted an attempt to infringe upon our client’s First Amendment rights,” Sullivan said. “As a result of this baseless litigation, the plaintiff walks away with nothing.” In his own lengthy statement on Instagram , Morake sharply criticized “sensationalist headlines” over the dismissal of his case, stressing that the two sides had “mutually agreed to settle the matter” and that he had not suffered a loss in court. “Throughout this process, Lebo M consistently demonstrated a willingness to pursue dialogue over division,” adding that he had wanted to avoid “prolonged litigation” with Jonasi. “The settlement reflects that philosophy.” The unusual lawsuit, filed in March, centered on “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba,” the chant heard at the start of “Circle of Life,” the first track on the chart-topping 1994 soundtrack to The Lion King . Morake wrote and performed that element of the song, which translates into English as “All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king.” At issue in the dispute was Jonasi’s February appearance on the popular podcast One54 Africa, in which the comedian joked that the chant translates as “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god.” The clip eventually went viral, earning 116K likes on the podcast’s Instagram and pulling in 337K views of the full episode on YouTube. Seeking $27 million in damages for defamation and other alleged wrongdoing, Morake