We have had some downright bizarre lawsuits filed in the history of Hollywood. Remember the nuns vs. Katy Perry? But this one might be one of the wackiest yet. Thanks to a report in The Guardian (via Variety), we’ve learned that South African composer Lebohang Morake, who performed the iconic opening chant in “Circle of Life” at the start of Disney’s iconic The Lion King, is suing the comedian Learnmore Jonasi. He’s suing Jonasi for “damaging his reputation by intentionally misrepresenting the (often parodied) song’s meaning on a podcast and in his standup routine.” Morake is looking for nothing short of $20 million dollars in damages.
Everyone who has seen The Lion King knows that opening chant, even if they have no idea what it means. Or even how to pronounce a single word. We’ve all heard some epic botchings of this opening tune using nonsense words. “Circle of Life” actually begins with the words “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba.” What this actually translates to is “All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king.” Morake’s lawsuit cites an episode of the One54 podcast where Jonasi cracked a joke that the lyrics in Zulu really say “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god.” Everyone on that podcast was laughing, but Lebohang Morake sure didn’t think it was funny.
In a statement, Morake’s lawyer said, “Such viral statements are interfering with Morake’s business relationships with Disney and his income from royalties, causing more than $20 million in actual damages.” The lawsuit also seeks $7 million in punitive damages. Of course, these statements by Learnmore Jonasi were all part of a stand-up act and as part of a comedic exchange on a podcast. So it is doubtful this lawsuit will have much traction. But you never know. Stranger things have happened when it comes to these entertainment industry lawsuits.