Lebohang Morake, the Grammy-winning South African composer known professionally as Lebo M, has filed a $27 million federal lawsuit against a Zimbabwean comedian who went viral for joking that the iconic opening chant in Disney's The Lion King means "Look, there's a lion. Oh my god."

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, targets comedian Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, who performs under the name Learnmore Jonasi. Morake wrote and performed the opening chant in Circle of Life for Disney's beloved 1994 animated film and its Broadway stage adaptation.

Disney's official translation of the phrase "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba" is "All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king." The chant is written in isiZulu and isiXhosa, two of South Africa's 12 national languages, and is classified as a Praise Imbongi, a form of royal praise poetry rooted in African cultural tradition.

The trouble started when Mwanyenyeka appeared on the One54 Africa podcast last month and offered what he claimed was a translation of the chant.

"Look, there's a lion. Oh my god," he said, to the delight of the podcast's hosts. When asked if he was joking, Mwanyenyeka replied, "That's exactly what it means."

Morake's lawyers acknowledge that "ingonyama" can literally mean "lion" in Zulu, but argue that in the context of Praise Imbongi and royal metaphor, the word invokes kingship, ancestral authority, and sovereign presence. The lawsuit calls the comedian's translation "a fabricated, trivializing distortion, meant as a sick joke for unlawful self-profit and destruction of the imaginative and artistic work of Lebo M."

The suit further alleges that Mwanyenyeka continued performing the joke at comedy clubs in Los Angeles and across the U.S. after the clip went viral, and that he attempted to monetize the bit through merchandise.

The complaint also notes that multiple people who viewed the video believed the false translation was correct, with some saying it had "ruined their childhood."

Morake's legal team argues the comedian's comments should not receive First Amendment protections afforded to parody and satire, because Mwanyenyeka presented the mistranslation "as authoritative fact, not comedy."

The lawsuit claims Morake has suffered more than $20 million in actual damages and seeks an additional $7 million in punitive damages. Morake says he has legitimate concerns that Disney may stop working with him as a result of the viral misrepresentation, noting he collaborated with the studio as recently as its 2024 release Mufasa: The Lion King.

The situation took a dramatic turn when Mwanyenyeka was served with the lawsuit while performing onstage at The Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. The comedian posted video of the moment to TikTok, showing a person approaching the stage with a manila folder mid-performance. Rather than walking off, Mwanyenyeka laughed, told the audience the backstory of the viral joke, and quipped: "Listen: I now have a gluten allergy, anxiety, I got served, I'm now American!"

Mwanyenyeka has since launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover his legal costs, and is also selling T-shirts printed with the phrase "Look, it's a Lawsuit. Oh, my God," featuring a cartoon of himself mimicking the famous scene of Mufasa presenting Simba.

"What started as a bit of humor has escalated into a devastating legal battle," Mwanyenyeka wrote on the fundraiser page. "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."

Mwanyenyeka has said publicly that he is a "big fan" of Morake's work and initially wanted to collaborate with him on a video explaining the chant's deeper meaning. He says he changed his mind after Morake called him "self-hating" during private messages exchanged after the podcast aired.

Michelle Fay