Lion King Lyricist Ordered to Pay Nearly $40,000 to Cover Comedian's Attorney Fees After Suing Him Over Joke Translation of 'Circle of Life' Lyrics
The Grammy-winning lyricist behind The Lion King’s famous opening vocals is now being ordered to pay nearly $40,000 in attorneys’ fees after unsuccessfully suing a comedian for poking fun at the song.
South African comedian Jonasi was recently ordered to pay nearly $40,000 in attorneys' fees after unsuccessfully suing a fellow comedian for poking fun at the lyrics to "Circle of Life" from Disney's "The Lion King." In March 2026, Lebohang Morake, the lyricist behind the famous opening vocals of the song, filed a $27 million lawsuit against Jonasi for making a joke about the line "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba" being translated as "Look, there is a lion!
Oh my god" on the One54 Africa podcast. Morake argued that the joke was a "fabricated, trivializing distortion" that damaged the "royal praise poetry" written by him, which is deeply rooted in South African tradition. Jonasi claimed that he and Morake had spoken about the situation privately and had even been ready to create a video together to educate people.
However, the lawsuit was dismissed on July 10, 2026, after Morake was ordered to pay Jonasi's attorney fees of $39,560 due to an Anti-SLAPP motion. Jonasi's lawyer Bryan Sullivan hailed the ruling as a victory for free speech.
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