A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed a $27 million defamation lawsuit brought against the comedian Learnmore Jonasi by Lebohang Morake, the South African singer and composer professionally known as Lebo M. Morake’s Zulu chant opens “Circle of Life”
in Disney’s The Lion King.
The ruling, issued Friday, threw out the suit that Morake filed in March. Bryan Sullivan, a lawyer for Jonasi, called the decision a vindication of his client’s right to free speech.
“We have always believed this was a frivolous lawsuit in violation of our client’s First Amendment rights,” Sullivan tells Rolling Stone. He says the dismissal came after his side filed a motion for sanctions against Morake. Jonasi will now seek attorneys’ fees under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which is designed to deter lawsuits aimed at silencing public speech, he says.
Morake sued after Jonasi appeared on the One54 Africa podcast and offered a decidedly less majestic translation of the chant, “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba.”
He said the line translates to, “Look, there’s a lion. Oh, my God.” The podcast hosts looked visibly stunned. A clip of the funny exchange later made the rounds on social media.
For his part, Morake says the line actually translates to, “All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king.” His lawsuit accused Jonasi of promoting a false translation with reckless disregard for the truth and for Morake’s reputation.
A lawyer for Morake did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
In her order, U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton said the parties had “fully discussed the matter” and agreed to dismiss the case voluntarily. The dismissal was effective immediately, she wrote, and would not affect Jonasi’s right to ask the court to order Morake to cover his legal expenses.
Jonasi previously shared a video on TikTok showing himself getting served with the lawsuit while performing onstage at The Laugh Factory. The comedian also started a GoFundMe fundraiser to gather a legal war chest to fight the complaint.
“What started as a bit of humor has escalated into a devastating legal battle,” Jonasi wrote on the fundraising 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.”
In the 19-page complaint, obtained by Rolling Stone, Morake argued that Jonasi had presented the translation as fact during a conversational podcast rather than as part of a stand-up routine.
“Defendant presented it as factual knowledge with misguided authenticity to increase exposure and mockery of Lebo M’s creative masterpiece,” the lawsuit said.
Morake claimed the remarks created a false narrative around his work and amounted to Jonasi “spitting on” it. He also expressed concern that the controversy could jeopardize his longstanding relationship with Disney, including his recent work on Mufasa: The Lion King.
“This is not free speech, because the statements by defendant are false, vicious, and intended to cause significant harm to the legacy of Lebo M,” the complaint said.
Jonasi also turned the dispute into merchandise, selling T-shirts bearing the words, “Look, it’s a Lawsuit. Oh, my God.” The shirts featured a cartoon of the comedian holding up legal papers in a pose recalling Mufasa presenting Simba.
“Get your T-shirt now,” Jonasi wrote on Instagram. “You can really help me pay these legal fees.”
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