'Lion King' Composer Ordered to Pay $40K After Failed Lawsuit Over Podcast Joke

Taking a joke to court can turn into an expensive lesson. South African musician Lebo M, the vocalist behind the legendary opening chant of *The Lion King*’s "Circle of Life," found that out after a legal battle against a stand-up comedian backfired completely. The composer, whose full name is Lebohang Morake, launched a massive $27 million action back in March against comic Learnmore Jonasi. The lawsuit targeted a comedy routine Jonasi delivered on a podcast, where he made light of the iconic Disney anthem. However, rather than securing a massive financial payout, the composer abruptly dropped the legal effort shortly after kicking off the feud.

Why did Lebo M sue Learnmore Jonasi?

Jonasi was not about to let the legal threat slip away without consequence. The comedian pushed back by filing an anti-SLAPP motion under California law, a legal mechanism created to prevent individuals from filing baseless actions aimed at crushing free speech. Jonasi argued that the initial action was entirely frivolous and directly infringed upon his First Amendment right to perform comedy. Federal Judge Josephine Staton agreed with the performer. In a ruling delivered on Friday, Aug. 28, the court determined that Jonasi was the clear winner in the dispute after successfully filing his defense motion. The judge explained in her decision that because the comedian achieved his goal and defeated the action, he was legally entitled to have his defense expenses fully reimbursed.

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How much does Lebo M owe in legal fees?

As a direct result of the ruling, the veteran composer must now cough up nearly $40,000 to cover Jonasi’s legal bills and court costs. What started as a multi-million-dollar demand over a podcast routine ended with the musician picking up the tab for the comic's lawyers. The original dispute focused on the iconic intro chant, "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba," which has remained a beloved piece of pop-culture history since the original animated film premiered in 1994. While the track remains a timeless soundtrack classic, trying to penalize a stand-up comic for joking about it turned into a costly legal defeat.