Comedian gets handed a $27 million lawsuit mid-set over a Lion King joke, but what he did when the papers landed is priceless

Zimbabwean stand-up comedian Learnmore Jonasi, whose real name is Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, was served legal papers in the middle of a live performance. As detailed by LADbible, singer and composer Lebohang Morake is seeking $27 million from Jonasi over a joke he made about the opening vocals of Disney’s “Circle of Life” on the One54 podcast.

Morake, who performed the iconic male opening vocals for the track, takes issue with Jonasi’s quip that the Zulu lyrics “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba” mean “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god!” Disney’s official guide states the lyric translates to “All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king.” Morake’s lawyers argue that while “ingonyama” can literally mean “lion,” it functions as a royal metaphor in the song, and that Jonasi presented his version as authoritative fact rather than comedy.

The lawsuit alleges Jonasi mocked the song’s cultural significance with exaggerated imitations and that the joke is damaging Morake’s business relationship with Disney while impacting his royalty income. Jonasi shared a video on Facebook of the moment he was served the papers mid-performance, showing a hand extending an envelope to him on stage as he asked, “What is this?”

He turned the lawsuit into material before the night was over

After realizing what he had been handed, Jonasi exclaimed, “Oh s— I just got served. Oh my God,” then told the audience, “For those who are wondering what this is for, I did a joke about The Lion King. I’m paying for that s— now.”

He initially joked that he would not need a GoFundMe, though he has since launched one with a $20,000 goal to cover legal costs. At the time of writing, the campaign had raised over $15,000.

He continued his set that same night with more Lion King material, pointing out that nearly every character in the film speaks with an American accent despite the African setting, with the one exception being a Caribbean-accented monkey. Amid other entertainment-world legal disputes making headlines, including Alan Ritchson’s neighbor altercation case in which bodycam footage shifted who could face criminal charges, Jonasi closed the bit by declaring himself officially American, citing his new anxiety, gluten allergy, and lawsuit as proof before asking the crowd if anyone was a lawyer.

Jonasi has said he spoke with Morake before the suit was filed, telling him he was a fan of the song and had only been joking, and offering to collaborate on a video about the lyrics’ deeper meaning. Things reportedly broke down after he continued performing the joke.

Morake called Jonasi a “self-hating” individual in one video, though he later issued an apology for the comment. In the music world, artists defending the legacy of their work has produced uncomfortable public exchanges before, including Usher’s comments about his time with Diddy drawing criticism for the way he framed certain parts of that period.

In his GoFundMe, Jonasi wrote that what started as humor has escalated into a devastating legal battle and that he faces overwhelming legal fees just to defend his right to tell jokes. He is also selling merchandise tied to the lawsuit to raise additional funds.