In a dramatic turn of events, Grammy-winning musician Lebohang Morake is launching a legal battle against comedian Lernmore Jonasi and is claiming damages of more than US$20 million. Morake accused Jonassi of tarnishing his reputation by misinterpreting the opening mantra of the ‘Circle of Life’ on his podcast and during a comedy set. Read further to know in detail.

Grammy-winning South African musician Lebohang Morake, who performed the iconic opening chant of ‘Circle of Life’ from ‘The Lion King’, has filed a lawsuit against comedian Lernmore Jonasi. The musician took the step after the comedian allegedly damaged his reputation by misrepresenting the meaning of the song on a podcast.According to a report by The Guardian, Lebohang Morake has sued Learnmore Jonasi and is demanding more than US$20 million in damages over the alleged mistranslation.The lyrics of the Oscar- and Grammy-nominated song’s opening chant, “Nants’ingonyama bagithi baba”, translate as “All hail the King; we bow in the presence of the King.”According to the lawsuit filed by Morake, during an episode of the ‘One 54’ podcast, Jonasi joked that the translation of the chant in Zulu is, “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god.” The podcast host started laughing out loud and said he had always imagined it to be something more “beautiful and majestic.”The lawsuit further states that Jonasi repeated this joke during a stand-up performance in Los Angeles, where he reportedly “received a standing ovation.”According to the complaint, such viral statements are “interfering with Morake’s business relationship with Disney and his income from royalties,” causing actual damages to exceed USD 20 million. The musician is also seeking US$7 million in punitive damages.Morake argued in the lawsuit that Jonassi presented his translation as “official fact, not comedy” and therefore should not generally receive First Amendment protection for parody or satire, the report said.So far, Jonasi has not officially responded to the lawsuit. However, he recently posted a video on social media in which he described himself as a “big fan” of Morake’s work. He also expressed interest in collaborating with the musician on a video explaining the true meaning of the mantra.“Comedy always has a way of starting a conversation,” he said, “This is your chance to really educate people, because now people are listening.”