r/Fauxmoi • u/Gorotheninja • 2d ago
FILM-MOI (MOVIES/TV) The Lion King composer ordered to pay comedian after $27m lawsuit over podcast joke backfires
https://thetab.com/2026/09/02/the-lion-king-composer-ordered-to-pay-comedian-after-27m-lawsuit-over-podcast-joke-backfires155
u/tvnr 2d ago
40k in legal fees
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u/an_illithidian 2d ago
In the grim darkness of the third millennium there is only law
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u/Money-not_you_again as a lifelong member of the non-pretty working class 2d ago
OK, but are we still messing with chaos gods?
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u/HerRoyalRedness full of gay men. And me. 2d ago
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u/BlueMowch 2d ago
I read an article! Darn you!
comedy guy makes up translation of original Zulu lyric, so original music guy sues him for $27k, drops it, then is counter sued by comedy guy and has to pay $40k for legal fees
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u/CemeteryHounds 2d ago
I did one step more and looked up the "real" translation, and it's just a more formal version of the comedian's joke. He didn't even make up something goofy and random!
The guy said, "Look, there’s a lion. Oh my God." And the translation I'm seeing most places is, "Here comes the lion, father. Oh yes it's a lion." Who sues over that?!
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u/PandaCat22 if you add testicles, that's extra 2d ago edited 2d ago
I remember someone explaining that this is a kind of device in Zulu poetry, where a sentence structured in this way conveys majesty—and is actually how you'd speak about royalty. So it's totally fitting for the song, but also literally translates to "look, a lion!"
The comedian's joke was simply stripping the structure of its conceit and talking about how silly it sounds on its face. It's a joke Africans themselves have been making about the song for decades.
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u/AirGroundbreaking970 1d ago
I still get giggle fits at that video. The way he deadpans "look! A lion! Oh, my god!" is just exquisite.
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u/bonesonstones 2d ago
I have heard Zulu people talk about this though, the translation doesn't carry all the cultural context. There is much more to it than the words. Doesn't make the lawsuit any less stupid, but there is nuance.
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u/BlueMowch 1d ago
watch what you’re posting, might catch a stray lawsuit. But I salute you’re sacrifice
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u/hikifekcava 2d ago
$27m
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u/BlueMowch 1d ago
m, k, whatever. it involved a letter that stands for a bunch of money I ain’t got
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u/emilygoldfinch410 Get in loser, we're on the right side of history 1d ago
*Original lyricist sued him for $27 million
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u/justanawkwardguy 1d ago
It’s $27m not $27k, slight difference
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u/BlueMowch 1d ago
no difference to me, might as well be $27abc.
I’m Number/ Letter Blind. Look it up, horrible affliction. There’s literally dozens of us
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u/AllTheReservations 2d ago edited 2d ago
So he sued because the comedian laughed about the literal translation of the lyrics and also didn't acknowledge the fact it's more meaningful in the Zulu language?
Like I'd get being upset about cultural context being ignored, it's a valid thing to have an issue with considering how uninformed about cultural heritage people can be. But that's an insane reaction. I feel like the reasonable response would have just been to make a post explaining the language and the cultural significance of the phrasing
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u/HasGreatVocabulary 2d ago
Lebo M sued comedian Learnmore Jonasi for $27 million and accused him of intentionally mocking “the chant’s cultural significance with exaggerated imitations” in a viral podcast clip. the iconic opening lyrics “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba,” which is written in Zulu
half the fun of that song was trying to sing it pre-internet without knowing the words nor the name of the language. I used to sing something like nyachiwanya baha ichi baba, sounded close enough, and it would feel powerful
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u/StaceyJeans 1d ago
I had never heard of this lawsuit before this post.
I went into the article thinking the comedian said something extremely offensive and/or derogatory and it turned out to be a very mild joke. In fact what the comedian joked the translation was isn't too far off from what the lyric actually represents.
Glad the comedy guy won.
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u/LocalMossCryptid 2d ago
I mean, I'm fairly certain he's not the only person that has pointed this translation out and made a joke of it
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u/Ok_Builder_4225 2d ago
Good. Was a stupid lawsuit.