Zimbabwean Comedian Learnmore Jonasi Reacts to Lebo M’s Claim After US Court Dismisses $27M Lawsuit

• Learnmore Jonasi hit back at Lebo M's statement, accusing the Grammy-winning composer of lying about how their $27 million defamation lawsuit ended
• The legal dispute began after Jonasi jokingly translated the iconic Lion King opening chant on the One54 Africa podcast, prompting Lebo M to file a defamation lawsuit
• Lebo M previously alleged that Zimbabweans were making threats to his life amid the legal battle

Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi has doubled down on his response to Lebo M's latest statement about their legal battle, dismissing the Grammy-winning composer's version of events with a few words. The public back-and-forth comes after Lebo M's team rejected reports that he had lost his $27 million (about R480 million) defamation lawsuit against the Zimbabwean comedian.

On Friday, 10 July 2026, Rolling Stone reported that a federal judge in Los Angeles had dismissed Lebo M's defamation lawsuit against Jonasi. A day later, Lebo M's team released a statement arguing that reports describing the outcome as a legal defeat were inaccurate. According to the statement, the case ended through a mutual settlement rather than a court ruling against either party.

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“Accordingly, describing the outcome as a "major legal victory" or suggesting that Lebo M "lost" the case is incorrect, misleading and legally inaccurate. The proceedings concluded through a mutual settlement, not through an adverse judgment,” part of the statement read.

Read the full statement below:

Learnmore Jonasi fires back at Lebo M's response

Jonasi was quick to push back. In the comments section, he flatly dismissed the statement and accused Lebo M of dishonesty. The comment read:

“Lies 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣”

See the screenshot below:

On Sunday, 12 July 2026, Jonasi escalated the exchange by reposting Lebo M's statement on his Instagram Stories. He again insisted that the claim about a mutual settlement was false, maintaining that the renowned composer was misleading the public.

See the post below:

What did the court say?

Jonasi's claims appear to conflict with details published by Rolling Stone. According to the publication, U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton stated in her order that both parties had "fully discussed the matter" and voluntarily agreed to dismiss the lawsuit.

The judge also noted that the dismissal took effect immediately and did not affect Jonasi's right to ask the court to order Lebo M to pay his legal costs.

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Why did Lebo M sue Learnmore Jonasi?

The legal dispute began after Jonasi appeared on the One54 Africa Podcast, where he jokingly translated the famous opening chant from The Lion King.

Instead of its traditional meaning, Jonasi humorously translated the chant as:

“Look, there's a lion. Oh my God.”

The joke quickly went viral, but Lebo M argued that the chant is sacred Zulu royal praise poetry and accused the comedian of spreading a false translation that damaged his reputation and artistic legacy. His lawsuit included defamation, trade libel and trademark-related claims.

Lebo M claims Zimbabweans want to kill him

Days before the US court dismissed his lawsuit, Briefly News reported that Lebo M claimed that Zimbabweans were allegedly trying to assassinate him.

He made the allegations on the same podcast where Learnmore Jonasi translated the opening lines of The Circle of Life.

Source: Briefly News