Comedian Learnmore Jonasi was sued for his comedic translation of the chant in “Circle of Life”
A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed a $27 million defamation lawsuit brought against the comedian Learnmore Jonasi by Lebohang Morake, the South African singer and composer professionally known as Lebo M. Morake’s Zulu chant opens “Circle of Life” in Disney’s The Lion King.
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The ruling, issued Friday, threw out the suit that Morake filed in March. Bryan Sullivan, a lawyer for Jonasi, called the decision a vindication of his client’s right to free speech.
“We have always believed this was a frivolous lawsuit in violation of our client’s First Amendment rights,” Sullivan tells Rolling Stone. He says the dismissal came after his side filed a motion for sanctions against Morake. Jonasi will now seek attorneys’ fees under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which is designed to deter lawsuits aimed at silencing public speech, he says.
Morake sued after Jonasi appeared on the One54 Africa podcast and offered a decidedly less majestic translation of the chant, “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba.”
He said the line translates to, “Look, there’s a lion. Oh, my God.” The podcast hosts looked visibly stunned. A clip of the funny exchange later made the rounds on social media.
For his part, Morake says the line actually translates to, “All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king.” His lawsuit accused Jonasi of promoting a false translation with reckless disregard for the truth and for Morake’s reputation.
A lawyer for Morake did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
In her order, U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton said the parties had “fully discussed the matter” and agreed to dismiss the case voluntarily. The dismissal was effective immediately, she wrote, and would not affect Jonasi’s right to ask the court to order Morake to cover his legal expenses.
Jonasi previously shared a video on TikTok showing himself getting served with the lawsuit while performing onstage at The Laugh Factory. The comedian also started a GoFundMe fundraiser to gather a legal war chest to fight the complaint.
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“What started as a bit of humor has escalated into a devastating legal battle,” Jonasi wrote on the fundraising page. “I am a passionate creator who never intended harm, but I now face overwhelming legal fees just to defend my right to speak and tell jokes.”
In the 19-page complaint, obtained by Rolling Stone, Morake argued that Jonasi had presented the translation as fact during a conversational podcast rather than as part of a stand-up routine.
“Defendant presented it as factual knowledge with misguided authenticity to increase exposure and mockery of Lebo M’s creative masterpiece,” the lawsuit said.
Morake claimed the remarks created a false narrative around his work and amounted to Jonasi “spitting on” it. He also expressed concern that the controversy could jeopardize his longstanding relationship with Disney, including his recent work on Mufasa: The Lion King.
“This is not free speech, because the statements by defendant are false, vicious, and intended to cause significant harm to the legacy of Lebo M,” the complaint said.
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Jonasi also turned the dispute into merchandise, selling T-shirts bearing the words, “Look, it’s a Lawsuit. Oh, my God.” The shirts featured a cartoon of the comedian holding up legal papers in a pose recalling Mufasa presenting Simba.
“Get your T-shirt now,” Jonasi wrote on Instagram. “You can really help me pay these legal fees.” %!s()
Donald Iwerks, son of Mickey Mouse co-creator Ub Iwerks, whose groundbreaking innovations transformed cinematic storytelling and immersive entertainment, died July 9. He was 96.
Iwerks spent over six deacdes on projects for The Walt Disney Company, along with his own studio, Iwerks Entertainment. Don pioneered innovations in projection technology, 3D and large-format filmmaking, and immersive attractions that changed how audiences experience stories.
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Among his innovations were pioneering Circle-Vision films and the 3D camera system for “Captain EO” to giant-screen theaters and motion simulator attractions, his work helped shape the future of location-based entertainment while inspiring generations of filmmakers, Imagineers, and inventors.
To fans, Iwerks was known as the model for the hands of the Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronics figure in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln at Disneyland.
Those original hand casts became a standard for Disney’s Audio-Animatronics figures, earning the nickname the “Iwerks Hands” and appearing on many similar figures in Disney parks around the world.
In a statement to Variety, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said, “Don embodied that rare combination of heart, ingenuity, and passion that has always defined Disney. Through his innovative contributions to some of our most iconic films and attractions, he helped create experiences that have delighted generations of fans around the world. All of us at The Walt Disney Company will miss him deeply, and we send our most heartfelt condolences to his family, whose enduring connection to Disney has helped shape its legacy for over a century.”
Born on July 24, 1929, Iwerks grew up in Southern California in a family where imagination and invention were woven into everyday life. As the eldest son of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks and Mildred Iwerks, he inherited his father’s inventive spirit.
In 1952, he transferred to the famed Studio Machine Shop. There, working alongside his father, the self-taught engineer helped develop cameras, optical printers, special effects systems, and innovations that would shape Disney films, attractions, and theme parks for generations, from the original Circle-Vision camera system, refinements to the sodium traveling matte process used in “Mary Poppins” and numerous projection technologies for Disney attractions around the world.
He co-founded Iwerks Entertainment with former Disney executive Stan Kinsey. Under his technical leadership, the company became a global pioneer in giant-screen theaters, motion simulators, and immersive 3D experiences installed in nearly 300 venues across 38 countries, introducing millions of people to new ways of experiencing stories.
His work earned Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ honorary Gordon E. Sawyer Award Oscar, a Academy Scientific and Technical Award, the Themed Entertainment Association Lifetime Achievement Award, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and recognition as a Disney Legend in 2009. He and his father were further honored with a dedicated Main Street, U.S.A. window at in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, celebrating their lasting contributions to Disney storytelling and innovation.
In 2007, Diane Disney Miller entrusted him with restoring many of Disney’s historic camera systems for exhibition at The Walt Disney Family Museum, including the Multiplane camera, the original Circle-Vision camera rig, the underwater cameras from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” and the optical printer and Technicolor camera used to combine live-action and animation in “Mary Poppins”.
At age 90, he wrote the biography, “Walt Disney’s Ultimate Inventor: The Genius of Ub Iwerks,” published by Disney Editions in 2019, preserving his father’s legacy as the co-creator of Mickey Mouse and one of motion picture history’s greatest technical innovators.
Iwerks is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Betty; his sons, Larry, John and wife Chris, and his daughter, Leslie and great nephew Mike. %!s()
Natural-colour satellite image of the Tibetan Plateau. Credit: NASA
Geoscientists at the University of Glasgow have helped reveal new evidence about the formation of one of the highest mountainous areas on Earth—the Tibetan Plateau. A study by an international team of Chinese and U.K. geoscientists shows that the unique topography at the summit of the plateau is shaped by processes going on deep in Earth.
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These features clearly indicate how far the Indian continental plate, to the south, has been pushed beneath the Asian plate, to the north, highlighting the connection between Earth's interior and its surface features.
Using geochronological analyses pioneered at the University of Glasgow and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Center, the study team determined that the western and central parts of the Tibetan Plateau have distinct geological histories, reflected in their topography.
The findings, published in Nature Geoscience, reveal a distinct east-west difference in the plateau's exhumation history—the way rocks appear at the surface through plate movements and erosion. The research offers direct evidence linking differential exhumation across the plateau to the movement of the Indian plate beneath the Asian plate.
The Tibetan Plateau is the highest and largest upland area on Earth, with average elevations exceeding 4,500 m (14,800 feet). It acts as a major driver of the global climate and is the source of Asia's 10 largest rivers, providing water to billions of people.
Spatial variation in Late Cretaceous to mid-Cenozoic exhumation rates across Western and Central Tibet, overlain by Cenozoic (ultra)potassic lava ages. Credit: Nature Geoscience (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-026-02043-9
Fieldwork traced east-west contrasts
Although the plateau appears to be a massive monolith, there are geological and topographical differences between the north and south and, crucially, from west to east that have never been investigated before.
With these questions in mind, researchers spent the summers of 2017–2019 conducting extensive geological surveys across Gerze in the central plateau and Rutog in the west, collecting a large suite of representative samples that were shipped to the University of Glasgow.
In a three-year collaborative research project, Ph.D. students from Nanjing University in China used low-temperature thermochronology techniques developed by researchers at the University of Glasgow and SUERC to determine the regional exhumation history and reconstruct past topography and relief.
Uplift diverged across the plateau
By combining the age data with geological information collected in the field and geophysical observations, the team discovered that uplift of the central and western parts of the plateau was radically different between 45 million and 20 million years ago.
This period coincides with a time when the Indian plate is known to have moved under the Asian plate in the west but had not yet reached the central plateau.
Prof. Cristina Persano, of the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow, said, "The landscape, its topography and geological records are the only way we can investigate and understand what happens under our feet.
"This knowledge is of fundamental importance if we want to understand geological hazards, such as earthquakes and volcanoes, and, if, like Leonardo, we 'wonder' why nature looks like it does."
She added, "Being a geoscientist is fantastic. You get to see unique places, and as you admire nature and its complexity, you cannot help but wonder how unique our planet is; how everything, from plate tectonics happening kilometers under our feet to the formation of ozone kilometers above our heads, works in perfect harmony; and how delicate this equilibrium is. As a geoscientist, I feel the responsibility to understand and protect this equilibrium."
Evidence with wider implications
Fin Stuart, professor of isotope geosciences at SUERC, said, "This is the first convincing evidence that the subduction of the Indian plate beneath the Asian tectonic plate drove the formation of the Tibetan Plateau, and it explains the topographic differences between the eastern and western parts of Tibet.
"It has the potential to change our understanding of how mountain belts form, and it demonstrates the power of the new analytical techniques."
Publication details
Weiwei Xue et al, West versus Central Tibet exhumation difference influenced by Indian slab underthrusting, Nature Geoscience (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-026-02043-9
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Phia, the shopping startup co-founded by Bill Gates’ daughter, Phoebe Gates, and Sophia Kianni, has been accused of a practice known as “cookie stuffing,” which may have helped the product receive commissions and credit for sales it did not actually generate, according to a Bloomberg investigation.
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The report has sparked controversy and led to Phia’s suspension from Impact.com, a leading affiliate and influencer platform. Other startups have been sued over “cookie stuffing,” notably Honey, which is owned by PayPal and remains the subject of an ongoing class action lawsuit.
Founded in 2025, Phia has raised more than $40 million in funding and has a star-studded list of investors, including Khloé Kardashian and Hailey Bieber. The startup developed an app as a browser extension that works somewhat like Google Flights, but for shopping. Phia helps customers find the lowest-priced items across various retailers as well as discount codes to use when shopping. The company takes a commission on purchases made through the platform, an industry practice known as affiliate marketing.
The Bloomberg investigation, as well as findings from an independent consultant and a competitor, found that if a user shopped at an online retailer — even if they arrived at the site on their own or through another affiliate program like Wirecutter — Phia would open a new tab in the background. During the checkout process, Phia would override the referral codes from other affiliates and instead inject its own, allowing it to take credit for and potentially receive a commission on a purchase it didn’t earn.
Once the issue was flagged to Phia, a spokesperson told Bloomberg that all necessary changes had been made to fix the issue. A check by Bloomberg found the issue had been resolved. It’s unclear if the fix is enough to satisfy the retailers and affiliate partners that work with Phia.
TechCrunch reached out to Phia for comment and has not received a response.
This article was updated to clarify the celeb investors in the company.
Jihyo may be one of the hardest-working artists in the industry.
As the leader for TWICE, the South Korean artist takes care of eight other girls for every performance, recording, comeback, and World Tour. She herself is a solid performer, giving over 100% at each show and always striving for more. She seems to be constantly on the go, including these past three months, as tracks from her music collaborations began to be released.
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In May, American singer Jenevieve featured Jihyo on her smooth R&B track, “Hvnly.” The music video plays like a '90s MTV video, as Jenevieve and Jihyo rock it out in parking lots at night, with muted colors and transitions between color and black-and-white. The next month, during the World Cup, a collaboration between Jihyo, French Montana, LUDMILLA, RedOne, and Adriana C was released. The song “Follow Me” was one of the official anthems for the World Cup.
Now, she unveils “Distant Lover,” a new song and music video with the Grammy-nominated Jamaican artist Shenseea. The song, which blends K-pop, dancehall, and Afrobeats, captures the concept of “situationships” and whether it’s even worth it. Jihyo heard the song from her team as they were going through songs for her next solo album. When she heard “Distant Lover,” she wanted the song immediately.
“I loved it so much that I almost wanted to include it in my solo album,” Jihyo says over Zoom from the JYP Entertainment offices in Seoul. “That’s how much I loved it.”
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FANDOM, the music project created by Musicow and ROC Nation, presented the song to producers who worked with JYP Entertainment on previous projects. JYP Entertainment thought it would be great for Jihyo and the collaboration happened. Jihyo heard Shenseea on the demo for the song and was excited to contribute her voice alongside hers. Rather than using her robust vocals, Jihyo wanted to complement Shenseea’s, opting for a softer, more soulful tone.
“I immediately felt her powerful vocals,” Jihyo explains. “I didn't want to use my powerful vocal style in this song, but [accompany] her powerful vocals. So I wanted to be a little smoother. I wanted to give different vocal components to this song, because that's what makes the song interesting and not boring to listen to.”
Though they recorded from different locations, they met while shooting the music video, which features both artists and has oceanic themes, and it felt empowering to have two global stars working together on this summer anthem. Jihyo and Shenseea hit it off immediately.
“She was so kind,” Jihyo recalls. “She made the whole atmosphere and encounter very comfortable, so I felt really at ease.”
In the video, both women exude confidence, with Jihyo showing a sexier side, especially in R&B. In retrospect, she feels she could have done a few things better, but thinks the outcome was successful.
“I was able to show different sides than Sheensea, and we came together harmoniously,” says Jihyo. “We made the entire song very complete. This is the only song that I listen to these days.”
With the cross-collaboration, which is FANDOM’s third since "Something Special" with Ahn Hyo Seop and Khalid, global artists can work together to create something completely new and original, blending styles and visuals for both fanbases.
Being part of the K-pop world, Jihyo has always felt like she had to be on her toes and hurry things up. She likes to do things quickly, and with TWICE – since there are nine of them in total, they each have to find time to film all nine parts equally, which takes time and efficiency. But with this collaboration, she got to take things a bit more slowly and enjoy the process.
“[With nine of us], I have to think about how I can stand out or make myself unique in the group, but when I saw these artists – Jenevieve and Sheensea – working, I could see how relaxed they are,” Jihyo confesses. “They could really show their own aura. They were giving off their own relaxed and chill vibe. So I learned that maybe I don’t have to hurry things. Maybe I don’t have to do things so fast. So that kind of attitude is something I learned from them.”
Jihyo X Sheensea "Distant Lover"
FANDOM
Throughout the collaborative process, Jihyo felt so at ease. She didn’t have to be the leader and lead people to show the best in themselves, which she doesn’t mind and happily takes on. She just felt more relaxed, less pressure, and more freedom as an individual.
“As TWICE’s leader, I try to create the best synergy that nine of us can possibly give,” she explains. “We talk a lot amongst ourselves to show a better version of ourselves. We try to strive for perfection. As a solo artist, there’s nobody to talk to. I have to make my own decisions.”
With K-pop becoming more global, which has made TWICE global sensations, Jihyo is surprised by how many collaborations K-pop artists have had with Western artists. She never expected this when she first debuted over a decade ago. She recalls only PSY’s Gangnam Style being internationally recognized. Even in Korea, K-pop back then wasn’t what it is now. Jihyo credits social media like Instagram and TikTok, as well as groups like her seniors and BTS, for “paving the way” for South Korean artists to become better known. She shares, “We’re just following in their footsteps, and I’m grateful for what they’ve done for us.”
She adds, “We didn’t have Instagram or TikTok challenges back in the day. When I debuted, we had content channels, which became globalized and grew in number. I think that really helped K-pop artists to make their presence strong on the global stage.”
Jihyo herself could never have imagined working with international artists, believing them to be so “far away,” both mentally and physically. She feels excited to work with more people to create more music.
“I really find that incredible,” she smirks. “I really think that I should make the most of it, and I'm trying to have the most fun possible.”
TWICE has even begun releasing more English tracks alongside Japanese ones to reach a broader audience. TWICE even appeared on Netflix’s award-winning animated feature, KPop Demon Hunters, twice, with their song “Strategy” and the soundtrack version of “Takedown,” performed by Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung.
“I would love to sing in other languages, such as Spanish,” Jihyo states. “I think that’ll help us reach more fans globally as we speak more languages in our songs.”
Jihyo x Sheensea "Distant Lover"
FANDOM
As for future collaborations, Jihyo would love to work with so many international artists, including Rihanna, Kehlani, Bad Bunny, and Shakira. She chuckles when she hears an audible “Oh my God! A Jihyo X Shakira collaboration would be amazing” on the other end of the Zoom.
She admits that her taste differs from the type of music she sings and performs, and hopes to participate in some jazz or R&B songs in the future. She reveals, “In the future, if the chance happens upon me, I would love to release a jazzy R&B album. That’s my little dream I have.”
She smiles, hearing more audible gasps of excitement on the other end. She says everything she’s working on is confidential and wishes she could say more, but right now, she’s focused on their final TWICE THIS IS FOR concert in Seoul this weekend. Then the group will take a nice – and well-deserved – break for a little bit after their nearly year-long tour and releasing music in between. She understands the fans may feel disappointed not to see or hear music from them, but it’s only for a short period.
“For the past 11 years, as TWICE and as a solo artist, we barely had any breaks, so I want to spend the rest of this year relaxing and taking a bit of a break,” Jihyo shares. “This break is really something we need in order to work better in the future, so I hope our fans understand.”
When asked if Jihyo would be taking a break from collaborations in the meantime as well, she laughs and says, “When it comes to collaborative work like this, they already have the song ready for me. They have the song's concept, so it’s not really hard to participate and collaborate with other artists. So, if anything comes up, give me a call.”
Jihyo and Sheensea’s “Distant Lover” is out now on all streaming platforms. Physical copies are available at select retailers.
Correction: 7/10 previously, it was reported that FANDOM producers brought the song to Jihyo, but it was a producer who previously worked with JYP Entertainment and Jihyo who brought it. %!s()
