Jason Weaver Celebrates Turning Down $1.9M For ‘The Lion King’ Song That Was Certified Double-Platinum 30 Years Later
A chance to make a quick $2 million was very tempting, but thanks to advice from his mother, Jason Weaver has made much more and has also earned a double platinum certification many years later!
Four years ago, Weaver revealed that he rejected a nearly $2 million check from Disney when he was a young teen for his role in “The Lion King back in 1994. On the advice of his mother and agent, he instead requested that the media conglomerate pay him royalties for his singing. The initial offer of $1.9 million was a substantial jump from the $80,000 payment he’d received from playing the role of Michael Jackson in the TV mini-series “The Jacksons: An American Dream.”
Nearly 30 years later, the song reached double-platinum status and he is still cashing royalty checks based on that decision. He acknowledged the savvy business decision several days ago on his Instagram account after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single, “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” as two times platinum on Nov. 22.
“I definitely would like to take a moment this morning to THANK MY HEAVENLY FATHER and LORD/SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST FOR CONTINUING TO BLESS ME AND MY FAMILY. 😊🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾💯💯💯💯 30 years later and the platinum plaques from this iconic animated film keep comin in. Wow… God is amazing, man. He is truly worthy to be praised. 💯💯💯💯 I would also like to express to everyone just how APPRECIATIVE I am for all of the love that I’ve been able to receive over the years from fans around the world who absolutely love The Lion King. Thank yall so much for the love and support! 😁🙏🏾✌🏾❤️ I definitely would also like to thank @disney, Sir Elton John and Tim Rice for giving a kid from Chicago a shot to be a part of cinematic history. THANK Y’ALL!! 😁🙏🏾💯”
He then saved some of the praise for his mother who helped him achieve the right business move nearly 30 years ago by not accepting that $1.9 million check.
“Lastly, but most importantly… I WANT TO THANK MY MOTHER @marilynhaywood16 for EVERYTHING she’s done to help steer me in the right direction throughout the course of my life, as well as throughout my career. I share all of these accomplishments with her, because I wouldn’t have been able to achieve ANY of it had it not been for the hard work she put in, and the sacrifices that she made so that I could live out my dream. I LOVE YOU, MA!! THANK YOU!! We’re double platinum 30 years later, mane!! 😂🙏🏾🙌🏾👊🏾💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️
#TheLionKing
#IJustCantWaitToBeKing
#DoublePlatinum”
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Weaver also stated that he ended up accepting a check for $100,000 in addition to the royalty agreement.
Jason Weaver Celebrates Turning Down $1.9M For ‘The Lion King’ Song That Was Certified Double-Platinum 30 Years Later
