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---
title: John Oliver Confirms Beyoncé Wasn't There for Lion King Pic
description: John Oliver confirms that Beyoncé missed The Lion King group photo
canonical: https://time.com/5631686/john-oliver-lion-king-beyonce/
author: Melissa Locker
article:opinion: false
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article:published_time: 2019-07-24T15:56:32.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:55:02.548Z
og:title: John Oliver Confirms Beyoncé Wasn't There for Lion King Pic
og:description: He still managed to get close to the star, though.
og:url: https://time.com/5631686/john-oliver-lion-king-beyonce/
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og:image:alt: Premiere Of Disney's "The Lion King" - Arrivals
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twitter:title: John Oliver Confirms Beyoncé Wasn't There for Lion King Pic
twitter:description: He still managed to get close to the star, though.
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaac7dbc495022571/6989ffbf7cdbac3d38d60f63/beyonce-spirit-lion-king.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# John Oliver Confirms the Theory That Beyoncé Wasn't There for the Group Lion King Photo

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Q1twvuBC.m3u8" -->
## Video: The Lion King Official Trailer

[Watch (HLS stream): The Lion King Official Trailer](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Q1twvuBC.m3u8) (1:48)

![The Lion King Official Trailer](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Q1twvuBC/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2019-04-10. The Lion King Official Trailer_


by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Jul 24, 2019 3:56 PM UTC

by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Jul 24, 2019 3:56 PM UTC

On _Last Week Tonight_ [John Oliver](https://time.com/5437238/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-attorneys-general/) is usually in the role of debunking [things](https://time.com/5560502/john-oliver-wwe-wrestlemania-last-week-tonight/), but when he stopped by _The Late Show_ on Friday, he found himself confirming one of the internet’s latest conspiracy theories.

It all started when Disney distributed a photo of all the actors who voiced the characters in the live action remake of _The Lion King_. In that photo, Oliver – who voices Zazu in the film – is standing next to Beyoncé, who lends her voice to Nala. However, some eagle-eyed pop culture watchers noticed that there was a larger than expected gap between the singer and the late-night host, which led some fans to the conclusion that Queen Bey had skipped the festivities and was Photoshopped into to the photograph later. Turns out that they were right. Oliver did not mince words.

“She wasn’t there,” [Oliver](https://time.com/5538622/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-jobs-automation/) confirmed to Colbert.

“I remember we were setting up the shot and Chiwetel \[Ejiofor\] who was sitting in the front said ‘You need to be careful of where your foot is.’ And I looked down and there was just this piece of tape on the floor with Beyoncé’s name written on it,” Oliver said. “And literally, it was like an electrical reaction. ‘Ohh s–t!’ Just the future presence of Beyoncé was so intimidating.”

“If you look at my face in there, I look really intimidated,” Oliver continued. “And that’s because what I’m doing is imagining I’m about to be put in a photo with Beyoncé one day.”

As for the large space between him and the singer in the photo, well the British comedian found it entirely, saying, “It’s only appropriate there’s a significant gap between me and an actual queen.” After all, Beyoncé is the only royalty [he recognizes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASXutG8RjrE).

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