The original voice of Simba could not wait to defend North West.
The 10-year-old daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West received a mountain of brutal backlash for her performance as Young Simba during The Lion King’s 30th Anniversary concert on Friday at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
However, Jason Weaver — who was the original singing voice of Young Simba in the 1994 animated film — took to his Instagram to defend North on her achievement amidst the sea of negativity.
“What an honor it is to share the same stage with this young superstar in the making,” Jason wrote alongside an adorable photo of him and North. “I’m so PROUD you, North!! You’re doing such a PHENOMENAL job in this show!”
It was North’s acting debut. However, whilst is was met with a standing ovation from the live audience, it was sadly not met with a resounding applause online.
North did have her fair share of supporters online too though, with some accusing the haters of using their distaste of North’s mother Kim against her daughter.
Earlier this month, it was announced that North was cast in the live-to-film concert event which ran for two nights on May 24 and May 25. It is unclear whether North went through the standard audition process.
She took to the stage for Disney’s live concert production alongside Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Bradley Gibson, and Billy Eichner.
EGOT-winner Jennifer Hudson also performed during the evening.
See a snippet of North’s viral performance here.