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Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
MTV's Ananda Lewis Brought Journalism to a New Generation
Through her work on the network's show 'TRL' and BET's 'Teen Summit,' she stirred a passion for current events among young audiences — which is sorely lacking today. Save Ananda Lewis' death hits a little differently. It was hard to determine why at first. The online reaction to her passing began with the typical outpouring of 'RIP' and remarks about her work as the veejay and host of seminal '90s and early aughts pop culture series, such as BET's Teen Summit and MTV's Total Request Live. Then the feeling came into sharper focus: She stirred a passion for journalism and current events among her young audiences — and that's sorely lacking today.
American Military News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- American Military News
Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis dies after battle with breast cancer
Ananda Lewis, former MTV video jockey and television show host, has died at 52 after a years-long battle with breast cancer. Lewis rose to fame on BET's 'Teen Summit' and hosted 'The Ananda Lewis Show' in the early aughts, before being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. Her sister, Lakshmi Emory, broke the news of Lewis' death in a Facebook post, writing, '[S]he's free and in His heavenly arms. Lord rest her soul.' Emory told TMZ that Lewis died Wednesday morning from Stage 4 breast cancer while in hospice care at her Los Angeles home. Lewis grew up in San Diego and graduated from Howard University in 1995. She began her entertainment career as the host of 'Teen Summit,' where she discussed issues affecting teenagers and interviewed then-first lady Hillary Clinton. MTV then hired her to be a VJ in 1997 and she quickly gained popularity hosting shows such as 'Total Request Live' and 'Hot Zone.' In 1999, the New York Times called her 'the hip-hop generation's reigning It Girl.' She left the network in 2001 to host her own talk show and later worked as a correspondent for entertainment news show 'The Insider.' She revealed her cancer diagnosis in a 2020 Instagram post, saying that she had not been getting mammograms due to her fears around radiation and urging her follows to make sure they are staying on top of their breast exams. 'This is tough for me, but if just ONE woman decides to get her mammogram after watching this, what I'm going through will be worth it,' she said. She spoke at length about her battle with the disease in a 2024 roundtable discussion with CNN correspondents Stephanie Elam, who was one of her close friends, and Sara Sidner, a breast cancer survivor. Lewis described first discovering a lump in her breast in 2019 and said that, although doctors recommended a double mastectomy at the time, she opted to pursue alternative therapies and focus on cleansing her body of toxins and emotional stress. She later relocated to Arizona, where she combined holistic and conventional treatments through approaches such as insulin-potentiation chemotherapy — where patients take lower chemotherapy doses because of a theory that insulin lets more of the drug enter cells. She said she encountered financial difficulties that made it challenging to keep up with her holistic regimen of treatment. By October 2023, her scans showed that the cancer had metastasized in her spine, through her hips and into her lymph nodes. During the roundtable, Lewis highlighted the fact that Black women are at a disproportionately high risk of dying from breast cancer, attributing that, in part, to a mistrust of the medical system. 'Our inability to be comfortable with doctors goes way back,' she said. 'We have a rightful distrust of the medical industry that we need to get over, but we are not going to negate that it came from somewhere and that it's real.' Although Black women and white women are affected by breast cancer at similar rates, Black women are around 40% more likely to die from the disease, according to data compiled by the American Cancer Society. ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
CNN reporter holds back tears recalling final moments before death of MTV VJ Ananda Lewis
CNN reporter holds back tears recalling final moments before death of MTV VJ Ananda Lewis Show Caption Hide Caption Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles, reveals she had breast cancer Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles, has revealed that she privately battled breast cancer. She opened up about her 2024 diagnosis. unbranded - Entertainment A pair of CNN stars are remembering MTV video jockey Ananda Lewis, who died earlier this week from breast cancer. Holding back tears, CNN anchor Sara Sidner told viewers this is "a story I didn't want to have to tell you" before she was later joined by their mutual friend and network correspondent Stephanie Elam, who visited the former "Teen Summit" star the day before she died on June 11. Elam said she drove from an overnight shift, after covering the Los Angeles protests, to hold the hand of her "ride or die" Lewis. The next day, Elam said she planned to return to visit Lewis again. CNN anchor Sara Sidner tearfully reveals breast cancer diagnosis: 'Hard to say out loud' "After I got off the air, I looked down and had a message from her beautiful big sister who has been such a strong champion for her and has kept me abreast of everything and messaged me and told me that she passed away right before I finished that last hit," Elam said. "And, so it was too late. "One thing that I want everyone to know is that she was at peace with this decision," Elam said of Lewis. "She had come to grips with it." The Los Angeles-based reporter for CNN said her friend's condition changed quicker than expected, explaining that "we thought we had weeks, and it turned out that it turned into days and then it was actually just a matter of hours." Elam said she and Lewis met before their freshman year at Howard University, a premier historically Black university in Washington, D.C. Lewis was one of the first big video jockeys on MTV. She was a groundbreaking face on the network after she first started her career by hosting "Teen Summit" on BET after graduating from Howard. In 1997, she joined MTV where she hosted "Total Request Live" and "Hot Zone." After leaving MTV in 2001, she hosted her own short-lived syndicated talk show, "The Ananda Lewis Show." Sara Sidner revealed her own stage 3 cancer diagnosis live on CNN Last year, Sidner revealed that she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, telling viewers on-air on CNN she was in her second month of chemotherapy treatments and would receive radiation and a double mastectomy. "I have never been sick a day of my life," Sidner told viewers. "I don't smoke. I rarely drink. Breast cancer does not run in my family. And yet here I am, with stage 3 breast cancer. It is hard to say out loud." In October, Sidner and Lewis sat down with Elam to talk about their respective cancer journeys where the latter took a more holistic route. During the talk, Lewis discussed her outlook on the diagnosis, which she decided to treat more naturally. "The cancer diagnosis caused me to change things in my life I never would have changed otherwise, that I needed to change but would not change," she said on CNN. "And those changes have allowed me access to more of my joy, more of the time."
Forbes
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Ananda Lewis Broke Barriers As An MTV VJ. Her Life, Cut Short At 52, Should Be Celebrated
Ananda Lewis during 2005 MTV Movie Awards - Arrivals at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, ... More California, United States. (Photo by Jason Squires/WireImage) I, like millions of others who grew up in the 1990s, wanted my MTV. Sure, we were there for the videos. But the video jockeys, known as VJs, elevated the experience with the style and spice you could see, and not just hear, like radio DJs. Ananda Lewis was my favorite MTV VJ. She was more than a trailblazing television host. In many ways, she was an advocate for issues of the day as well as a 'TV friend' during my most formative years. Tragically, at the age of 52, she lost her battle with breast cancer on June 11, 2025. While breast cancer deaths are on the decline, the CDC estimates 42,000+ women and 500+ men are expected to succumb to the disease this year alone. With Ananda's passing, her legacy of charisma, intelligence and commitment to social issues should be remembered and reflected on. At a time before social media was commonplace—when only a few voices earned a platform to speak for a generation—she connected with music fans around the world, to both amplify artists' voices and spotlight critical social topics, through specials like True Life: I Am Driving While Black—all with an understanding of the power of media to drive change across the U.S. There are many reasons that her life deserves to be celebrated. Ananda Lewis joined the MTV Network in 1997. Known simply by her first name, which means 'bliss' in Sanskrit, America got a taste of her style, voice and vibes, and she quickly became a standout host on the uber-popular Total Request Live (TRL), MTV Live, Hot Zone and MTV Jams. In the prime of the network's cultural heyday, Ananda was able to connect with audiences while introducing the latest music videos, and conducting interviews with a seemingly never-ending list of celebrities. Her storytelling brought authenticity and depth to MTV's programming. Way before diversity was a department or a buzzword, she brought a unique multicultural look, original name and flawless style to an American youth seeking visual inspiration. In 2000, she was featured in People magazine's list of the world's '50 Most Beautiful People.' In 2001, she launched the Ananda Lewis Show, albeit with unfortunate timing, on the day before the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A few years later, she followed up that eponymous show as the chief correspondent for an Entertainment Tonight spin-off, The Insider. SANTA MONICA, CA - AUGUST 6: Singers Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez of NSYNC and ... More MTV VJ Ananda Lewis attend the Second Annual Teen Choice Awards on August 6, 2000 at the Barker Hangar, Santa Monica Air Center in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) Ananda was born in Los Angeles, California, and attended the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts before heading to the nation's capital to matriculate at Howard University. As an activist with the Youth Leadership and Development Institute, she worked with teenagers across customized learning programs designed to support at-risk youth. It was that passion which led her to audition for BET's Teen Summit, a groundbreaking series focused on social issues affecting young Black Americans. As the host of Teen Summit, Lewis got the opportunity to interview a wide range of special guests, from NBA legend Kobe Bryant to First Lady Hillary Clinton, hitting new angles of journalism that directly addressed and resonated with young viewers. Dave Chappelle and Ananda Lewis at the Los Angeles DVD Block Party to celebrate the June 13 release ... More of "Dave Chappelle's Block Party." Comedy superstar Dave Chappelle attended the Los Angeles DVD Block Party at the Best Buy in Culver City, California to celebrate the June 13 release of "Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Chappelle posed for pictures and signed autographs with the unsuspecting shoppers. An uncensored and unrated full-length movie about throwing the ultimate block party, "Dave Chappelle's Block Party" arrives on DVD June 13 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc for Universal Home Video) In 2020, Lewis first revealed she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, sharing the news in an Instagram video with the hope to encourage women to get a mammograms. Eventually, her cancer, progressed to stage 4, yet she reflected resilience and grace as she faced her illness, and her optimism shined through as she found moments of joy in the midst of adversity. As a Black female voice in media, Ananda Lewis's impact broke many invisible barriers. She challenged stereotypes and in many subtle ways paved the way for the generation that followed. With the outpouring of fans' reactions to the news of her passing, her life serves as a reminder of the importance early detection and self-care, but also the fragility of life. She is survived by her son, Langston, born in 2011. As we remember Ananda Lewis, let's honor her by continuing the work she championed—advocating for equity, amplifying underrepresented voices, and prioritizing pushing the envelope.
Fox News
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis dead at 52 after breast cancer battle
Ananda Lewis, the former MTV VJ and talk show host, has died after a six-year battle with breast cancer. She was 52. The Associated Press reported Lewis' death, citing her sister's Facebook announcement shared June 11. "She's free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul," Ananda's sister, Lakshmi Emory, wrote. Lewis' career began as a host on BET's "Teen Summit." She interviewed big names like Kobe Bryant, Tupac Shakur and the first lady at the time, Hillary Clinton, which later earned her an NAACP Image Award, according to The Associated Press. In 1997, Lewis shot to fame after she was hired as one of MTV's VJs, hosting "Hot Zone" and "Total Request Live." Lewis left MTV in 2001 and became the host of her own talk show, "The Ananda Lewis Show," which aired for one season. "She's free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul." Lewis told the AP in 2001 she faced backlash after leaving BET for MTV. "I wouldn't say in a strong way because I think most people who were in my fan base at 'Teen Summit' understand that growth is necessary. One of the main things we dealt with on a consistent basis, like the underlying theme of all the shows, is you've got to get out there and live your life," she said. "The bottom line is this is about you. So, how do you want to grow and whom do you want to develop into? My justification is that I say to kids, 'Be your best and take advantage of every opportunity.' So, I couldn't sit in a place of not taking advantage of an opportunity," she told the outlet at the time. In 2020, Lewis took to Instagram to share that she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. It advanced to Stage 4 last year. "This is tough for me, but if just ONE woman decides to get her mammogram after watching this, what I'm going through will be worth it. PRACTICE EARLY DETECTION. Share this with a woman you love. These 6 minutes could help save her life. I love you guys," Lewis captioned her video at the time. In her video, she noted that she was not getting routine mammograms due to her fear of radiation. Lewis later said doctors recommended a double mastectomy, but she opted for alternative methods. She eventually realized that was the wrong measure, becoming an advocate for being up to date with mammogram checkups. Lewis penned an essay for Essence in January and emphasized that "prevention is the real cure" when it comes to breast cancer. "We're not meant to stay here forever. We come to this life, have experiences — and then we go. "Being real about that with yourself changes how you choose to live. I don't want to spend one more minute than I have to suffering unnecessarily. That, for me, is not the quality of life I'm interested in. When it's time for me to go, I want to be able to look back on my life and say, 'I did that exactly how I wanted to,'" Lewis wrote. After walking away from her talk show, Lewis made appearances as a host on "The Insider," TLC's "While You Were Out," and A&E's "America's Top Dog."
