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USA Today
2 hours ago
- 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."
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ananda Lewis, former MTV and BET host who publicly shared breast cancer journey, dies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ananda Lewis, the former MTV and BET host who became a beloved television personality in the 1990s with her warmth and authenticity, has died. She was 52. Her sister, Lakshmi Emory, confirmed Lewis' death in a Facebook post Wednesday. Lewis had been battling breast cancer. 'She's free, and in His heavenly arms,' Emory wrote. 'Lord, rest her soul.' Lewis, a San Diego native, made a name for herself as a host on BET's 'Teen Summit,' which tackled issues facing Black youth and featured community leaders, entertainers and politicians. She landed big interviews with Kobe Bryant, Tupac Shakur and Louis Farrakhan and then-first lady Hillary Clinton, which earned her an NAACP Image Award. After a few seasons, Lewis took her talents over to MTV in 1997. She was a host and veejay on 'MTV Live.' 'Hot Zone' and 'Total Request Live,' a daily top 10 video countdown show. Lewis told The Associated Press that she felt some backlash after moving from BET to 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,' she said. '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. 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.' In 2001, Lewis told the AP that she wasn't trying to reinvent daytime talk with her new syndicated series, 'The Ananda Lewis Show.' 'There's only so much different you can do in daytime, which is what I'm learning. There's a certain way, I guess, people are used to doing things and that way's not going to change for a while,' she said. 'I think there's a formula, and some cases have proven that formula works. So the objective isn't to reinvent the wheel but to make it spin a little more smoothly.' Lewis' show lasted only one season. But a few years later, she became a correspondent for 'The Insider,' a spinoff of 'Entertainment Tonight.' Lewis was open about her cancer journey since she publicly shared her diagnosis in 2020. At that time, the disease was initially stage 3 before it advanced to stage 4 last year. She had been living with breast cancer for six years. Lewis 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. 'I need you to share this with the women in your life who may be as stubborn as I was about mammograms, and I need you to tell them that they have to do it,' Lewis said in her announcement. 'Early detection, especially for breast cancer, changes your outcome. It can save their life.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ananda Lewis, former MTV and BET host who publicly shared breast cancer journey, dies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ananda Lewis, the former MTV and BET host who became a beloved television personality in the 1990s with her warmth and authenticity, has died. She was 52. Her sister, Lakshmi Emory, confirmed Lewis' death in a Facebook post Wednesday. Lewis had been battling breast cancer. 'She's free, and in His heavenly arms,' Emory wrote. 'Lord, rest her soul.' Lewis, a San Diego native, made a name for herself as a host on BET's 'Teen Summit,' which tackled issues facing Black youth and featured community leaders, entertainers and politicians. She landed big interviews with Kobe Bryant, Tupac Shakur and Louis Farrakhan and then-first lady Hillary Clinton, which earned her an NAACP Image Award. After a few seasons, Lewis took her talents over to MTV in 1997. She was a host and veejay on 'MTV Live.' 'Hot Zone' and 'Total Request Live," a daily top 10 video countdown show. Lewis told The Associated Press that she felt some backlash after moving from BET to 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,' she said. '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. 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." In 2001, Lewis told the AP that she wasn't trying to reinvent daytime talk with her new syndicated series, 'The Ananda Lewis Show.' 'There's only so much different you can do in daytime, which is what I'm learning. There's a certain way, I guess, people are used to doing things and that way's not going to change for a while,' she said. 'I think there's a formula, and some cases have proven that formula works. So the objective isn't to reinvent the wheel but to make it spin a little more smoothly.' Lewis' show lasted only one season. But a few years later, she became a correspondent for 'The Insider,' a spinoff of "Entertainment Tonight." Lewis was open about her cancer journey since she publicly shared her diagnosis in 2020. At that time, the disease was initially stage 3 before it advanced to stage 4 last year. She had been living with breast cancer for six years. Lewis 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. 'I need you to share this with the women in your life who may be as stubborn as I was about mammograms, and I need you to tell them that they have to do it,' Lewis said in her announcement. 'Early detection, especially for breast cancer, changes your outcome. It can save their life.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ananda Lewis, Former MTV VJ and Talk Show Host, Dies at 52
Ananda Lewis has died at the age of 52. The former MTV VJ's sister Lakshmi announced news of her death in a Facebook post shared on Wednesday, June 11. "She's free, and in His heavenly arms," she wrote, alongside a series of broken heart emojis and a black and white portrait of Lewis. "Lord, rest her soul 🙏🏽" Lewis became well known in 1997 when she was hired to be one of MTV's VJs, hosting shows like Total Request Live and Hot Zone. In 1999, The New York Times dubbed her 'the hip-hop generation's reigning It Girl.' She left MTV in 2001 to host her own talk show, The Ananda Lewis Show. Lewis revealed in a 2020 Instagram post that she had been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. She said that she had not been getting regular mammograms because of her fear of radiation. In October 2024, Lewis took part in a roundtable discussion with CNN's Stephanie Elam (her friend from college) and CNN anchor Sara Sidner in which she revealed that she went against medical advice and did not have a double mastectomy after she was diagnosed. Her tumor had metastasized, and her cancer had progressed to stage IV, she shared. 'My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body. I felt like my body is intelligent, I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made,' Lewis said. 'I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way. . . . I wish I could go back. It's important for me to admit where I went wrong with this.' Lewis was born in Los Angeles in 1973. Her parents divorced when she was 2, and she and her sister, Lakshmi, moved with her mother to live with their grandmother in San Diego. In 1999, Lewis opened up to Teen People about her difficult relationship with her mother as a child and teenager. 'Mom was overwhelmed from the get-go, devastated by the divorce and working hard to support two kids,' she said. But Lewis felt neglected and 'built up a lot of resentment toward her.' 'By the time I was 10, I'd become a belligerent, rebellious kid, and my mother and I were fighting about everything,' she explained. She attended an arts high school and spent her time in school plays and volunteering. After graduating from Howard University in 1995, she landed a job as the host of BET's Teen Summit, which filmed in D.C. In one episode, she interviewed then First Lady Hillary Clinton. 'That experience got me noticed at MTV and in August of 1997, I moved to New York and started working there,' she told Teen People. Months earlier, in December 1996, she had reconciled with her mother after a period of estrangement. 'I decided to close the chapter on being hateful and resentful toward my mom and open a new one that focused on love, forgiveness and appreciation for her,' she explained. Lewis became one of MTV's most popular hosts. ''In the past, our talent was sometimes just pretty people who could read cue cards,'' Bob Kusbit, then MTV's senior vice president for production told The New York Times in 1999 about her talents. ''But when we brought Ananda to MTV, we decided we were going to do a lot more live television, and I was first and foremost interested in her ability to do live TV.'' Lewis interviewed celebrities including Destiny's Child, Brandy, NSYNC, Britney Spears and many more. She also ended up covering heavier topics for the network, including violence in schools and the 2001 death of Aaliyah, who was her close friend. In 2000, PEOPLE named Lewis one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. She also made frequent appearances at celebrity events. Even Prince was a vocal fan; he told The New York Times, 'Ananda is Cleopatra. You know she's a queen.' Lewis left her MTV role in 2001 and began hosting her eponymous talk show. "I wanted a change," she told Teen People at the time. "It was a matter of proving to myself that I can do [this]." The series — which premiered Sept. 10, 2001 — lasted one season. Reflecting on the series to Shondaland, Lewis said, 'I wish I had stopped the people that wanted me to do the [talk] show and said, 'Not yet, it's a little too early to do this.' It was overkill for me.' She said she wasn't happy with the show, explaining, 'It wasn't what I felt like I signed up for.' Lewis took a break from television and later appeared as a host on The Insider, a spin-off of Entertainment Tonight. She also appeared on the reality series Celebrity Mole: Yucatán and hosted A&E's America's Top Dog and TLC's While You Were Out. Lewis also became a contractor and carpenter. MTV News shut down in 2023. Lewis reflected in a statement to PEOPLE at the time, "A pillar of creative and diverse speech is crumbling. MTV News covered things no one else could. We could get inside the trailer with DMX and Korn as they were taking historic concert stages. Artists trusted MTV News to tell their stories." She added: "Even though I was technically a VJ, I did many specials with MTV News and know firsthand what a huge loss this is for the culture of music and all who love it." In 2011, Lewis welcomed son Langston with Harry Smith, brother of Will Smith. Lewis is survived by her son. Read the original article on People
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
MTV VJ Ananda Lewis made desperate plea in final video message to fans before her tragic death at 52
Ananda's death was announced by her sister this week 'PLEASE LEARN' MTV VJ Ananda Lewis made desperate plea in final video message to fans before her tragic death at 52 MTV VJ Ananda Lewis made a desperate plea in a final video message to her fans, before her tragic death at 52. Yesterday, it was revealed that Ananda, the Talk show and 90s MTV host, had died after a long battle with breast cancer. 3 MTV VJ Ananda Lewis made a desperate plea in a final video message to her fans, before her tragic death at 52 Credit: Instagram/iamamandalewis 3 The star's plea in a final video message resurfaced, which saw Ananda speaking to fans just over three months ago Credit: Instagram/iamamandalewis Her sister Lakshmi announced the news of the 52-year-old's death in a Facebook post. She said: "She's free and in his heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul." In 2020, Ananda revealed she had been diagnosed with stage three cancer. She said she had not been getting regular mammograms due to a fear of radiation. Read More on MTV STAR GONE Talk show & 90s MTV host dies after breast cancer battle aged 52 In 2024, the late TV host revealed her cancer had reached stage four after she went against medical advice and refused a double mastectomy. Now, the star's plea in a final video message has resurfaced, which saw Ananda speaking to fans just over three months ago. She could be seen sitting in her pyjamas on her sofa, and told fans in the caption: 'Prevention IS the cure 💕If you're in a healthy body, you're holding a winning lotto ticket. PLEASE learn how to avoid cancer. Because you still can.' And then in the video, she can be heard discussing cancer prevention, and says: 'It doesn't matter about the bad things going on with my body right now. 'What does matter is keeping you out of this club. There are things I wish I did differently 10 years ago to prevent cancer.' She also encouraged people to grab an issue of Essence, and said: 'You could learn something,' before saying: 'Prevention is the cure because preserving your health is way easier than fighting to get it back.' Ananda Lewis dead aged 52: Talk show & 90s MTV host dies after breast cancer battle Ananda rose to fame in the late 90s when she landed a role as one of MTV's VJ's where she hosted the likes of Total Request Live and Hot Zone. In 1999, The New York Times described her as 'the hip-hop generation's reigning It Girl.' She left MTV in 2001 to host her own talk show, The Ananda Lewis Show. Ananda grew to be one of MTV's most popular hosts - interviewing some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Bob Kusbit, then MTV's senior vice president for production told The New York Times: ''In the past, our talent was sometimes just pretty people who could read cue cards,'' ''But when we brought Ananda to MTV, we decided we were going to do a lot more live television, and I was first and foremost interested in her ability to do live TV.''
