Latest news with #StephanieElam
New York Post
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis' final text message revealed as CNN reporter breaks down on air
Stephanie Elam is sharing insight into her friendship with the late Ananda Lewis. The former MTV VJ and talk show host died at age 52 following a lengthy battle with breast cancer. On Friday, the CNN correspondent, 51, spoke candidly about Lewis while on air with fellow CNN anchor Sara Sidner, 53. In October 2024, the trio sat down to discuss both Sidner's breast cancer diagnosis and Lewis' with the correspondent undergoing traditional treatment while the former television personality opted for a more holistic approach. Advertisement 9 Stephanie Elam talks about Ananda Lewis live on CNN. CNN 'One thing I want everyone to know is that she was at peace with this decision,' Elam said of Lewis' choice in treatment. 'She had come to grips with it.' Elam added she visited Lewis the day before she passed, noting her condition declined rapidly. Advertisement 'We thought we had weeks and it turned out that it turned into days and it turned out it was just a matter of hours,' the journalist revealed. 'It happened very quickly how things changed.' 9 Stephanie Elam and Sara Sidner on CNN. CNN Elam then became emotional while reading Lewis' last text message to her. 'She texted me and said things had taken a different turn than she would have liked,' Elam explained. 'This is part of the text she sent me: 'You know my feelings on this. We all go. These bodies are on loan and must be returned. We come in love and choose to leave it with love as well.' And then she goes on to say, 'I love you my wonderful lifelong bestie of besties.'' Advertisement Elam added that Lewis was 'my ride or die.' 9 Ananda Lewis and Stephanie Elam. stephelamtv/Instagram 'I love my girl, but she was hard-headed,' Elam admitted. 'She wanted to do it her own way despite the fact that so many of us close to her wanted her to try the way that [Sidner] did it. But this is what she wanted to do and she was totally at peace with it.' On Instagram, the tv host penned an emotional tribute to her longtime pal. Advertisement 'She was good energy and joy. She was fiercely loyal and deeply loving. She was an awesome mother, a dedicated auntie to my daughter, a giving human and she was my best friend for two-thirds of our lives,' Elam began alongside a montage of pictures of the two throughout the years. 9 Stephanie Elam shares a throwback pics of herself with Ananda Lewis. stephelamtv/Instagram 'We met at the very beginning of freshman year at our beloved @howard1867 Howard University,' she continued. 'She was 18 and I was 17. Our bond was quick and easy. Two young women from California beginning four years together in Washington DC. We were so tight, we celebrated our graduation together at an Indian restaurant with both of our families.' Looking back at their bond over the years, Elam added, 'We were there for each other in the big moments and the quiet everyday ones – the no makeup mommying days and our annual 'framily' traditions with our kids – which we never missed.' 'I was so proud of her when she agreed last fall to disclose more about her breast cancer path in conversation with me and @sarasidnertv,' she confessed about their sit down conversation. 'I truly believe they saved lives by being so open.' 9 Stephanie Elam poses with Ananda Lewis. stephelamtv/Instagram 'If only we knew that would be our last time on camera together – or that last summer would see our last beach day, or last autumn our final trip to the fall festival, our last solo convo this spring,' Elam heartbreakingly shared. 'But last night I got to hold her hand and tell her how much I love her. Please know she was at peace with her passing.' 'I'm so glad she's no longer in pain but I'm not quite sure how to life this life without her.' Advertisement Lewis' sister, Lakshmi, first revealed the devastating news in a Facebook post on Wednesday. 9 Ananda Lewis. Paul Redmond 9 Stephanie Elam and Ananda Lewis. . stephelamtv/Instagram 'She's free, and in His heavenly arms,' Lakshmi wrote beneath a black-and-white picture of Lewis. 'Lord, rest her soul.' Advertisement The MTV alum shared her Stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis in an Instagram post in October 2020. '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,' Lewis captioned the video – which explained she was diagnosed with breast cancer two years prior. In her October 2024 conversation with Elam and Sider, she said, '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. I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way. I wish I could go back.' 9 Ananda Lewis poses on the red carpet. WireImage for BET Network Advertisement 9 Ananda Lewis during Frida Kahlo Tequila Launch in 2005. WireImage In an issue of Essence published earlier this year. Lewis stated that 'prevention is the real cure.' Lewis is survived by her and son, Langston, 14, who she shares with Will Smith's younger brother, Harry Smith.
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
CNN's Sara Sidner breaks down as she shares emotional tribute to MTV VJ Ananda Lewis
CNN anchor Sara Sidner struggled to hold back tears as she issued an emotional report on her friend and broadcast peer, former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis. In a special report, Sidner paid tribute to Lewis, who died on Wednesday after a seven-year battle with breast cancer. The co-anchor of CNN News Central was joined by network correspondent Stephanie Elam to share their heart wrenching reaction to Lewis' death in a vulnerable segment. Elam and Sidner have also battled breast cancer, and in only October last year had come together with Lewis to share their individual journeys with viewers. On Wednesday's broadcast, Elam revealed she had visited Lewis in the hospital to say goodbye just one day ago. Elam revealed that she was covering the protests in Los Angeles when she got the heartbreaking call that Lewis' health was declining. 'So, I drove to be with her and held her hand, and told her how much I love her,' Elam said, holding back tears. 'Two thirds of my life she has been my ride or die. We have been there, going through things, we would text, and we would message each other all the time,' she continued. 'I was planning on getting off the air yesterday and going back to see her,' Elam said, adding that after she finished the broadcast, she saw a text from Lewis' sister letting her know that her friend had passed away. Elam added that she was 'so glad' she got to see Lewis the night before her death and wanted everyone know that the former MTV star was a peace. 'She was at peace with this decision, she had come to grips with it,' the CNN reporter said. Lewis had battled breast cancer for nearly seven years, and decided to take a nontraditional route with her treatment. She didn't undergo a double mastectomy when she was first diagnosed with the disease, and the cancer eventually spread. Elam admitted that Lewis was 'hard headed' at times, but praised her friend for dealing with her diagnosis in her own way. Elam then revealed the last text Lewis sent her, which read, 'You know my feelings on this. We all go, these bodies are on loan and must be returned. 'We come in love and choose to leave it with love as well.' Lewis then told Elam in her final messages, 'I love you, my wonderful lifelong bestie of besties.' Elam and Sidner remembered Lewis as an 'awesome' mom, auntie, and friend, praising the MTV star's legacy. 'She was always trying to help people through things herself, whether it would be something funny like, you know, your skin care, your skin routine, or fixing up your house,' Sidner said. CNN had shared a special story last October to look at the different ways breast cancer can be fought. While Sidner opted for the double mastectomy, Lewis decided to try homeopathic remedies along with medication and radiation. '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 told Elam and Sidner on CNN. 'I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,' she continued, before adding: 'Looking back on that, I go, 'You know what? Maybe I should have.'' Elam (right) said that even though Lewis was 'hard headed' about her decisions, she praised her friend's ability to go about cancer in her own way Lewis then revealed her cancer spread to her lymph system, forcing her to have 'a conversation with death.' The former MTV VJ later clarified her comments and said she considered getting the mastectomy, but wasn't able to as California hospitals deemed the surgery a non-emergency operation during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. In a post on Instagram in February, Lewis admitted to her followers, 'It doesn't matter how bad things are in my body right now. What does matter is keep you out of this club. 'There are things I wish I did differently like 10 years ago to prevent cancer and I am talking about them.' Lewis then urged her followers to focus on prevention measures, adding 'preserving your health is way easier than fighting to get it back.' Sidner and Elam praised Lewis' candor during their on-air tribute and said they believed their friend saved many lives by urging regular mammograms. Lewis rose to fame in the 1990s, hosting shows on MTV like Total Request Live, Hot Zone, and Spring Break. She then hosted a daytime talk show, The Ananda Lewis Show, in 2001 for one season. Lewis was a correspondent for The Insider from 2004 to 2005 and then became a carpenter, hosting the 2019 revival of While You Were Out on TLC. She is survived by her husband Harry Smith, whose brother is A-list actor Will Smith, and her 14-year-old son, Langston.
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Watch Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam's emotional tribute to Ananda Lewis
Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ who connected a generation of music fans to their favorite celebrities on the music network, has died at age 52 from breast cancer. CNN's Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam shared an emotional tribute about their friend on CNN.
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Watch Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam's emotional tribute to Ananda Lewis
Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ who connected a generation of music fans to their favorite celebrities on the music network, has died at age 52 from breast cancer. CNN's Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam shared an emotional tribute about their friend on CNN.
CNN
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Los Angeles mayor slams vandalism during protests
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized people who are vandalizing the city amid widespread protests. CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam gets a closer look at some of the looting and vandalism in downtown LA.
