Ananda Lewis, one of MTV’s first video jockeys and a former host of “Total Request Live,” “Hot Zone,” and “The Ananda Lewis Show,” died on Wednesday of breast cancer. She was 52.
Her sister, Lakshmi Emory, reported her death. TMZ reported that Lewis died in her home in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning.
Lewis revealed in 2020 that she had been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer on her Instagram account, where she spoke about not getting regular mammograms due to her fear of radiation. In a roundtable discussion with CNN in 2024, Lewis confirmed that she did not have a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She revealed that the tumor had metastasized, and that the cancer had progressed to stage IV.
After being hired by MTV in 1997 as one of the new VJs, Lewis became the host of shows like “Total Request Live” and “Hot Zone,” where she interviewed rising and established talents for the network. In 2001, she became the host of her own talk show, “The Ananda Lewis Show,” which ran from 2001 to 2002. She later joined Entertainment Tonight’s spinoff “The Insider” as a correspondent from 2004 to 2005. After taking a break from the industry to pursue carpentry, Lewis returned as the host for the 2019 revival of TLC’s “While You Were Out.”
Born in Los Angeles in 1973, Lewis moved to San Diego shortly after her parents divorced where she lived with her sister, mother, and grandmother. After graduating from Howard University in 1995, Lewis began her career as the host of BET’s Teen Summit, a talk show that was hosted by teenagers. After working with BET, Lewis was noticed by MTV and was hired in August of 1997. Shortly after moving to New York, Lewis became one of the main VJs for MTV, hosting shows such as “Total Request Live,” a daily top ten music video countdown show. Lewis became one of the interviewers for “Hot Zone,” a series focused on highlighting music videos and exclusive interviews with musicians.
Lewis left MTV in 2001 to pursue her own talk show, “The Ananda Lewis Show,” which aired on television from 2001 to 2002. In 2004, Lewis joined the cast and crew of “The Insider,” a nightly program that served as a spinoff to “Entertainment Tonight,” where she was a host. After leaving “The Insider,” Lewis became a carpenter and a contractor. In 2019, she became the host of “While You Were Out,” a TLC reality series.
She is survived by her son, Langston.
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