Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ, talk show host, actress, and mother, has died at 52 following a lengthy battle with breast cancer. Her sister Lakshmi Emory confirmed her passing with a touching post on Emory’s personal Facebook page.
“She’s free, and in His heavenly arms,” Emory wrote beside a series of broken heart emoji symbols. “Lord, rest her soul,” Emory added.
Remembering Ananda’s Treasured Voice
Lewis was one of the most significant voices in the ’90s and early aughts culture. She hosted The Ananda Lewis Show and co-hosted the popular video request series Total Request Live (TRL) on MTV. She also hosted the iconic BET series Teen Summit, where she tackled serious topics relevant to teenagers with compassion. She brought a fun, frothy energy to pop culture topics. Lewis interviewed some of the top names in entertainment, including Brandy, Mary J. Blige, and Destiny’s Child.
She respected her interview subjects and did her research. Her work helped cement cultural touchstones like MTV’s Spring Break and the NAACP Image Awards.
Ananda’s Breast Cancer Battle
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death for Black women in the United States.
“Black women have a higher incidence of breast cancer before the age of 40, more severe disease at all ages, and elevated mortality risk compared to white women,” according to a 2016 journal article published by The American Cancer Society. Black women have also received inconsistent screening recommendations. The Journal of the American Medical Association strongly suggested that Black women begin screening for breast cancer eight years earlier than their counterparts.
Lewis revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in an Instagram post in October 2020. She used her platform to raise awareness and encourage women to get regular mammograms during breast cancer awareness month.
“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 wrote in the caption for a six-minute video where she walked her followers through her diagnosis and treatment journeys.
Her diagnosis came after a self-examination she conducted after choosing not to get screened routinely.
“If I had done the mammograms from the time they were recommended when I turned 40, they would have caught the tumor in my breast years before I caught it through my own breast exam, self-exam, and thermography,” she said in the video.
Other Black celebrities, including Monyetta Shaw-Carter and Tina Knowles, have publicly shared their fights with breast cancer to raise awareness as well. Knowles revealed that her stage one cancer might have been detected earlier had she not chosen to skip mammograms.
Lewis commented on her battle with breast cancer during an interview for the January/February 2025 issue of ESSENCE magazine as well. She explained that she questioned the medical advice she was given initially after seeing what breast cancer treatments had done to others in her family. She opted to seek treatment at an integrative facility and make extreme lifestyle changes, including eliminating sugar from her diet and doing a cleanse.
“My goal was to do things that supported my body’s ability to continue to be whole enough to heal, instead of destroying it up front,” Lewis told Victoria Uwumarogie. “ I also couldn’t figure out how to fit the double mastectomy, the full chemotherapy, and, potentially, the radiation they were telling me to have into my already overwhelmed life. More importantly, these methods went against what I believed was right for my body.
Reassessing Assumptions About Access To Care
“Structural and personal factors continue to create barriers to mammography among Black women” and “The more advanced breast cancer stage at diagnosis in Black women when compared with the general population has been largely attributed to inequities in access to quality health care, including screening mammography,” according to the Journal of Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice.
Some assume that every person they see on television has access to unlimited resources, but that is not always the case. Despite her fame and impact, Lewis faced struggles gaining access to the care she needed.
She described the financial barriers she faced following her stay at the integrative facility during her interview with ESSENCE.
“There are no residual checks. I’m a working single mom, and insurance doesn’t cover most of these treatments. When I got back, I was given a set of instructions for things I had to continue doing. But the money problem is a recurring problem. I struggled to pay for the ongoing treatments that would have kept things at bay, and then I lost my insurance,” continued Lewis.
This prolonged her path to receiving the appropriate care. The COVID-19 pandemic’s restrictions also impacted her ability to receive proper treatment. When she was ready to do surgery, non-emergency surgeries were not being scheduled due to concerns about the pandemic spreading.
“It was two and a half years before I could really do any more effective treatment,” she added.
Lewis continued to advocate for others throughout her life, frequently spreading the message that others should undergo screening.
Lewis is survived by Emory and her 14-year-old son, Langston. Our sincere condolences and prayers are with the loved ones of Lewis.
Resources
Johns Hopkins University Press/Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved
American Cancer Society: Understanding and Effectively Addressing Cancer in Black Women
The Journal of the Medical Association.
Journal of Policy and Nursing Practice
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