TV trailblazer Ananda Lewis, beloved as a host on BET’s Teen Summit and MTV’s Total Request Live, has died at age 52. A cancer warrior, she courageously fought Stage IV breast cancer for nearly six years before passing peacefully in hospice care in Los Angeles on June 11, 2025, her sister Lakshmi Emory shared. “She’s free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul,” Emory wrote in a heartfelt Facebook post .
A proud Howard University graduate, Lewis quickly became a voice of her generation—hosting Teen Summit where she interviewed the likes of Hillary Clinton, Kobe Bryant, and Tupac Shakur, even earning an NAACP Image Award . In 1997, she joined MTV and soon after was dubbed “the hip‑hop generation’s reigning It Girl” by The New York Times . She also fronted programs such as Hot Zone, Total Request Live, and later her own The Ananda Lewis Show in 2001.
Lewis publicly revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in 2020, initially Stage III, and chronicled her journey through treatment—from refusing mammograms due to fear of radiation to eventually becoming a powerful advocate for early detection . A loyal friend, she shared a poignant final message with her college pal and CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam:
“We come in love and choose to leave it with love as well… I love you, my wonderful lifelong bestie.”
Her final wish—to be present for her son Langston’s graduation—was fulfilled just hours before she passed peacefully surrounded by family .
Celebrities like Kelly Rowland celebrated Lewis as “an all‑around cool, beautiful, fly woman,” while her unwavering authenticity and social justice orientation inspired generations of Black women striving for visibility and advocacy
