Ananda Lewis, HBCU alumna and legendary television host, has tragically passed away at the age of 52. The news was broken on Wednesday evening by Lewis’s sister Lakshmi in a social media post.
“She’s free, and in His heavenly arms. 
Lord, rest her soul
,” she posted.
Lewis graduated cum laude from Howard University in 1995 with a degree in history. During her time at Howard, she appeared in the music video for “Baby, I’m Yours,” a hit R&B song by Shai, fellow Howard alumni. Filmed on campus in 1993, she played the love interest of vocalist Carl “Groove” Martin.
Following her HBCU experience, she became the host of BET’s Teen Summit, in which she appeared on the program for three seasons. She ultimately got the call to become a VJ for MTV, hosting shows such as Total Request Live and Hot Zone. She also hosted her own eponymous talk show
In a 2020 Instagram post, Lewis disclosed her diagnosis of stage III breast cancer, explaining that she had avoided regular mammograms due to a fear of radiation. By October 2024, during a roundtable discussion with CNN’s Stephanie Elam (a longtime college friend) and CNN anchor Sara Sidner Lewis revealed she had chosen not to follow medical advice to undergo a double mastectomy.
Unfortunately, her cancer had metastasized and progressed to stage IV, as she shared during the discussion. She also noted that she had pursued homeopathic treatments during her journey.
“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. It’s important for me to admit where I went wrong with this,” she said.
She eventually wrote an essay in Essence in January 2025 urging women to take preventative measures and to listen to their bodies.
“We’re not meant to stay here forever. We come to this life, have experiences — and then we go,” she wrote. “Being real about that with yourself changes how you choose to live. I don’t want to spend one more minute than I have to suffering unnecessarily. That, for me, is not the quality of life I’m interested in. When it’s time for me to go, I want to be able to look back on my life and say, ‘I did that exactly how I wanted to.’”
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