Ananda Lewis, Host of MTV's ‘Total Request Live' and ‘Hot Zone,' Dies At 52
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.
More from Variety
'RuPaul's Drag Race: All-Stars' Is Back: Here's How to Watch Season 10 Online
'The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras' Sets Paramount+ Debut (EXCLUSIVE)
'Helsinki Crimes' Finnish Commissioner MTV Ramps Up Overseas Co-Productions, Plots TV Version of Jo Spain Novel 'The Last to Disappear' (EXCLUSIVE)
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.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Scarlett Johansson speaks out after red carpet kiss with co-star Jonathan Bailey goes viral
Scarlett Johansson spoke out after her red carpet kisses with her 'Jurassic World Rebirth' co-star Jonathan Bailey went viral. The 40-year-old actress and 37-year-old actor recently made headlines after locking lips at their film's premiere in London on June 17. On June 23, the two shared another kiss at 'Jurassic World Rebirth's' premiere in New York City, where Johansson's husband, 'Saturday Night Live' star Colin Jost, was in attendance. During a recent episode of 'Today,' host Craig Melvin told Johansson that he wanted to ask her about 'this kissing thing that you and Jonathan have been doing all over the world.' Melvin went on to note that Bailey was 'so attractive,' to which Johansson responded, 'Yeah, you said it!' 'Is that why we keep planting lips on him?' Melvin asked. 'He's a lovable guy, what can I say?' Johansson replied. 'I don't know. We're just friendly people.' When Melvin asked whether she was surprised by the public attention to the pair's kisses, Johansson told him, 'Nothing surprises me, you know what I mean?' 5 Scarlett Johansson spoke out after her red carpet kisses with her 'Jurassic World Rebirth' co-star Jonathan Bailey went viral. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP 'Nothing surprises me these days,' she continued. 'But, yeah, I've got a lot of love to give, what can I say?' During an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the New York premiere, Bailey, who came out as gay in 2018, shared his thoughts on his PDA moments with Johansson. 'I believe in being able to show love in all different ways. And if you can't kiss your friends … life's too short not to,' the 'Wicked' star said. 5 The 40-year-old actress and 37-year-old actor recently made headlines after locking lips at their film's premiere in London on June addition to Johansson and Bailey, 'Jurassic World Rebirth' also stars Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' is the fourth 'Jurassic World' movie and the seventh installment of the 'Jurassic Park' franchise. The upcoming film is a standalone sequel to 2022's 'Jurassic World Dominion,' and it is set five years after the events of its predecessor. According to a plot synopsis, Johansson plays Zora Bennett, who 'leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park.' 5 On June 23, the two shared another kiss at 'Jurassic World Rebirth's' premiere in New York City. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP 5 Johansson's husband, 'Saturday Night Live' star Colin Jost, was in attendance. Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 'Their mission is to secure genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA can provide life-saving benefits to mankind. As the top-secret expedition becomes more and more risky, they soon make a sinister, shocking discovery that's been hidden from the world for decades.' While speaking with E! News at the New York premiere, Johansson explained why she wouldn't stop her 10-year-old daughter Rose from watching her mother's new PG-13-rated movie. 'I've been talking to some other 'Jurassic' fans, and they say this is the scariest one, but I would let my daughter see it,' the Marvel star said. 5 'He's a lovable guy, what can I say?' Johansson said. 'I don't know. We're just friendly people.' Getty Images for SiriusXM 'It's still appropriate for the family,' she added. 'You just gotta watch it through the crack in your fingers.' Johansson shares Rose with her ex-husband, Romain Dauriac, whom she divorced in 2017. The five-time Golden Globe Award winner and Jost, who tied the knot in 2020, are parents to son Cosmo, 3.
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Fox News
Scarlett Johansson defends viral red carpet kisses with co-star Jonathan Bailey
Scarlett Johansson spoke out after her red carpet kisses with her "Jurassic World Rebirth" co-star Jonathan Bailey went viral. The 40-year-old actress and 37-year-old actor recently made headlines after locking lips at their film's premiere in London on June 17. On June 23, the two shared another kiss at "Jurassic World Rebirth's" premiere in New York City, where Johansson's husband, "Saturday Night Live" star Colin Jost, was in attendance. During a recent episode of "Today," host Craig Melvin told Johansson that he wanted to ask her about "this kissing thing that you and Jonathan have been doing all over the world." Melvin went on to note that Bailey was "so attractive," to which Johansson responded, "Yeah, you said it!" "Is that why we keep planting lips on him?" Melvin asked. "He's a lovable guy, what can I say?" Johansson replied. "I don't know. We're just friendly people." When Melvin asked whether she was surprised by the public attention to the pair's kisses, Johansson told him, "Nothing surprises me, you know what I mean?" "Nothing surprises me these days," she continued. "But, yeah, I've got a lot of love to give, what can I say?" During an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the New York premiere, Bailey, who came out as gay in 2018, shared his thoughts on his PDA moments with Johansson. "I believe in being able to show love in all different ways. And if you can't kiss your friends … life's too short not to," the "Wicked" star said. In addition to Johansson and Bailey, "Jurassic World Rebirth" also stars Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein. "Jurassic World Rebirth" is the fourth "Jurassic World" movie and the seventh installment of the "Jurassic Park" franchise. The upcoming film is a standalone sequel to 2022's "Jurassic World Dominion," and it is set five years after the events of its predecessor. According to a plot synopsis, Johansson plays Zora Bennett, who "leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park." "Their mission is to secure genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA can provide life-saving benefits to mankind. As the top-secret expedition becomes more and more risky, they soon make a sinister, shocking discovery that's been hidden from the world for decades." While speaking with E! News at the New York premiere, Johansson explained why she wouldn't stop her 10-year-old daughter Rose from watching her mother's new PG-13-rated movie. "I've been talking to some other 'Jurassic' fans, and they say this is the scariest one, but I would let my daughter see it," the Marvel star said. "It's still appropriate for the family," she added. "You just gotta watch it through the crack in your fingers." Johansson shares Rose with her ex-husband, Romain Dauriac, whom she divorced in 2017. The five-time Golden Globe Award winner and Jost, who tied the knot in 2020, are parents to son Cosmo, 3.
Forbes
8 hours ago
- Forbes
Eminem's Timeless Classic Becomes A Top 10 Bestseller
Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' reenters the Rap Digital Song Sales chart at No. 8 and the R&B/Hip-Hop ... More Digital Song Sales list at No. 14, nearing 500 weeks on both. Eminem at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards held at UBS Arena September 11, 2024 in in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images) Billboard via Getty Images Eminem's most recent albums and singles have all faded from the Billboard charts. These days, the rapper remains on the weekly rankings thanks solely to some of his decades-old compositions. As Americans continue to buy and stream some of the hip-hop superstar's classics, one track in particular reasserts itself as his most successful and becomes a proper bestseller yet again. "Lose Yourself" returns to a pair of Billboard rankings this frame, breaking back onto both the Rap Digital Song Sales and R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales tallies. It reenters those lists at Nos. 8 and 14, respectively. It wouldn't be unusual for a musician as celebrated as Eminem to score one or two hits in the United States, even with decades-old tunes. But what is notable is that "Lose Yourself" remains a top 10 bestseller — albeit only on a genre-specific roster. "Lose Yourself" is approaching 500 weeks on both of the charts on which it currently appears. If it can hold on for another month on the Rap Digital Song Sales tally, it will hit that milestone. While it still has several dozen more frames to go on the broader R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales ranking, it seems likely that it will eventually make it to that landmark figure as well. Amazingly, despite the fact that "Lose Yourself" has spent nearly 500 spans on both charts, it has yet to reach No. 1 on either of them. Eminem's smash has stalled in the runner-up space on both sales lists, coming frustratingly close to adding to his growing roster of champions on more than one occasion. Eminem's Oscar-Winning Smash Eminem released "Lose Yourself" in October 2002. The song served as the lead single from the 8 Mile soundtrack. The tune was a huge commercial success, ruling the Hot 100 for 12 consecutive frames and dominating multiple other rankings around the world. In addition to becoming yet another hit for the rapper, "Lose Yourself" also won Eminem several Grammy Awards and even the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making him the first rapper to snag that prize.
