Latest news with #SaraSidner
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
CNN's Sara Sidner breaks down as she shares emotional tribute to MTV VJ Ananda Lewis
CNN anchor Sara Sidner struggled to hold back tears as she issued an emotional report on her friend and broadcast peer, former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis. In a special report, Sidner paid tribute to Lewis, who died on Wednesday after a seven-year battle with breast cancer. The co-anchor of CNN News Central was joined by network correspondent Stephanie Elam to share their heart wrenching reaction to Lewis' death in a vulnerable segment. Elam and Sidner have also battled breast cancer, and in only October last year had come together with Lewis to share their individual journeys with viewers. On Wednesday's broadcast, Elam revealed she had visited Lewis in the hospital to say goodbye just one day ago. Elam revealed that she was covering the protests in Los Angeles when she got the heartbreaking call that Lewis' health was declining. 'So, I drove to be with her and held her hand, and told her how much I love her,' Elam said, holding back tears. 'Two thirds of my life she has been my ride or die. We have been there, going through things, we would text, and we would message each other all the time,' she continued. 'I was planning on getting off the air yesterday and going back to see her,' Elam said, adding that after she finished the broadcast, she saw a text from Lewis' sister letting her know that her friend had passed away. Elam added that she was 'so glad' she got to see Lewis the night before her death and wanted everyone know that the former MTV star was a peace. 'She was at peace with this decision, she had come to grips with it,' the CNN reporter said. Lewis had battled breast cancer for nearly seven years, and decided to take a nontraditional route with her treatment. She didn't undergo a double mastectomy when she was first diagnosed with the disease, and the cancer eventually spread. Elam admitted that Lewis was 'hard headed' at times, but praised her friend for dealing with her diagnosis in her own way. Elam then revealed the last text Lewis sent her, which read, 'You know my feelings on this. We all go, these bodies are on loan and must be returned. 'We come in love and choose to leave it with love as well.' Lewis then told Elam in her final messages, 'I love you, my wonderful lifelong bestie of besties.' Elam and Sidner remembered Lewis as an 'awesome' mom, auntie, and friend, praising the MTV star's legacy. 'She was always trying to help people through things herself, whether it would be something funny like, you know, your skin care, your skin routine, or fixing up your house,' Sidner said. CNN had shared a special story last October to look at the different ways breast cancer can be fought. While Sidner opted for the double mastectomy, Lewis decided to try homeopathic remedies along with medication and radiation. '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,' Lewis told Elam and Sidner on CNN. 'I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,' she continued, before adding: 'Looking back on that, I go, 'You know what? Maybe I should have.'' Elam (right) said that even though Lewis was 'hard headed' about her decisions, she praised her friend's ability to go about cancer in her own way Lewis then revealed her cancer spread to her lymph system, forcing her to have 'a conversation with death.' The former MTV VJ later clarified her comments and said she considered getting the mastectomy, but wasn't able to as California hospitals deemed the surgery a non-emergency operation during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. In a post on Instagram in February, Lewis admitted to her followers, 'It doesn't matter how bad things are in my body right now. What does matter is keep you out of this club. 'There are things I wish I did differently like 10 years ago to prevent cancer and I am talking about them.' Lewis then urged her followers to focus on prevention measures, adding 'preserving your health is way easier than fighting to get it back.' Sidner and Elam praised Lewis' candor during their on-air tribute and said they believed their friend saved many lives by urging regular mammograms. Lewis rose to fame in the 1990s, hosting shows on MTV like Total Request Live, Hot Zone, and Spring Break. She then hosted a daytime talk show, The Ananda Lewis Show, in 2001 for one season. Lewis was a correspondent for The Insider from 2004 to 2005 and then became a carpenter, hosting the 2019 revival of While You Were Out on TLC. She is survived by her husband Harry Smith, whose brother is A-list actor Will Smith, and her 14-year-old son, Langston.
CNN
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Watch Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam's emotional tribute to Ananda Lewis
Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ who connected a generation of music fans to their favorite celebrities on the music network, has died at age 52 from breast cancer. CNN's Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam shared an emotional tribute about their friend on CNN.
CNN
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Watch Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam's emotional tribute to Ananda Lewis
Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ who connected a generation of music fans to their favorite celebrities on the music network, has died at age 52 from breast cancer. CNN's Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam shared an emotional tribute about their friend on CNN.
CNN
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Sara Sidner Reports in 'The Simril(l)s: A Family in Black and White' for The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper
June 10th, 2025 EPISODE PREMIERES SUNDAY, JUNE 15 AT 8PM ET/PT NEW YORK, NY – (June 10, 2024) – The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper , a five-time Emmy® Award-winning CNN Original, returns with a powerful portrait of a multi-racial Southern family that confronts and explores its painful shared history— and comes together in spite of it. 'The Simril(l)s: A Family in Black and White' with CNN Anchor/Senior National Correspondent Sara Sidner premieres Sunday, June 15 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN. In York County, South Carolina, two halves of the Simril(l) family exist: the white side, descended from slave holders, and the Black side, descended from people enslaved on the Simril plantation. The two were segregated for over a century— unaware of their shared background— until Spenser Simrill began reaching out to others with the same last name 11 years ago, in the hopes of learning more about his family's clouded history. What he and his newfound relatives uncovered was a complicated legacy built around slavery, Reconstruction Era racial terrorism, and the unbelievable villains and heroes at the center of it. As they prepare for their 2025 reunion celebration, Spenser Simrill and Michael Simril continue their search to unearth more of the Simril(l) story. They investigate their ancestors' violent run-ins with Klansmen in the county, as well as their family's 1871 migration to Liberia in pursuit of economic prosperity. Together, the Simril(l)s of today consider how their blended families can share resources moving forward, enrich each other's lives, and serve as a blueprint for racial healing. 'The Simril(l) lineage is full of remarkable characters who were unafraid to challenge power at fraught times in our nation's history,' said Sidner. 'I was so taken not only with their story, but also their ability to embrace it with such grace and dignity. As we look to the Juneteenth holiday, I see this family as a model for how we can all reckon with our pasts to forge a better, more united future.' The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper is a collection of unique and immersive single subject, one-hour episodes from CNN's Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning longform storytelling team showcasing character-driven stories, special interviews, and investigative deep dives featuring reporting from CNN's anchors and correspondents . The series is executive produced by Susan Chun. The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper will stream live for pay TV subscribers via , CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, March 30. 'Fentanyl in America: A Way Out' will also be available on demand beginning Monday, March 31 to pay TV subscribers via CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms. Past episodes of The Whole Story are available to stream on demand now on Max. The Whole Story is also available as a CNN Podcasts showcast. Visit or listen wherever you get your podcasts. ### About CNN Originals The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Flashdocs, and the newly formed CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN's global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 60 multi-part documentary series and 70 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 110 awards and 445 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films' first Academy Award® for Navalny . Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown ; five time Emmy® nominee, Apollo 11 , directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid directed by Matt Tyrnauer; Emmy® nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico ; the Emmy® Award-nominated 'Decades Series': The Sixties , The Seventies , The Eighties , The Nineties , The 2000s , and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; The Last Movie Stars , directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; the Emmy® Award winning Little Richard: I Am Everything , directed by Lisa Cortés; Luther Vandross: Never Too Much , directed by Dawn Porter; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart ; This is Life with Lisa Ling ; Primetime Emmy® and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG , directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television , executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy ; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers , directed by Tim Wardle; the American version of the British institution Have I Got News For You; and the five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell ; and The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper . CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, the CNN Original Hub on Max and discovery+, the CNN Originals FAST channel, and for pay TV subscription via CNN apps and cable operator platforms. About Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world's most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, Max, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Film Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de, HGTV and others. For more information, please visit . Press Contacts The Whole Story Press Contacts Sara Sidner Press Contacts
CNN
31-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- CNN
Stand up on the plane too early? You could be risking a fine
This week in travel news: A park that's home to the real Batcave, Asia's underrated adventure destination, and a Canadian-American romance that happened in Mexico. We all want to get off the plane as soon as it lands, but that can become a disorderly scramble, even before the aircraft has come to halt. Now the Turkish government has decided enough is enough. A memo from the country's Directorate General of Civil Aviation says that passengers can be fined if they 'stand up, go to the corridor, open the overhead bins and proceed along the aisles … despite the announcements about the rules during taxi after landing, when the aircraft has not yet reached the parking position and the seat belt warning lights have not turned off.' The amount of the fine was not mentioned, and it's unclear if anyone has actually been given one. But considering that IGA Istanbul Airport is the best connected airport in the world and this rule applies to all commercial flights entering the country, there are a lot of travelers who could potentially come under scrutiny. Besides the people who stand up before the plane is safely at the gate, fines can also be issued to 'passengers who use or attempt to use smoke-producing devices or products (aka vapes) on the aircraft.' Even if you live in an urban area, there are still ways to get out and enjoy the great outdoors this summer. CNN's Sara Sidner finds happiness on horseback in LA's Griffith Park, which might just be the greatest city park in the US. Among the highlights: a Merry-Go-Round that inspired a guy named Walt Disney to think about building a theme park, various hiking and biking trails, Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Zoo, and any number of spots where your favorite movies and TV shows were filmed — including the real Batcave from the original '60s TV show. If your summer travel dreams take you farther afield, one Asian destination is becoming a major hub for wellness and outdoor pursuits. Taiwan is home to an inviting mix of different landscapes. Locals flock to Sun Moon Lake and Taroko Gorge, but there are also 260 peaks over 3,000 meters (9,800 feet), plus beaches, campsites, hiking trails and scenic train rides to choose from. Planning to get in the water this summer? Our friends at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have tried and tested the best one-piece swimsuits for women of all body types. It sounds like the plot of a romcom: a Canadian librarian ran off with an American yacht captain during the heady summer of 1968. But it's all true. Beverly Carriveau and Bob Parsons met in Mazatlan, Mexico. She says that it was like 'a thunderbolt' when she first glimpsed Parsons through a window in the hotel gift shop. Later, he sent a bottle of white wine over to the table where she was dining with her friend. From there, it was history. The couple were married for 52 years until Parsons' death five years ago. This is just one of the many stories of how travel can build lifelong connections. Check out Chance Encounters for more — or to submit one of your own. A man lost an AirPod under his train seat. It took 11 firefighters to rescue him — and the AirPod. This Japanese airport got a Sanrio makeover. Now landing at Hello Kitty International. Southwest will start charging for checked bags. Prices begin at $35. New Zealand has named its 'bug of the year.' It's an ancient worm that spits poison goo.
