Ananda Lewis
Ananda Lewis | |
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social activist | |
Children | 1 |
Ananda Lewis (born March 21, 1973) is an American
On October 1, 2020, Lewis announced to her Instagram followers that she has been battling stage 3 breast cancer for the last two years.[2]
Early life and education
Lewis was born on March 21, 1973, in
Lewis struggled with a
Career
Early career
While a student at Howard University in 1993, Lewis was featured prominently in the hit R&B video by fellow HU alumni Shai, "Baby, I'm Yours",[6] filmed on campus. She portrayed the love interest of vocalist Carl "Groove" Martin.
Throughout college Lewis had volunteered as a mentor with the group Youth at Risk and at the Youth Leadership Institute. She was considering attending graduate school to pursue a master's degree in education when she learned that auditions were going to be held for the job of on-screen host of BET's Teen Summit. She states that the children she was working with that summer were the main ones pushing her to go to the auditions.[4]
Lewis's audition would be a success and she became the host of Teen Summit. For three seasons she discussed serious issues affecting teenagers for a television audience of several million. The show's topical, debate-driven format enabled Lewis to follow her passion for helping young people, and use her skills she had acquired at the performing-arts school in San Diego.
Lewis hosted and VJed a variety of shows including
In 1998, while at MTV, Lewis made headlines when she announced that she intended to remain
I made the decision for selfish reasons, but I'm going public here because I realized I might be able to help other girls, too. I know the kind of drama that being sexually active brings to your life. I felt that if it was good for me to take a break, it might be good for other young girls, too. You see, I think I would be a whole different person if I hadn't had sex so early. Everybody was saying, "Do it!" but nobody ever said, "You don't have to do it". I think hearing that would have made a huge difference in my life.[4]
Also during that period Lewis became a familiar presence at celebrity-attended events in and around New York City. "If you don't recognize the name Ananda Lewis, it may be because you're older than 23, or not a hip-hop star, or not a regular supplicant in the land of the velvet ropes," Century wrote at the height of Lewis' fame. "In the last year, Ms. Lewis has emerged as the hip-hop generation's reigning 'It Girl,' meaning she is not just an MTV personality but a woman whose looks and attitudes have made her perpetually in demand."[4]
Later career
In 2000,
In 2004 Lewis became the chief correspondent on celebrity subjects for the nationally syndicated, nightly entertainment program
In 2004 Ms. Lewis also appeared on the ABC network's reality show called Celebrity Mole: Yucatán. This reality series won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement for Enhanced Television.[8]
An avid animal lover, Lewis has served as co-host of the
Personal life
Lewis has credited her mother, grandmother, and sister for providing her with a positive, supportive environment. By her own account, as she grew older she felt increasingly upset by her parents' divorce. In adulthood Lewis has healed her rifts with both parents. Lewis was a good friend of singer and actress Aaliyah before her accidental death. Lewis has six godchildren.[4] In 2011, Lewis gave birth to son Langston, her first child, with Harry Smith. She currently resides in the San Fernando Valley.
On October 2, 2020, Lewis revealed that she has been battling breast cancer for 2 years. She said that her aversion to mammograms took time from her ability to find out about the cancer in a timely manner, and begs for the public to get cancer screenings as soon as necessary.
References
- ^ "Why Ananda Lewis Traded a Microphone for a Tool Belt". 5 April 2018.
- ^ Penn, Charli (2020-10-02). "Ananda Lewis Reveals Battle With Stage 3 Breast Cancer, Regrets Not Getting A Mammogram Sooner". Essence. Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
- ^ MSN (2008). "Ananda Lewis:Overview". MSN. Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v H.W. Wilson (2008). "Cover Biography for June 2005 Ananda Lewis, Television personality". The HW Wilson Company. Archived from the original on September 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ People Magazine May 08, 2000 Vol. 53 No. 18 (2008). "Ananda Lewis: Veejay". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Shai - Baby I'm Yours (Official Video)". YouTube.
- ^ Lynette Rice (2008). "On the Air Talk Jockey". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2009-07-12. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ Realitytvworld.com
External links
- Ananda Lewis at AskMen.com
- Ananda Lewis at IMDb