Ananda Lewis dies at 52: What was former MTV VJ's net worth?

Ananda Lewis, a renowned TV host and advocate, dies at 52 after battling stage 4 breast cancer, confirmed by her sister.

Ananda Lewis, a popular TV host and a former hostess of the Teen Summit on BET and an MTV VJ, has died at the age of 52 after a long struggle with stage 4 breast cancer.

Beloved television personality Ananda Lewis has died at 52 from stage 4 breast cancer. (X)

Her death was confirmed by her sister, Lakshmi, who shared the heartbreaking news in a Facebook post: “She’s free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul.”

What was Ananda Lewis’ net worth?

Following her death, many are now wondering what Lewis left for her two children. While exact figures have not been publicly disclosed for her net worth, however, a website named Cloudflare claimed that the Ananda Lewis Show has a net worth of $8 million.

Who was Ananda Lewis?

Born on 21 March 1973, in Los Angeles, California, Ananda was of African American and Native American heritage, tracing her roots to the Creek and Blackfoot tribes. After her parents divorced when she was just two, Ananda and her sister moved with their mother to San Diego to live near their grandmother. The girls were left with their grandmother when their mother later went to Europe.

She started to work as a tutor and counsellor at a Head Start centre at the age of 13, which was a defining experience as she contemplated a career in education or psychology. However, her family pushed her to do something more financially secure. She late graduated cum laude with a degree in history in 1995, at Howard University.

Media is where she discovered her purpose, and her interest in youth empowerment and social justice got a strong voice. She first came into the national limelight on Teen Summit, and then became one of the most prominent faces on MTV.

However, in 2020, Ananda announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Later on, she made her experience open to the world, in the aim of creating awareness and preventing what she felt she got wrong.

“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,” speaking during a roundtable discussion with CNN in October 2024, she reflected.

“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.”