MTV Faces Backlash For Disregarding Amanda Lewis
The Disrespect: MTV Faces Backlash For Disregarding Late VJ Amanda Lewis During VMAs
When Busta Rhymes stepped onto the MTV Video Music Awards stage to accept the inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award, he carried more than just his own legacy with him. The hip-hop icon used his moment in the spotlight to honor Ananda Lewis, the beloved MTV VJ who passed away in June after a battle with breast cancer.
On Sunday night, as the Hip-Hop legend accepted his first MTV award in his 35-year career, Busta kept things short, heartfelt, and personal, utilizing the moment to not only jokingly call out the network for taking three decades before giving him an award but also honoring his family and fellow trailblazer, Ananda Lewis.
“Y’all know I usually do these long speeches, I’m not gonna do one today. But next time y’all take 35 years to give me one of these, y’all gonna let me talk as long as I want!” Busta said. “I want to thank — and I think we all need to acknowledge — the incredible woman that loved us very much when we came to MTV during the ’90s,” he said. “An incredible woman that loved me and she loved us. She loved the culture; she lifted us up. I love her very much. I miss her very much. The late, great, incredible royal empress Ananda Lewis. I want to big up her mother, her father, her sister Lakshmi. The blessings don’t stop, so we don’t stop, baby.”
The heartfelt tribute was met with resounding applause, but also highlighted what MTV did not do—formally recognize the passing of one of its most important VJs.
Fans were quick to notice the omission, taking to social media to call out the network that Lewis helped shape and define in the late ’90s and early 2000s for disregarding one of its own.
Lewis joined MTV in 1997 and quickly became a household name. Hosting Total Request Live and Hot Zone, she became one of the most recognizable faces on the network, interviewing megastars and introducing a generation to the music that defined an era. She left MTV in 2010 to host her own daytime show, The Ananda Lewis Show, and continued her work in television and philanthropy.
In 2020, she revealed she had been diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, a battle she fought privately for years before passing at age 52 this past summer.
Given her deep imprint on MTV’s identity and music culture, many assumed the network would dedicate a tribute during the VMAs, much like it has for other influential figures. Instead, the silence was deafening.
While Busta Rhymes’ acknowledgment brought Lewis back into the spotlight, it also reignited frustration among fans. Social media quickly lit up with disappointment that MTV did not carve out space in its own program to honor Lewis.
“Busta mentioning Ananda Lewis brings me so much joy cuz wtf do you mean MTV ain’t said s—t about her passing when she gave that damn network so much? So many black artists during her time only gave y’all the time of day because of HER influence,” one fan wrote.
For many viewers, Lewis’ absence underscored a broader pattern of how cultural contributors, particularly Black women, are often overlooked until someone else forces the acknowledgment. But the omission speaks to a deeper lesson. Companies may benefit from your talent, your time, and your labor, but when you are gone, they move on. For all the years Lewis dedicated to MTV, her impact was pushed aside the moment it was inconvenient for the network’s programming. It’s a sobering reminder that no matter how loyal or valuable you are, institutions rarely show the same loyalty in return.
Busta Rhymes’ tribute was a reminder that while corporate entities may forget, the culture does not; and for the rest of us, it’s a clear call to protect your peace, enjoy your time, and know that your worth cannot be measured by how a company remembers you.
This is why it’s important to take your PTO, enjoy your life, and protect your well-being. Because when the lights dim, when the cameras cut off, and when you are no longer here, the corporations will keep going—often without so much as a thank you.
SEE ALSO:
Ananda Lewis Through The Years: Remembering Her Life, Legacy, Beauty, & Strength
Brandy and Monica Gave Us Hope When America Couldn’t
The Disrespect: MTV Faces Backlash For Disregarding Late VJ Amanda Lewis During VMAs was originally published on newsone.com
