Former MTV Host Ananda Lewis Had Ties to Will Smith Through Her Son and Her Son's Father

On June 11, 2025, former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis's sister revealed through a Facebook post that the longtime television host died. She wrote in the post, accompanied by a black and white photo of Ananda, "She's free, and in His heavenly arms." Ananda is survived by her son, but because she did not often share family photos on social media, some were left wondering who Ananda's son is.

Although it doesn't look like Ananda was married at the time of her death, she did share one child with Harry Smith. While that last name is pretty common as a whole, it might sound familiar because Harry is Will Smith's brother. Ananda and Harry share a son named Langston, according to People. So, who is Ananda Lewis's son?

Since it doesn't look like Ananda and Harry were together, the former couple likely co-parented Langston, who was 14 at the time of Ananda's death. In March 2025, Harry shared an Instagram post in honor of Langston's birthday and called his son his friend, ally, and "partner for life."

"Langston, it's been a true honor to watch you learn and grow, and become an absolutely incredible young man and overall human being," Harry wrote, and also noted that his teen son was creeping up to match his height and weight already. "I've never met anyone with such a pure heart, and desire to help others in need. I'm proud beyond words."

Ananda and her son shared a special bond. In 2023, she spoke with Hollywood Unlocked and shared that when she shared her breast cancer diagnosis with her son, he placed his hand on her chest and "tried to heal" her. He was 7 at the time. She also urged other women to get regular mammograms and to keep an eye on their health for early detection, which is crucial in breast cancer diagnosis.

In October 2020, Ananda shared on Instagram that she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

"I need you to share this with the women in your life who may be as stubborn as I was about mammograms and I need you to tell them that they have to do it," she shared in a video that was posted on her account. "Early detection, especially for breast cancer, changes your outcome. It can save their life."

In October 2024, Ananda's cancer progressed to stage 4. Ananda's career as an MTV VJ spanned years in the '90s. She later went on to host her own show, The Ananda Lewis Show, for two seasons. She hosted other shows over the years, according to her IMDb profile, like TLC's Unexpected and a few episodes of HGTV's While You Were Out. But her lasting legacy, according to many, is her time spent as a mainstay on MTV.