Juliette Powell, a former MuchMusic, MusiquePlus, Bravo, and CP24 host and producer, has passed away after contracting acute meningitis.
Powell, 54, died unexpectedly on June 3.
Born in Manhattan, she moved to Montreal at the age of eight with her French-Canadian mother. She began competing in beauty pageants at a young age, “motivated by a desire to challenge racial biases,” according to an online tribute. She went on to become the first Black Miss Canada in 1989 and later represented Canada in the Miss Universe Pageant.
Powell transitioned into media in the early 1990s, initially as a VJ with MusiquePlus, while studying business at McGill University. She went on to host weekly dance show Bouge de là!, before moving to Toronto in 1996 to become the host of MuchMusic’s Electric Circus and French Kiss, while continuing her studies at the University of Toronto.
She moved into business reporting in 1999 at CP24, going on to do work with Bravo, Biography, Star, CBC, and E!, among other networks.
Powell more recently had turned her attention to technology, ethics and AI. Earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Columbia University, she had been teaching in New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications program, co-authoring The AI Dilemma: 7 Principles for Responsible Technology in 2023. She had previously been involved with the E-G8, an extension of the G8 Summit focused on the future of the internet and connected society, among other consulting work.
In memoriam donations are being encouraged to Black Girls Code, Operation Respect, or other educational non-profits in Powell’s name.
