J. Alexander, the iconic runway coach affectionately known as “Miss J,” has revealed the harrowing details of a 2022 stroke that left him in a coma for slightly over a month and fundamentally altered his mobility. The former runway model also shared a shocking revelation about his former boss during that time.
The health crisis was documented on the new Netflix docuseries, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, which premiered Feb. 16.
“On December 27, 2022, I had a stroke,” Alexander disclosed during the series’ final installment. The 67-year-old former runway model described a grueling recovery process that began with a five-week coma. “I didn’t know where I was other than in the hospital. I couldn’t walk, and I couldn’t talk.”
The documentary features candid footage from Alexander’s hospital room, where he remained for 17 months. While the series chronicles the cutthroat nature of the reality competition that made him a household name, the focus shifts to the former runway model’s current reality as he navigates life in a wheelchair—a detail revealed only in the final minutes of the docuseries.
Long before becoming the “Queen of the Catwalk,” Alexander’s path was nearly a corporate one; he originally attended school to become an accountant. However, Miss J’s life changed at 16 when he met Monique Pillard, then the president of Elite Model Management, while performing in drag.
Pillard recognized his potential and sent him to Tokyo, where he modeled for three years before settling in Paris and eventually walking for Jean-Paul Gaultier in New York City.
By 1991, Alexander transitioned backstage, becoming one of the industry’s most sought-after casting directors and runway coaches. He is credited with refining the walks of legends like Naomi Campbell, Kimora Lee Simmons, and a young Tyra Banks.
Alexander served as a mainstay on America’s Next Top Model from its 2003 inception through cycle 18. His 2012 firing, alongside creative director Jay Manuel and photographer Nigel Barker, marked a controversial era for the franchise. However, the health crisis appears to have mended old professional fractures.
Manuel and Barker are both shown visiting Alexander during his lengthy hospitalization. Barker described the visit as a “terrible shock.”
“When he saw me, he was happy to see me and the two of us cried together, and I held him,” Barker recalled. Manuel further reflected on the gravity of the situation, adding, “I can only imagine where he was in his mind.”
The documentary also addressed the notable absence of series creator, Tyra Banks, at Alexander’s bedside. When asked in archival hospital footage if Banks had visited, Alexander replied, “No, not yet. She just sent me a text that she wants to come and visit me.”
Banks, who participated in the docuseries separately, did not discuss Alexander’s health on camera. She did, however, address the 2012 dismissals of the trio, claiming the decision was made by network executives.
“I cried myself to sleep that night,” Banks said. “But bosses have bosses… the big boss was very clear. There are no sacred cows.”
Despite the physical limitations imposed by the stroke, Alexander remains defiant. The man who taught the world’s most famous models how to glide across the stage is now focused on reclaiming his own ability to walk. The experience has been deeply humbling for the fashion legend, who admitted to the internal struggle.
“I cried. I am not ashamed to say that I cried.”
“I miss being the queen of the runway,” Alexander said. “I am the person who taught models how to walk, and now I can’t walk. Not yet. I am determined to walk. I am sure you are going to see me again. It’s not over for me yet.”
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