“America’s Next Top Model” judge and runway coach Miss J Alexander is recovering from a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side.
Miss J, 67, revealed his stroke in “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” a three-part docuseries streaming on Netflix on Monday, Feb. 16.
Miss J was first diagnosed in December 2022 and has been in a wheelchair ever since.
“On December 27th of 2022, I had a stroke. I woke up, I didn’t know where I was, other than in the hospital. I couldn’t walk,” he shared “I couldn’t talk. And I thought to myself, what was I going to do? And that I couldn’t walk and I couldn’t speak. It was emotional. I cried. I’m not ashamed to say that I cried.”
Miss J said other ANTM staffers, creative director Jay Manuel and photographer Nigel Barker, came to visit him in the hospital.
But Tyra Banks still hasn’t visited him yet.
“I miss being the queen of the runway. Catwalks, of course. I’m the person who taught models how to walk… and now I can’t walk,” he explained. “I’m determined to walk. I’m sure you’re gonna see me again, I’m sure. It’s not over for me yet.”
Miss J was a beloved runway coach and judge on the popular reality competition series created by supermodel Tyra Banks and launched in May 2023.
The combination of Miss J, Jay Manuel, and Benny Ninja made ANTM one of the most inclusive shows on television.