'America's Next Top Model’ Fans Are Ready for Miss J Alexander's Comeback

For fans of America's Next Top Model, Miss J. Alexander, or Miss J to most, was as important to the series as host Tyra Banks herself. So when Miss J joined former judges on the Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model and was in a wheelchair during filming, fans wanted to know what happened to him.

Before the U.S. version of ANTM ended, Miss J was a big part of the show as a judge and a coach for contestants who needed help with walking the runway. In fact, it was explained early on in the original series that Miss J was there with Tyra during the early days of her own career. Now, amid some health setbacks, Miss J has continued to work on himself.

Miss J explains during the Netflix docuseries that he suffered a stroke in 2022. He was in a coma for five weeks, and later, he had to learn how to walk and even talk again. It left him in a wheelchair. He says in the docuseries that he cried numerous times while trying to figure out what he was going to do with his life from that point forward.

"I couldn't walk, and 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," Miss J says. "I cried. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried."

He is still working on getting back to 100 percent, though and, he says in the docuseries, he is "determined to walk" again.

"I miss being the queen of the runway, the catwalks, of course," Miss J admits to producers. "I'm the person who taught models how to walk... and now I can't walk." He quickly adds, "Not yet, not yet. I'm determined to walk. I'm sure you're going to see me again. I'm sure it's not over for me yet."

Before Miss J's stroke, he was much more active on Instagram. Afterward, he didn't share many updates about his health.

Miss J was part of ANTM for 18 cycles, with most of them as a permanent full-time judge. He was known on the show for his iconic one-liners, gif- and meme-worthy facial expressions, and wild outfits to draw attention from the contestants. However, in 2012, Miss J, along with other OG cast members, were let go due to a total revamp of the series. Per the Netflix docuseries, Tyra was told to fire both Miss J and fellow permanent judges Jay Manuel and photographer Nigel Barker.

Miss J didn't return to television after ANTM, but he is still heavily into fashion. He often promotes his line called Crypto Couture, which is all about digital fashion in the Metaverse. As for a return to reality TV at some point in the future? Miss J hasn't shared concrete plans for that, but he is still an icon to many, so never say never.