Miss J stole the show as a judge on “America’s Next Top Model,” transforming contestants’ catwalks on the hit reality show.
But in Netflix’s “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” the runway coach revealed that he had a stroke on Dec. 27, 2022 that has left him wheelchair-bound.
“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. I cried. I’m not ashamed to say that I cried,” he shared in the three-part docuseries.
Miss J, who’s full name is J. Alexander Jenkins, spent five weeks in a coma and was hospitalized for a year and a half. He had to relearn how to speak and, as of February 2026, still cannot walk.
Known as the “Queen of the Catwalk,” Miss J appeared on each cycle up until 2012 when he was abruptly fired along with Jay Manuel and Nigel Barker due to new network leadership shifting the show’s direction. The trio’s relationship with show host and creator Tyra Banks became complicated afterwards.
“For my birthday, Tyra sent me flowers,” Miss J recalled. “I said, ‘Oh how sweet!’ There was a note, ‘Happy birthday, love, Tyra.’ And then I was fired five days later.”
After exiting the show, Miss J continued to coach models on international versions of “Top Model.” He also taught at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He worked in the industry up until the stroke.
In the documentary, which gives a scathing look at the show’s problematic practices, Miss J revealed that Banks hadn’t visited him yet, but she expressed a desire to through text messaging.
Miss J, Manuel and Barker remain close. Barker recalled his and Manuel’s visit to Miss J in the hospital.
“I didn’t even know that he wanted me to see him in that way,” the photographer said. “I was going to go see him and that was just such a terrible shock and really upsetting and horrifying and scary. When he saw me, he was happy to see me, and the two of us cried, and I held him.”
Miss J emotionally reflected on his journey — and the road ahead.
“I miss being the queen of the runway, the catwalks, of course,” he said. “I’m the person who taught models how to walk … and now I can’t walk. 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.”
