Television February 17, 2026
‘ANTM’ Doc: Miss J Alexander Reveals Stroke Caused Paralysis
Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
“America’s Next Top Model’s” Miss J Alexander was left in a coma for weeks and then paralyzed after a debilitating stroke in 2022.
Alexander, who exited “ANTM” in 2012, shared his story on Netflix’s “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” docuseries.
“On December 27th of 2022, I had a stroke,” the runway coach shared.
“I woke up. I didn’t know where I was other than in the hospital,” Miss J recalled. "I spent five weeks in a coma, and I couldn’t walk. And I couldn’t talk. And I thought to myself, what was I going to do? I couldn’t walk; I couldn’t speak.”
The 67-year-old shared, “I cried. I am not ashamed to say that I cried.”
Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
Alexander’s “ANTM” co-stars Nigel Barker and Jay Manuel came to visit him in the hospital.
Barker shared, “When he saw me, he was happy to see me and the two of us cried together and I held him."
Nigel continued, “I don’t know whether he even wanted me to see him in that way. I was going to go see him. And that was just such a terrible shock and really upsetting and horrifying and scary.”
Manuel recalled, "I could feel how upset he was, for sure. I can only imagine where he was in his mind."
Alexander shared, "I thought back to how we did the show together, and I cried because I just missed them so much.”
Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
The trio also reunited on the docuseries, and Nigel told him, “When we first saw you in that hospital, you could hardly move, hardly talk. Now you’re sitting up doing an interview, chatting, talking, rolling your eyes and making us laugh.”
When asked if the show’s host Tyra Banks had visited him since the stroke, Alexander shared, "No, not yet. She just sent me a text. She wants to come to visit me. But no, not yet."
These days, Miss J misses “being queen of the runway” and “the catwalks, of course.”
He continued, I’m the person who taught models how to walk. And now I can’t walk… Not yet,” insisting, “I’m determined to walk. I’m sure you’re gonna see me again, I’m sure. It’s not over for me yet.”
Watch "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" on Netflix.