ANTM’s Miss J Alexander Spent 5 Weeks in a Coma After Suffering Stroke

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Miss J Alexander is sharing his journey after experiencing a difficult health scare.

A former contestant on America’s Next Top Model, who worked with Tyra Banks, Nigel Barker, and Jay Manuel for 18 seasons until 2012, recently shared his current life in a new Netflix documentary. This comes almost four years after he suffered a stroke.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE what I just heard! On the latest episode of Reality Check, he revealed that on December 27th, 2022, he had a stroke! He said he woke up in the hospital completely confused, and then… a coma! Five whole weeks! Can you imagine? And then he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t talk! He was just lying there, wondering what his life would even be like if he couldn’t do the things he loved. It’s just… heartbreaking, honestly. I’m so glad he’s sharing his story.

As a huge fan, hearing the coach talk about the runway show really got to me. He admitted it was a deeply emotional experience, and he actually teared up! He was so open about it, saying he wasn’t embarrassed to have cried, and honestly, that made it even more powerful. It showed how much this all meant to him.

I was so relieved to hear that Alexander had such great support while he was in the hospital. Apparently, Manuel and Barker were both there for him, and they’ve talked about how much it meant to them to be able to visit him. It’s wonderful to know they were there as costars and friends.

Barker said that when the man saw him, they were both overjoyed and shared a tearful embrace. He wasn’t sure if the man would have wanted to be seen in such a vulnerable state, but Barker was already planning a visit. Seeing him like that was a terrible, upsetting, and frightening shock.

Manuel recalled how distressed Alexander seemed, and said he could only guess what Alexander was thinking at the time.

When the three of them came together for the documentary, Barker shared how much progress Alexander has made.

He told me, “You’re really making progress.” He reminded me that when they first found me in the hospital, I could barely move or speak. Now, I’m able to sit up, give interviews, and even joke around with them.

Oh my gosh, when he talked about Tyra reaching out after everything he went through, it just melted my heart! He said she texted him, wanting to come see him, but then added, so casually, ‘No, not yet.’ Like, can you even handle that? It’s just… everything. I’m living for this friendship, seriously!

But when it comes to his future, Alexander is optimistic about what lies ahead.

He confessed in the documentary that he longed for his days as a dominant figure in the fashion world. ‘I used to own the runway,’ he said, referencing the catwalks. ‘I actually taught models how to walk.’ Though he’s currently unable to walk, he’s determined to regain his ability and believes he’ll be back. ‘My career isn’t over,’ he affirmed.

For more about Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, keep reading…

Shandi Sullivan, a finalist on season two of America’s Next Top Model, was shown on a 2004 episode of the show having intimate relations with a male model while her boyfriend was back home. The episode, titled “The Girl Who Cheated,” showed footage from a house party in Milan. In a 2026 Netflix documentary series called Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, Shandi explained she had been very drunk and doesn’t remember what happened, and believes the show’s producers should have stopped the situation.

Shandi said on the show that she believes someone should have intervened after the incident in the hot tub, saying, “It had gone too far, and they needed to get her out of the situation.”

During the same episode of America’s Next Top Model, Shandi broke down in tears and called her boyfriend to admit she had been unfaithful. She also reached out to a model she’d met in Milan to inquire about sexually transmitted diseases.

Tyra Banks addressed the situation with Shandi on Reality Check, stating she recalled the story but felt uncomfortable discussing the production details, as that wasn’t her area of expertise.

In the documentary, executive producer Ken Mok explained that they approached Top Model like a real-life documentary. He said they told the contestants from the start that cameras would be with them constantly, capturing everything – the highs, the lows, and all the moments in between.

Tyra clarified that while she wasn’t in charge of the show’s overall storyline – that was Ken Mok’s role – she became highly skilled at editing. She also wanted to emphasize that not everything that happened during filming made it onto television.

TopMob News reached out to Tyra and Ken for comment but did not hear back.

As part of the show’s makeover, both the winner of Cycle 6, Danielle “Dani” Evans, and the runner-up, Joanie Dodds, received dental work.

Joanie spent the entire night at the dentist, where she had four teeth pulled. As she explained in the Netflix documentary, it felt like a dream come true because she’d always been insecure about her smile. Ken commented on the show, calling what Joanie experienced “intense.”

Dani initially wasn’t interested in getting the gap between her front teeth closed, because she liked her smile. When Tyra Banks asked her on America’s Next Top Model if she thought she could still be a successful model with the gap, she confidently said she did.

After speaking with her mother, who warned her she might be eliminated if she didn’t listen to Tyra, Dani explained that she chose to follow the advice, and as a result, her gap was fixed.

Tyra explained in her book, Reality Check, that she’d apologized to Dani for previously suggesting she change her teeth. However, Tyra felt stuck in a difficult situation back in 2006 when she gave that advice.

Tyra Banks recalls agents telling her she wouldn’t succeed because of her teeth. She admits she could have simply accepted their advice, but now realizes it’s easy to see what she should have done looking back.

Dani strongly disagreed with Tyra’s comment in the documentary, saying, “That’s completely untrue. Getting my gap closed hasn’t helped my career at all. You were aware of the impact you were creating for the show.”

During the eighth cycle of the show, the models participated in a photoshoot with a disturbing theme: they were styled to look like crime victims, even appearing as if they had died. Notably, Dionne Walters, whose mother was paralyzed by gun violence, was asked to portray a character who had been shot.

She explained in her show, Reality Check, that she believed people were trying to provoke a strong emotional reaction from her, hoping to see her fall apart. She was just relieved they didn’t succeed.

Ken admitted he was completely at fault for the shooting, calling it a mistake in a written statement. He now realizes it glorified violence and was reckless, and he strongly regrets his actions, saying he was wrong to have done it.

In the documentary, photo shoot director Jay Manuel revealed he struggled significantly with a shoot for a Got Milk? campaign in Cycle 4, involving a switch in models based on race, and requested to be removed from that assignment.

In his book, Reality Check, Jay recounted Tyra telling him, ‘Leave it to me – I’ll deal with the contestants on camera, you just focus on your work.’ He realized his involvement was becoming restricted, and the photoshoot would proceed whether he was there or not.

Tyra shared that she didn’t realize her actions would be seen as controversial when she did them. She thought she was simply celebrating the beauty of brown and Black people, but the public reacted with shock and criticism when it aired. She described being ‘in her own little bubble’ and not anticipating the backlash.

And thinking about it now, she added, “I understand 100 percent why” it was an issue.

Looking back, I really feel like it wasn’t random that Keenyah Hill received the ‘gluttony’ card during that Seven Deadly Sins shoot on Cycle 4. And honestly, it struck me as so deliberate that she was chosen to be the elephant during the safari shoot in South Africa! It felt like the show was really playing into certain perceptions, and it’s something I’ve thought about a lot since then.

During her time on America’s Next Top Model, Keenyah’s fellow contestants noticed she was often eating, and the judges told her she needed to be mindful of her weight.

Hearing Keenyah talk in Reality Check, she really hit the nail on the head for me. She said realizing that was going to be her whole story just felt deeply unfair and, honestly, a little disgusting. It completely resonated – that feeling of being defined by something unwanted is just awful.

She indicated a part of the video that, according to her, was manipulated to appear as though she had eaten three bagels when it was actually just one.

Tyra Banks explained that while she always wanted to celebrate diverse beauty on America’s Next Top Model, the fashion industry at the time had very limited standards. As she said in the documentary, “That’s just the way things were back then.”

Keenyah explained in her book, Reality Check, that criticizing her body wasn’t the only problem during filming; the issues continued even after that.

During a photoshoot in South Africa, Keenyah claimed a male model made unwanted advances towards her. She said he was scantily clad – wearing only a loincloth – and was inappropriately touching and grabbing her. She recalled thinking about how Tyra Banks would handle the situation, deciding she would calmly and professionally stop the shoot and express her discomfort.

But when she did that, as seen on ANTM, nothing happened.

Oh my gosh, it was just heartbreaking! Later, when Tyra was talking to Keenyah at judging, she basically told her she had to find a way to defend herself, but without making things difficult or causing drama. It was like, ‘Be strong, but don’t rock the boat!’ I just wanted to jump through the screen and help her figure it all out!

Tyra said on Reality Check that she “was trying to empower” Keenyah at the time.

Looking back, I realize the best guidance would have been to immediately stop what was happening,” the 52-year-old explained. “That’s what we understand needs to happen now – to protect women. I want to apologize to Keenyah and Booboo. None of us – myself or the network executives – fully understood the situation at the time, and I truly did my best, but she deserved better treatment. She really did.

In her book Reality Check, Tyra Banks described a moment during Cycle 4 when she became frustrated with Tiffany Richardson. Richardson wasn’t taking a task—reading from a teleprompter—seriously and wanted to quit, which upset Tyra.

Tyra explained she simply wanted to help this woman reach her full potential. She believed the woman had the qualities of a true Supermodel and was heartbroken to see her losing confidence and giving up – not just on the competition, but on herself in a much bigger way.

So commenced her “We were all rooting for you!” outburst at judges’ table.

Reflecting on the situation, Tyra admitted she overreacted and lost control. She explained that the issue resonated deeply with her personal experiences as a Black woman, but she acknowledged she had gone too far.

According to a document Jay shared, Tyra responded with a simple “I am disappointed” after he emailed her to say he felt ready to leave the show following Cycle 8.

After that email conversation, they simply stopped talking, Jay explained. He felt it could have been a chance to really connect and discuss things, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Instead, Jay continued, he was asked to return for Cycle 9 and he was too afraid not to say yes.

He mentioned people often worry about being excluded or facing repercussions for their actions. While that specific term wasn’t used, he felt that’s where the situation was headed.

Once filming for Cycle 9 began, Jay explained that Tyra only talked to him when cameras were rolling.

Jay explained that while filming, they had fun and connected, but he wasn’t permitted to communicate with her when the cameras weren’t rolling.

When asked about Jay, Tyra didn’t want to discuss it publicly. “I need to talk to Jay directly,” she explained. “This isn’t the place, and he deserves some respect.”

As a longtime fan, it really struck me hearing Whitney Thompson, the winner of Cycle 10, talk about her experience. She’s such an inspiration – at 5’10” and a size 6, she was the first and only plus-size model to win! But she revealed in the documentary that the show would often give her clothes that didn’t fit, and they’d have to literally cut them open just to get them on her. She said it was incredibly demeaning being constantly reminded she wasn’t the standard sample size the show usually worked with. It just makes you appreciate her win even more, and it’s a really important reminder of the pressures models face.

Whitney explained that while her family could have found clothes that fit her, they didn’t, and she had to cope with it as best she could. She added that appearing vulnerable would make her an easy target.

Winning the competition meant a lot to me,” said the model from Florida. “After that, I signed with Elite Model Management, but they didn’t have a department for plus-size models at the time. I had to advocate for myself, and I eventually became one of the first plus-size models to work with many major brands.

Jay explained that the judges sometimes chose photos to display not because they were the model’s strongest, but because they could find something to criticize – he even mentioned an instance where they focused on visible armpit hair.

He also explained that he was occasionally instructed to help a weaker contestant—simply because her story was so compelling—to create the illusion that she still had a chance of winning.

Jay explained that if the photos aren’t good quality, it will be difficult to justify keeping the person in the competition.

Nigel admitted in the document that they hadn’t always made the right decisions. He acknowledged that they sometimes removed the incorrect person, but accepted that mistakes happen.

Honestly, it just broke my heart when Tyra said that on the show. It was like, she was admitting that not everyone gets their dream, you know? She was saying maybe they should have been clearer that not everyone was going to make it big. It was so real, and kinda sad, but it made me love her even more, because she’s not afraid to say the truth.

Jay explained that after someone was eliminated, they were filmed packing their belongings, leaving the apartment, and then a production assistant would take them to a hotel.

Several past contestants have said that once you’re eliminated, you’re required to stay until the season finishes and aren’t allowed to contact anyone – not even family – right away.

Runway coach J. Alexander, also known as Miss J, explained in the documentary that while he sympathized with the contestants, he knew the fashion industry was incredibly competitive. He said that in the real world, people would quickly take advantage of any weakness.

After leaving the show, it’s a big adjustment,” explained Dionne from Cycle 8, who placed fourth. “You suddenly have to face real life and decide what to do next – whether to pursue modeling, move to New York, or something else. There’s no one there to help you figure it out; you’re on your own.”

Jay remained on the show until Cycle 18 in 2012, when he, Miss J, and Nigel were all let go.

In the documentary, Ken and Tyra remembered network executives telling them that the show needed to evolve.

Tyra explained she was instructed that everything was open for discussion, and as a result, she had to make the difficult decision to part with three of her favorite people.

It was honestly heartbreaking to hear Nigel talk about being let go. He said it was ‘really tough’ and even a little ‘mercenary,’ which I thought was a clever way to put it – he joked they were ‘eliminated’ just like us contestants! And Jay… wow, he really felt blindsided. He described it as being ‘slapped across the face,’ and then again because he’d made so many compromises when he first signed on years ago. It’s just so sad to hear how it went down for both of them.

Jay explained that he, Nigel, and Miss J were promised a press release with quotes explaining their departures from America’s Next Top Model. However, Page Six published the story about their firings first.

Nigel admitted that was likely his most difficult moment. Jay followed up, questioning why those who had been with the show from the beginning weren’t treated with respect and suggesting the situation was intentionally handled poorly.

Tyra shared in the documentary that telling the three finalists they wouldn’t be moving forward was the most difficult thing she’d ever had to do, and she was deeply upset by it, even crying herself to sleep that night.

She continued, stating she still believes Jay, Miss J, and Nigel didn’t think the instructions were authorized by someone higher up, despite her and Ken’s explanations.

J. Alexander revealed in his book, Reality Check, that he was in a coma for five weeks following a stroke on December 27, 2022. Although he’s recovered his speech, he still uses a wheelchair to get around.

The 67-year-old explained in the documentary that she’s been focused on teaching artificial intelligence models how to walk, and now finds herself unable to walk herself—but she’s optimistic about regaining her ability. She’s determined to walk again and believes she’ll be back on her feet soon, stating that her story isn’t over yet.

He mentioned that Jay and Nigel came to see him while he was in the hospital, and Nigel later wondered if Jay even wanted him to see him like that. They connected again more recently while filming the Netflix documentary.

Miss J mentioned Tyra hadn’t come by yet, though she’d texted saying she wanted to. However, she still hadn’t arrived.

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2026-02-16 23:49