We are rooting for you, Miss J!
The health crisis was documented on the new Netflix docuseries, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, which premiered Feb. 16.
The documentary features candid footage from Alexander’s hospital room, where he remained for 17 months. While the series chronicles the cutthroat nature of the reality competition that made him a household name, the focus shifts to the former runway model’s current reality as he navigates life in a wheelchair—a detail revealed only in the final minutes of the docuseries.
Long before becoming the “Queen of the Catwalk,” Alexander’s path was nearly a corporate one; he originally attended school to become an accountant. However, Miss J’s life changed at 16 when he met Monique Pillard, then the president of Elite Model Management, while performing in drag.
Pillard recognized his potential and sent him to Tokyo, where he modeled for three years before settling in Paris and eventually walking for Jean-Paul Gaultier in New York City.
By 1991, Alexander transitioned backstage, becoming one of the industry’s most sought-after casting directors and runway coaches. He is credited with refining the walks of legends like Naomi Campbell, Kimora Lee Simmons, and a young Tyra Banks.
Manuel and Barker are both shown visiting Alexander during his lengthy hospitalization. Barker described the visit as a “terrible shock.”
“When he saw me, he was happy to see me and the two of us cried together, and I held him,” Barker recalled. Manuel further reflected on the gravity of the situation, adding, “I can only imagine where he was in his mind.”
The documentary also addressed the notable absence of series creator, Tyra Banks, at Alexander’s bedside. When asked in archival hospital footage if Banks had visited, Alexander replied, “No, not yet. She just sent me a text that she wants to come and visit me.”
“I cried myself to sleep that night,” Banks said. “But bosses have bosses… the big boss was very clear. There are no sacred cows.”
Despite the physical limitations imposed by the stroke, Alexander remains defiant. The man who taught the world’s most famous models how to glide across the stage is now focused on reclaiming his own ability to walk. The experience has been deeply humbling for the fashion legend, who admitted to the internal struggle.
“I cried. I am not ashamed to say that I cried.”
“I miss being the queen of the runway,” Alexander said. “I am the person who taught models how to walk, and now I can’t walk. Not yet. I am determined to walk. I am sure you are going to see me again. It’s not over for me yet.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
