Miss J Alexander Spent Five Weeks in a Coma After Stroke, Reveals New Documentary
Miss J Alexander, the longtime runway coach and fixture of America's Next Top Model, has opened up about a life-altering health crisis that left him hospitalized and unable to walk or speak. In a new documentary series, he detailed how a stroke on December 27, 2022 (ET) put him in a coma for five weeks and launched a difficult recovery.
Hospitalization and the first weeks of recovery
Alexander described waking in a hospital room with no clear sense of place and the shock of finding himself unable to communicate or move. "On December 27th of 2022, I had a stroke, " he said. "I woke up. I didn’t know where I was other than in the hospital. 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 coach was candid about the emotional toll the early days took. He acknowledged crying and said he was not ashamed to show that vulnerability. That frankness frames much of the documentary, which traces his progress from a hospital bed through the slow, painstaking work of rehabilitation.
Support from former colleagues and public reaction
Former colleagues visited while he was hospitalized, offering both practical and emotional support. One recalled the powerful moment of reconnecting, saying that when he saw Alexander he was visibly happy and that the two of them cried together. Another visitor described how upsetting it was to witness Alexander's initial condition and how hard it must have been to be in his mind at that time.
The documentary brings those reunions into focus, showing how shared history and friendship helped sustain him. One friend reflected on the stark contrast between Alexander's early condition—when he could barely move or speak—and how he appears now: sitting up, engaging in interviews, joking and making others laugh. Such scenes underline the distance he has traveled, even as the work of recovery continues.
Determination to return to the runway
Despite the setbacks, Alexander framed his future with determination and a clear affection for his craft. "I miss being the queen of the runway, " he said. "The catwalks, of course. I’m the person who taught models how to walk. And now I can’t walk... Not yet. I’m determined to walk. I’m sure you’re gonna see me again, I’m sure. It’s not over for me yet. "
He also shared that the fellow stars with whom he worked for many years checked in during his hospital stay. He mentioned receiving a text from the show's former lead expressing a wish to visit, though that visit had not yet taken place at the time of filming. The sequence in the documentary highlights small gestures—texts, visits and bedside conversations—that have buoyed him through recovery.
Alexander's story in the series serves as a reminder of both the fragility of health and the resilience of the human spirit. His candid reflections about fear, loss and hope provide a rare, intimate look at what it takes to rebuild after a catastrophic medical event. As he continues physical therapy and vocal work, he has made one thing clear: walking the runway again remains a central goal, and he believes he will get there.
The documentary places Alexander's health journey alongside recollections from former castmates, probing moments from the show's history while centering the coach's present-day determination to reclaim the life that stroke interrupted.
