why is miss j in a wheelchair

Miss J (J. Alexander from “America’s Next Top Model”) is in a wheelchair because he suffered a serious stroke in late 2022 that left him unable to walk and initially unable to speak.

Quick Scoop: What Happened?

• On December 27, 2022, Miss J had a stroke and woke up in the hospital, disoriented and unable to move as before.

• He spent about five weeks in a coma, and when he woke up, he couldn’t walk or talk, which was emotionally devastating for him.

• The stroke caused paralysis and mobility issues, so he now uses a wheelchair while he continues treatment and rehabilitation.

“I’m the person who taught models how to walk… and now I can’t walk,” he says in the recent Netflix documentary, explaining how hard that loss has been for him.

Latest News & Documentary Context

• Miss J revealed these health struggles publicly in the 2026 Netflix docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.”

• In the documentary, he talks about crying and wondering what his life would look like after losing the ability to walk and speak the way he used to.

• He shares that fellow ANTM figures Jay Manuel and Nigel Barker visited and supported him during his recovery, while Tyra Banks has not visited him yet, which has become part of the online discussion.

How Forums Are Talking About It

Online pop culture and fan forums have been discussing several angles of this news:

• Many fans say they were shocked because his stroke and recovery were kept private for a long time and only recently revealed.

• Commenters express sadness seeing such a high-energy runway coach in a wheelchair, but also a lot of admiration for his resilience and sense of humor in the doc.

• There’s ongoing debate about how ANTM treated its talent in general and whether more support should have been visible from the franchise and its host after his stroke.

One commenter summed up the mood: they were devastated to learn what happened but hopeful he’ll make progress with physical therapy and regain some mobility over time.

Miss J’s Outlook Going Forward

Despite everything, Miss J is very clear that he isn’t giving up:

• He says he is determined to walk again and believes people will see him back on his feet in the future.

• Fans and some medical professionals commenting in forums point out that stroke recovery can continue for years and that with therapy, improvements are possible even long after the initial event.

So, the reason Miss J is in a wheelchair right now is not a minor injury or a storyline twist, but the long-term impact of a severe stroke in 2022, and he’s actively working through rehab with a hopeful mindset.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.