J. Alexander

Early life Alexander was born in the South Bronx, New York City, the sixth of nine children of Julius and Mary Jenkins. He cites his mother as the first person to introduce him to fashion. His first job was as a paper boy, delivering the New York Times, to earn money for clothing.

As a teenager, he turned to modeling after meeting Monique Pillard, the president of Elite Model Management. Pillard was so impressed with his look that she signed him to her agency and sent him to Tokyo, where he modeled for three years. Alexander later settled in Paris and would go on to work for designer Jean Paul Gaultier in New York City.

Career

Runway coach Alexander's coaching career began with helping models backstage; he eventually became recognized for his skills. He has been coaching and casting since 1991. He rose to prominence in this field when he coached supermodel Naomi Campbell and model Kimora Lee Simmons. He has also worked with models Nadja Auermann, Meghan Douglas, Susan Holmes, Claudia Mason, Karen Mulder, Tatjana Patitz, and Julia Stegner.

Since 1991, he has helped cast and coach models for designers such as Hervé Léger, Lars Nilsson, Bill Blass, Valentino, John Galliano, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, and Nina Ricci. Alexander stayed on as the show's runway coach until 2012 when he and co-stars Nigel Barker and Jay Manuel were let go as part of a major show renovation.

Alexander's nickname "Miss J" came from Cycle 1 contestant Robin Manning, who often confused Alexander and Manuel. On several occasions she referred to Alexander as "Miss J" by accident because of his flamboyant clothing and personality. Accordingly, Jay Manuel is referred to as "Mr. Jay", and ANTM contestants often call them "The Jays", "The Two Jays" or "Mr. and Miss. Jay" when they appear together.

He has also appeared on international versions of Top Model, such as Canada's Next Top Model, Holland's Next Top Model, Korea's Next Top Model, Estonia's Next Top Model, Scandinavia's Next Top Model and Vietnam's Next Top Model. Alexander appeared on the 4 May 2008 episode of Finland's version of ANTM Suomen huippumalli haussa. In 2009 and the 2011 finale, Alexander appeared on Britain's Next Top Model.

In May 2020, Alexander and Manuel began a weekly Instagram Live series, later syndicated to Facebook and YouTube, based on their experiences working on the show.

In 2026, he appeared in the Netflix documentary series Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model. The documentary focused on the series' numerous controversies surrounding the ethics of the competitions. During the interview, Alexander revealed that he had suffered a stroke in 2022, leaving him unable to walk.

Other work Alexander is interested in design and has handmade all his clothes on America's Next Top Model except for the nurse's outfit: "I did make the hat and the bag."

In 2010, Alexander wrote Follow the Model: Miss J's Guide to Unleashing Presence, Poise, and Power, which "shares his story and offers tips on how to be more confident".

Alexander was featured in the track "Jay Walk (feat. Miss Jay Alexander)" on Leikeli47's album Shape Up (2022).

Personal life Alexander is gay. Alexander has stated on The Tyra Banks Show that he has a son named Boris with his ex-partner. Both Alexander and his ex-boyfriend donated sperm to a French lesbian who wanted a child, and Alexander's ex is the biological father. Alexander has said that he has a "very active role" in Boris' life. He has even joked that his "fashion genes" must have rubbed off on Boris.

Alexander had a stroke on December 27, 2022 and was in a coma for five weeks. This left him paralyzed and unable to talk. Alexander was hospitalized for a year and half during recovery, relearning how to speak. He is still relearning to walk, but can speak.

Publications Follow the Model: Miss J's Guide to Unleashing Presence, Poise, and Power (Simon & Schuster, 2010).

Filmography

Reality television

As actor

Music videos

Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryResult 2009Teen Choice AwardsChoice Fab-u-lous