Alexander was born in the South Bronx, New York City, the sixth of nine children of Julius and Mary Jenkins.[1] 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.[7]
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.[4][8]
In 1993, he gave an interview on the premiere episode of the British television show Eurotrash, discussing his career as a teacher of runway models in Milan and his life.
America's Next Top Model
In 2003, Banks created the reality competition series America's Next Top Model (ANTM) as a way to give general audiences a look into what makes a supermodel. Banks, who was a close friend of Alexander, invited him to participate. He served solely as a runway coach for the first four seasons before also being added as judge on Cycle 5 and on.[11] During Cycle 14 of the show, Alexander was replaced as a permanent judge on the panel by Vogue editor at large André Leon Talley.[12] 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.[13]
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.[14]
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.[16]
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."[4] "All the dresses that you see me wear at the challenges, I actually sit down with a needle and thread, not even with a sewing machine, and make them all by hand. I made the ruffles and everything."[4] He also taught design at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia for 15 years during his off-time from ANTM and after.[17]
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".[18]
Alexander was featured in the track "Jay Walk (feat. Miss Jay Alexander)" on Leikeli47's album Shape Up (2022).
Personal life
Alexander is gay.[9][19] 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.[20][21] 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.[22]
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.[23][24]
Publications
Follow the Model: Miss J's Guide to Unleashing Presence, Poise, and Power (Simon & Schuster, 2010), ISBN978-1-4391-5051-1.
12345Indramalar, S. (February 15, 2008). "Queen of the Runway". Star Publications. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
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