Kimora Lee Simmons is reportedly returning to America's Next Top Model.
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In addition, J. "Miss J" Alexander -- who began serving as a regular member of Top Model's judging panel during the show's Fall 2005 fifth season -- is being removed from the panel, the Daily News reported.
Alexander will continue to work on Top Model in his runway expert role, which he has done since the show's first season, but will be replaced on the panel by Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley, according to the Daily News.
"No one is sure why Miss J has been demoted from being a judge back to just doing the runway coaching," a source told the Daily News.
Simmons appeared on Top Model's first-season judging panel along with the show's creator Tyra Banks, supermodel Janice Dickinson and fashion editor Beau Quillian. However she left prior to the show's second season and was replaced by photographer Nigel Barker.
Although Banks and Barker have remained on the panel since the second season, numerous others have filled the third and fourth seats -- including Dickinson (Seasons 1-4), fashion stylist Nole Marin (Seasons 3-4), Jane magazine editor Eric Nicholson (Season 3), fashion icon Twiggy (Seasons 5-9), and former supermodel Paulina Porizkova (Seasons 10-12).
Prior to the show's currently airing thirteenth installment, Porizkova claimed she was fired from the panel due to financial reasons.
Banks and executive producer Ken Mok subsequently confirmed Porizkova was being let go due to "major budget cuts" and they were replacing her with a series of guests judges for the thirteenth season.
"Tyra is obsessed with people's perception of her and was not happy when Porizkova and Dickinson said they didn't get along," a The CW source told the Daily News.
"So Tyra called Kimora to prove the notion [that she doesn't work well with others] wrong."
A network spokesperson told the Daily News that the source's claim was "not true."
The CW began casting for Top Model's fourteenth season in August.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
