{"id":46182,"date":"2026-02-17T22:15:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T22:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/?p=46182"},"modified":"2026-02-17T15:41:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:41:40","slug":"jael-strauss-tragically-passed-away-after-americas-next-top-model-heres-what-happened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/02\/17\/jael-strauss-tragically-passed-away-after-americas-next-top-model-heres-what-happened\/","title":{"rendered":"Jael Strauss tragically passed away after America&#8217;s Next Top Model, here&#8217;s what happened"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"309\">Jael Strauss is one of those <a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/02\/17\/the-brutal-real-reason-antms-first-winner-adrianne-curry-isnt-appearing-on-the-show\/\">America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/a> names that will always stay in our memories.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"309\">Back on cycle eight, which aired in 2007, she was the tall, quirky, big-hearted contestant who felt like she\u2019d be your chaotic-but-sweet bestie in the model apartment.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"311\" data-end=\"562\">But Jael\u2019s story didn\u2019t freeze-frame at her elimination. She placed sixth on the show. After the cameras stopped rolling, her life veered into some seriously heavy chapters, along with hard-won moments of healing and purpose.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"564\" data-end=\"600\">What happened to Jael after ANTM?<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dr Phil top model intervention\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tyDrYSgim8o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"602\" data-end=\"967\">If you remember Jael\u2019s vibe on the show, funny, open, a little messy in the most human way, you\u2019re not imagining it.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"602\" data-end=\"967\">She was magnetic, and she did keep modelling and creating after her time on the series, including reportedly being signed with Otto Models and later working with projects like HeartWater and The Legging Project.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"969\" data-end=\"1383\">But the most public post-ANTM moment came years later, when Jael\u2019s struggles with meth addiction became <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/blogs\/entertainment\/2012\/09\/jael-strauss-americas-next-top-model-finalist-battles-meth-addiction\">widely reported<\/a> around the time she appeared on Dr Phil in 2012.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"969\" data-end=\"1383\">At the time, reports described that her family was seeking help through an intervention.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1385\" data-end=\"1703\">Jael fought her way back. In a later interview discussed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autostraddle.com\/jael-from-americas-next-top-model-is-sober-reflective-also-a-lesbian-apparently-362720\/\">Autostraddle<\/a>, she said she\u2019d been sober for over three years and was living in Austin, Texas, working at a rehab centre.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1705\" data-end=\"2114\">That same piece also notes Jael spoke about her sexuality, saying she and fellow cycle eight contestant Renee Alway were \u201cboth lesbians\u201d and that their shared experiences, including addiction, helped them connect.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"2116\" data-end=\"2151\">She tragically passed away at 34<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&#039;America&#039;s Next Top Model&#039; Alum Jael Strauss Dies at 34\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GLg4O2LGbW8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2153\" data-end=\"2341\">In October 2018, Jael shared that she\u2019d been diagnosed on October 2 with stage IV breast cancer and said it had spread aggressively and was incurable, per <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/americas-next-top-model-star-jael-strauss-dies-from-cancer-aged-34-11572005\">Sky News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2343\" data-end=\"2582\">Just two months later, on December 4, 2018, Jael died at age 34, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2018\/12\/04\/americas-next-top-model-contestant-jael-strauss-dies-breast-cancer\/\">TMZ<\/a> stating she passed away in hospice.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2343\" data-end=\"2582\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/jaelsbattlewithcancer\">Tributes poured in<\/a>, with her family remembering how much \u201clight\u201d she brought to people, per <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/americas-next-top-model-jael-strauss-dead\/\">PEOPLE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2584\" data-end=\"2998\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">It\u2019s heartbreaking, especially knowing she\u2019d already done the impossible once by clawing her way into sobriety and building a life centred on helping others.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2584\" data-end=\"2998\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Jael\u2019s legacy isn\u2019t only \u201cANTM contestant\u201d or \u201ctragic headline.\u201d It\u2019s also the bravery of getting honest, getting help, and choosing to be a source of hope for other people, even when her own life was unbelievably hard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>For all the latest reality TV cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates \u2013 like\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i>Reality Shrine<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><i>\u00a0on\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/realityshrineofficial?rdid=TzQu2kEd2cUqU4rD&amp;share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F14zX5cKubf%2F#\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i>Facebook<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><i>.<\/i><i><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>She passed away at just 34<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249734210,"featured_media":46207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1358],"tags":[2145,1438],"class_list":["post-46182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-americas-next-top-model","tag-netflix"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/02\/17\/jael-strauss-tragically-passed-away-after-americas-next-top-model-heres-what-happened\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Jael Strauss tragically passed away after America&#8217;s Next Top Model, here&#8217;s what 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