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Brian Jordan Alvarez, the creator and star of FX's critically acclaimed series English Teacher, has been accused of sexual assault by former co-star Jon Ebeling.
Ebeling alleges that Alvarez, 37, sexually assaulted him while they worked together on the digital series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, which aired on YouTube back in 2016.
Ebeling claims he filed a police report of the incident and reported Alvarez to the Screen Actors Guild, the day before English Teacher premiered, according to Vulture.
They starred alongside Stephanie Koenig, who also co-stars with Alvarez in The English Teacher. Ebeling claims the web series mirrored their real-life relationship.
'A major plot point is a sexual encounter between Caleb and Billy that occurs after Billy and Karen have sex for the first time. It is a nearly beat-for-beat reenactment of what transpired among the three actors off set,' Vulture reported.
Ebeling claims he was pressured by Alvarez to have sex with him, alleging that Alvarez sexually assaulted him while they were shooting the scene for the show.
Alvarez has denied the allegations, and said their interactions were 'entirely consensual' in a statement to TheWrap.
Brian Jordan Alvarez, 37, the creator and star of FX's critically acclaimed series English Teacher, has been accused of sexual assault by former co-star Jon Ebeling; Alvarez pictured December 5 in West Hollywood
Ebeling (pictured) alleges that Alvarez sexually assaulted him while they worked together on the digital series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, which aired on YouTube in 2016
Vulture's article detailed Alvarez and Ebeling's fallout, with Ebeling recalling two incidents in which he claims he was assaulted by Alvarez, one in 2015 and one on-set in 2016.
Ebeling recalled the alleged on-set incident: 'I am assuming nobody on set knows what's going on under the comforter, and I'm just frozen… I didn't know what to do.'
'I'm on set with my director, who is assaulting me. It was a horrible feeling. I was like, "Wait a second. I didn't consent to this." We didn’t talk about this. I was raped.'
A spokesperson for Alvarez told The Wrap: 'Brian Jordan Alvarez’s interactions with Jon Ebeling were always entirely consensual – as numerous witnesses have attested.'
'Indeed, in 2018, two years after this alleged incident, Mr. Ebeling himself unambiguously said as much on tape. For many months, Mr. Ebeling has peddled his falsehoods to anyone who would listen but, when confronted with proof of his duplicity and definitive evidence provided by third parties showing why Mr. Ebeling should not be trusted, numerous media outlets declined to print his outrageous claims.'
English Teacher is a comedy-drama series that premiered on FX in September 2024.
The show centers around Evan Marquez, a high school English teacher in Austin, Texas, played by Alvarez.
Despite the show's popularity, it has yet to be renewed for a second season.
They starred alongside Stephanie Koenig, who also co-stars with Alvarez in The English Teacher. Ebeling claims the series mirrored their real-life relationship; The three seen in a still
Ebeling claims he was pressured by Alvarez to have sex with him, alleging that Alvarez sexually assaulted him while they were shooting a scene for the show; the trio pictured in a still
Ebeling claims he filed a police report of the incident and reported Alvarez (seen in November) to the Screen Actors Guild, the day before English Teacher premiered, according to Vulture
Alvarez has denied the allegations, and said their interactions were 'entirely consensual' in a statement to TheWrap; seen in a still from English Teacher
An FX spokesperson told the Daily Beast regarding the allegations: 'We reviewed the allegations presented to us by another media outlet prior to the show’s launch.'
'Mr. Ebeling never reached out to us with any concerns. We will have no further comment at this time.'
English Teacher was recently recognized as one of the best television series of the year by The New York Times, and has a 98% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The show also has several nominations at both the upcoming Critics Choice and Independent Spirit Awards.
Alvarez is nominated for Best Lead Performance at the Indie Spirits, alongside acclaimed actors like Julianne Moore, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Lily Gladstone.
He's also nominated for Best Actor at the Critics Choice Awards alongside the likes of David Alan Grier and Martin Short.
Koenig, who was dating Ebeling at the time of the alleged assault, is also nominated for her supporting performance.
She and Ebeling split after she allegedly interpreted what happened between Ebeling and Alvarez as cheating, according to Vulture.
According to Ebeling, Koenig and their mutual friends sided with Alvarez, dismissing his allegations as jealousy over Alvarez's success.
Despite the show's popularity, it has yet to be renewed for a second season. The show also has several nominations at the upcoming Critics Choice and Independent Spirit Awards. Alvarez is nominated for Best Lead Performance and Best Actor
Koenig (pictured in a still) who was dating Ebeling at the time of the alleged assault, is also nominated for her supporting performance in the show
English Teacher is a comedy-drama series that premiered on FX in September. The show centers around Evan Marquez, a high school English teacher in Texas, played by Alvarez
Set at Morrison-Hensley High School, English Teacher follows Marquez (Brian) as he finds himself at the intersection of the professional, political, and personal aspects of working at a high school.
He joins the rest of the school faculty, who are struggling to connect and form a bond with their Gen Z students.
Also at Morrison-Hensley High is his Evan's best friend Gwen Sanders (Koenig), an optimistic and personable history teacher.
English Teacher is currently available to stream on Hulu. The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo is available to stream on YouTube.
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