CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses alleged sexual assault.
English Teacher was one of the breakout shows of 2024, becoming a hit on Disney+ in Australia and nabbing a 98 per cent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. It seemed like a season two would be inevitable, but the show’s future is now on the rocks after creator and star Brian Jordan Alvarez has been hit with serious sexual assault allegations.
Vulture published an in-depth feature about Alvarez’s former friend and collaborator Jon Ebeling and his alleged experience on the web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo back in 2016.
Ebeling alleges Alvarez sexually assaulted him during filming and the publication says he reported it to police and the Screen Actors Guild the day before English Teacher premiered.
The incident allegedly saw Alvarez “sucking [Ebeling’s] penis” under a cover while on set, with Ebeling saying he “froze”. In a text sent to English Teacher star and his then-girlfriend Stephanie Koenig, Ebeling wrote: “We were shooting and Brian took a huge goddamn liberty. I’m so fucking upset. I feel like I was raped.”
Alvarez responded to the allegations through his lawyer and denied all claims, with his representatives saying Ebeling “consented verbally” to doing the alleged sex act “for real” prior to filming.
FX, the US network behind English Teacher, has now spoken out about the claims and said they were aware of them before the show’s launch. However, they have declined to comment on whether the show will be given a second season.
“We reviewed the allegations presented to us by another media outlet prior to the show’s launch,” an FX spokesperson told the Daily Beast.
“Mr Ebeling never reached out to us with any concerns. We will have no further comment at this time.”
Brian Jordan Alvarez responds to sexual assault allegations
Brian Jordan Alvarez has now responded to the sexual assault allegations with a lengthy statement to the Daily Beast.
“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,” Alvarez’s spokesperson said.
“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 decided to print his outrageous claims. Sadly, New York Magazine displayed no such judgement in its reckless headlong pursuit of publishing a salacious, attention-grabbing article, no matter the truth,” they continued.
“As well as minimising Mr Ebeling’s taped admission that his relationship with Brian had always been consensual, New York Magazine entirely ignored first-hand testimony about Mr Ebeling’s history as a perpetrator of scarring acts of assault. That’s beyond disappointing and is a deeply troubling reflection on New York Magazine’s ethics — and anyone tempted to republish Mr. Ebeling’s claims should be aware of the risks involved in doing so. Brian is currently taking legal advice as he considers his next steps.”
Ebeling has been sharing his story for the past few years, and even posted a cryptic Instagram Story about his alleged ordeal about a month before the show premiered.
Alongside a snap of the English Teacher poster, he wrote: “My personal experience with the Creator of [English Teacher] was much closer to the plot of B*by Reind**r than whatever this is.”
It’s unclear what will happen next, with FX keeping quiet about the fate of English Teacher. Perhaps the network is waiting for the allegations to blow over, but it doesn’t seem like Ebeling is going to stop talking about his alleged ordeal anytime soon.
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
Lead image: FX
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