English Teacher creator Brian Jordan Alvarez accused of assault by former collaborator

Alvarez decided to include the incident in the webseries, which Ebeling agreed to. However, he says that when they were filming a scene in which Alvarez’s character was supposed to mime a blowjob under a sheet, Alvarez actually performed oral sex on Ebeling. Ebeling froze in the moment and later told Koenig he felt like he’d been “raped.” Through a representative, Alvarez claims all sexual contact with Ebeling was consensual. Alvarez’s lawyer told Vulture that “Brian briefly made contact with Mr. Ebeling’s penis under the covers, believing (correctly and justifiably in light of Brian’s then-current sexual relationship with Mr. Ebeling) that Mr. Ebeling was fine with it.” The lawyer also stated in a follow-up that Ebeling “consented verbally” to doing it “for real” beforehand, which Ebeling denies. 

A representative for Alvarez shared a statement with The A.V. Club, maintaining that the “interactions with Jon Ebeling were always entirely consensual” and that Ebeling “unambiguously said as much on tape.” The representative added that Alvarez “is currently taking legal advice as he considers his next steps” against both Ebeling’s claims and against New York Magazine for printing them.

Though Ebeling told Koenig and other friends what happened and that he was uncomfortable with it, he says based on their reactions he “convinced myself this was a miscommunication.” He went on to continue having a close relationship with Alvarez and collaborating with him and the rest of the friend group on additional projects. However, over time he reassessed the situation and reaffirmed his own belief that he’d been assaulted, sharing the story with others and eventually posting the allegations publicly. 

You can read the full story, which includes an admission from Alvarez of harassing a fellow student at USC, here. 

This story has been updated to include a statement from Alvarez’s representation.