this is "nightline." >> tonight, he's one of the biggest names in the porn industry. once held as porn's feminist sweetheart, james deen now denying claims of sexual assault after three women come forward with allegations. plus, celebrities like adele, taylor swift, and beyonce commands attention but this online entertainer is the one to beat. with a larger following than those a-listers combined, gaming google pewdiepie shows us how he turned playing video games into an empire. and hoverboards are the hot holiday gift taking off this festive season but reports say some are literally feeling the heat. could some pose a threat of fire? but first, the "nightline 5." >> i asked my dentist if an

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good evening. thanks for joining us. james deen is arguably the most popular male star in the adult film industry. but porn's poster boy who preaches respect for women and safe boundaries now publicly stands accused by several women of sexual assault.

serious accusations prompting major fallout in his otherwise storied career. james deen, the cute guy with the sheepish grin has built an entire porn empire on his boy next door persona. >> i am actually a big believer in -- in romantic love, and i am a hopeless romantic. >> seen here on daily beast tv he is arguably the most popular male star in the $13 billion american adult film industry. appealing to female fans as the sweet sensitive guy, racking up mainstream credits like "the canyons" opposite lindsay lohan and building a loyal following on social media. but that carefully crafted image of the feminist sweetheart was tarnished this weekend when his ex-girlfriend and once frequent costar stoya accused him of rape on twitter. writing on saturday, james deen held me down while i said no, stop. used my safe word.

i just can't nod and smile when people bring him up anymore. stoya's rape allegation made it solidarity with stoya a trending hashtag. >> stoya is beyond honest. >> kayden kross is stoya's friend and business partner. >> she and i have discussed this before. this has been something that's been eating her up for quite some time. and she struggled with whether to say something because the cons are so much greater than what she perceived the pros to be. i mean, the pros are obviously the behavior stopped and she can -- you know, she can get that weight off of her shoulder. she doesn't have to be silent about it anymore. >> stoya's accusations prompting two other actresses coming forward with similar claims against deen, stirring questions about consent and perceived blurred lines between work in the sex industry and actual sexual assault. >> typically the statute of limitations is six years for

rape in california. but you're going to need a complaint. you're going to need someone who is not just going to go on social media, but going to go to the police and say i want this person charged. >> reporter: deen has not been charged with the crime and has denied stoya's accusations on twitter. writing in a series of tweets, there has been some egregious claims made against me on social media. these allegations are both false and defamatory. i respect women and i know and respect limits both professionally and privately. we reached out to deen but he did not respond with comment beyond what he tweeted. he did not address porn star ashleigh fire's story to the daily beast that deen allegedly sexually assaulted her in a communal shower in a porn studio. another actress alleging yet another similar assault writing, i was afraid. james deen ruthlessly attacked and degrading me leaving me with mental wounds that took years to heal. >> there are of course

anonymous commenters who say it's not rape, it's just trespassing if you're a sex worker. but the overwhelming majority has stepped in support of stoya. >> can he file a defamation suit before a lawsuit is filed against him? >> if he files a suit, all of this becomes fair game. so for him to file a lawsuit, he better be telling the truth, that none of this happened because, otherwise, he's going to be exposed not just in the court of public opinion but in a court of law. >> you can't take this one man as a representation of our industry. he acts on his own. we don't support that. it's one person who has crossed the boundaries of too many women and so many isolated situations that he hasn't been stopped until now. >> reporter: but the multiple accusations did prompt several studios to act swiftly on just the allegations alone. kink, a porn studio specializing in rough sex, dropped their highest profile male star. another studio evil angels suspending sales of deen's videos saying it's so contrary

to our company values. and the adult performer advocacy committee accepting deen's resignation as a board member, vowing to, quote, stand with performers and other sex workers who are victims of any sort of sexual assault. >> there are still names out there and they may say something, they may not. and that's their call. my feelings have always been if you were the victim, it's your story, protect it. you do with it what you want, what you will. >> people look down on the porn industry and look down it as being a seedy, dirty thing. but you know what? when push came to shove they rallied behind her. i think that is awesome. >> reporter: amelia mcdonald perry is the editor in chief of "the frisky," a lifestyle blog for women where deen was a featured sex columnist. >> for the most part i liked his advice. i liked the fact it was focused on consent, very focused and communication. and that he was very -- he emphasized it wasn't a one size fits all approach to having good sex or being good in bed. i really liked that.

i thought it gave anybody reading the column the kind of -- my hope was that it gave them the confidence to sort of explore and to try new things with their partners. >> reporter: the site has since killed all future columns. >> i still think the advice itself was good but who it was coming from now, it's -- who knows if it -- if it was genuine. >> reporter: and for some, that's the irony, deen has always preached the idea of respect and boundaries seen here in the web series, girl spot. >> what are the key pointers you like to talk to college campuses about when it comes to sexual education. >> sexual education, let's address that first because that is quick and easy, respect, consent, you know -- >> amen, i'm so glad you said consent. >> reporter: discrepancy causing amelia to give deen a sex advice column alone. >> i've been working with him on a sex column for a website targeted at women, was -- i -- it's among the -- it's kind of

like this worst thing i've ever had to deal with in my professional career. >> reporter: the latest allegations could hurt deen's mainstream appeal, but stoya's friend kayden for one is not sorry. >> i'm proud of her. i'm proud of the people who are standing up to support sex workers, to support women, to absolutely put their foot down and say there's no gray area. i'm glad that it happened in a public place because it sends the loudest and clearest message it can send. up next, the wildly popular social media mogul turning clicks on youtube into fame and fortune. and hoverboards, the safety concerns you need to know about this hot holiday gift item. this hot holiday gift item. t. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me.

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he enjoys twice the number of youtube subscribers as one direction, but he's far from a household name. he's the new breed of celebrity bringing social media success into mainstream stardom. tonight our colleague and yahoo! global news anchor katie couric goes behind the scenes with

26-year-old internet mega star pewdiepie for our series, social stars. >> reporter: adele's latest album may be breaking records but when it comes to the world of youtube, adele, taylor swift, and beyonce combined can't top this guy's numbers. they call him pewdiepie, famous for recording himself playing video games. >> oh, my god. what the [ bleep ]. i can't find them now? >> how did you get the name pewdiepie? >> it's like any gamer, i guess, will have a nickname. i would nick pew die, like the lasers, pew pew. and i would yell out pewdiepie whenever i did well in games and people would just laugh. i went with it. >> they told me i could become anything.

>> reporter: his real name felix kjellberg, 26-year-old online gamer currently has the most popular channel on youtube with over 46 million subscribers. his videos now seen over 10 billion times. when the numbers started to climb though, i mean, it must have been a little mind blowing for you. was it? >> i never expected it. i've never been the popular guy or whatever. to all of a sudden be in this situation where there's so many people who loves what you do and appreciates what you do, that's amazing. i couldn't be happier about it. >> reporter: it all started five years ago when the swedish gamer began uploading videos of himself playing games along with some colorful commentary. >> it's at least 7.5. people watch for many different reasons. maybe you watch someone else play the game because you want to learn about the game. you want to become better at the game. kind of like you watch sports, i would say. but for me it's different. i think no one watches me to get

better at games. people watch me to just be entertained and feel like they're hanging out. >> never let go. >> you're like their friend. you're hanging out with their -- they're hanging out with a friend. >> in a sense, yeah. that's part of the appeal. yeah. >> what's the other part? >> well, it's funny. i hope. >> don't patronize me, hasselhoff, i can do it, too. >> and pewdiepie has now turned his millions of views into a profit. >> it's coming from my knee. >> reporter: his monthly earnings estimated to reach up to $1.4 million. i guess for a whole host of reasons you decided i'm going to quit school and i'm going to start making these videos. right? >> i just felt like i was on the wrong path in life. it wasn't really what i wanted to do. and i saw that there was this opportunity over here that seemed insane and seemed too good to be true but i wanted to give it a shot at least, and i'm here now and i'm lucky it worked out. >> i feel so freakin' pumped to

play this game. >> what did your parents think? i know your parents are quite successful, kind of corporate executive types i understand. how did they feel when you said, hey, this is what it want to do? did they think you were nuts? >> i think any parent would think that, yeah. but i think once they saw the fans' reactions they understood it meant so much to so many people what i was doing, that's when they realized, okay, this is actually a thing. >> reporter: it's a trend that's now being referred to as the let's play phenomenon where watching someone play a video game is as entertaining as playing the game itself. in fact, it's so popular that the website twitch which streams live "let's play" videos has reached the fourth most visited site on the web, above facebook and amazon. meanwhile, the pewdiepie brand continues to grow. >> this is katie couric playing with pewdiepie, and we're playing the game that you actually created. i couldn't call it a day without stepping in to pewdiepie's world.

let's go to level one. >> let's go to level one. i can tell you're anxious to play. >> yeah. what did i win? >> a duck. >> a duck. let's me go down stairs. >> why are you swearing? you can't do that? >> sorry. we're going to have to bleep this out. shoot. >> yeah! >> where am i going? >> go right. go right. go right. >> wait! >> yes, you're doing amazing. jump, jump, jump. no, tap it. [ bleep ]. >> that's okay. you killed my dog. no big deal. >> after a few homes i realized why so many viewers come back for more. >> this is -- calm down. i love that. >> you have a whole group of followers that call themselves the bro army. >> the bros. the bros, yeah. >> where did this whole bros thing come from? >> it started ironically a long time ago. i would play horror games. to make myself less scared, i would call him bro. and it just spawned from there. >> even the girls who follow you are called bros, right?

>> they like that. no one has a problem with that. >> surprising perhaps, maybe not to you, but you have a lot of female fans. >> i think that's cool. especially with gaming or whatever, i think most people think it's just guys. but it's cool to see that anyone can enjoy it. i feel like then i've done my job. >> this loyal fan base is following him as he launches new ventures. >> am i signing all of these? >> reporter: his first book number one on "the new york times" young adult paperback best-seller list. next year he will be releasing a new series on youtube called "scare pewdiepie." >> do you think at some point you will be too old to be pewdiepie? >> i mean, yeah, ridiculous. like i'm 70 and i'm just sitting there playing games. commentating like i am now. i feel like already in these five years my content has evolved a lot and i think it will keep evolving. >> do you see yourself continuing to do this or do you want to use this as a springboard for other opportunities?

>> it's true. a lot of people do want to use youtube as a springboard. but for me, it started as a passion for gaming. that's what i want to keep doing. >> this is making me so anxious. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm katie couric in new york. >> as they say, stay tuned. for katie's full interview go to yahoo!.com/katiecouric. up next, it's the hottest gadget trend this gift giving season. could concerns over safety slow its roll? could concerns after a dvt bloo. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots,

but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you. innovative sonicare technology with up to 27% more brush movements versus oral b. get healthier gums in 2 weeks guaranteed. innovation and you.

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did you know that people born from 1945 through 1965 have the highest rates of hepatitis c, but most don't know they're infected? people can live for decades without symptoms, but over time hepatitis c can cause serious health problems. if you were born during these years, the cdc now recommends that you get a blood test for hepatitis c. so talk to your doctor and find out if you have hepatitis c. it could save your life. know more. hoverboards, it's this

season's hottest toy, coolest gadget, and slickest thrill ride rolled into one. turning sci-fi dreams into a reality. but reports of some of these boards catching fire raising some safety concerns tonight. here's abc's matt gutman. >> hoverboard. >> what once seemed to be the stuff of science fiction in "back to the future" has morphed into the must-have holiday gift of the present. >> you got that turned down. it's like a racetrack. >> reporter: more than a million watched kendall jenner go through the house and the bieb himself gave it a whirl. hoverboard, self-balancing scooters, are flying off virtual shelves. on cyber monday one sold every 12 seconds just on ebay. >> they're flashy. they're kind of practical in that you can move a little bit faster on them. but really they're fun and zippy and you can show off on them. >> i'm boxing here.

>> reporter: on youtube unboxing videos are scoring millions of views. but with every new craze, new rules. cleveland cavaliers banned them from their arena. sorry, lebron. they're already banned from the streets and sidewalks of new york city and starting january 1st, also banned here in california from sidewalks. the only place you will be able to ride them is on pathways and bike lanes. some even calling them dangerous. >> it's on fire! >> reporter: the owner of this scooter claims it spontaneously combusted, bursting into flames. hayden was all grins when he got a scooter for his birthday but a day later his mother says something went wrong. >> sparks just flying. the middle part of the board just poof into flames. >> reporter: his mother says she couldn't put out the fire, and it consumed their entire home. the cause of that fire is still under investigation. >> there have been so many. different knockoffs put out. if something feels like it's hundreds of dollars less than the next model, there's probably a reason. >> reporter: another safety concern to deal with, wiping

out, as we learned the first few moments are jerky. and youtube is filled with far worse hoverboard fails. experts urge kids to wear helmets and their parents to avoid the cheaper knockoff versions, so you might have to shell out a few hundred extra bucks to get the real thing. >> as with all new technologies, they're likely to improve rapidly and the cost is likely to come down rapidly. so if you can't get one this year, don't be too upset because next year they will probably be half the price. >> reporter: or it's possible you could get something even cooler. lexus is developing this one that actually levitates. >> everything you know, this is it. >> reporter: skateboard legend tony hawk is helping developers at hendo with their design. but for now, got to keep working on figuring out this one. matt gutman, abc news for "nightline."

thanks for watching. tune in to "good morning america" first thing in the morning. as always, we're online 24/7 on our "nightline" facebook page and at abcnews.com. good night, america.