this is "nightline." >> tonight, the stunning admission from comedian louis ck. apologizing for sexual misconduct and misusing his power. was there truth behind the jokes in his standup specials? >> i'm a prisoner for sexual perversion. >> shedding light on the secret struggles of women in comedy. >> you're like, wow, i've been knighted, he thinks i'm funny, this is so amazing. then you realize, no they just want to get in your pants. the real iron man? a british inventor mastering the physics of flight, soaring in his homemade jet-powered suit like a big-screen superhero. already breaking speed records. now producing them for private sale. but you might need tony stark's fortune to get one.

but first the "nightline" 5. >> it's here. the jcpenney holiday challenge. get everything on your list for less than you think. like blouses, $19.99. 60% off sport coats. 50% off jeans. boots for $24.99. get $10 off with your coupon. jcpenney. sometimes a cough gets in the way of a good night's sleep. that's when he needs vick's vaporub. proven cough medicine with eight hours of vapors so heck sleep. vick's vaporub. good night, coughs. >> number one in just 60 seconds. thank you, ikea. oh, john can't come. my uncle geoff just confirmed. the one that's always bringing a plus-one? yes, but we've got plus-one insurance. what's your dream? at ikea, we help you live it. make the dream yours. (cheering)

thank you, ikea. oh, john can't come. my uncle geoff just confirmed. the one that's always bringing a plus-one? yes, but we've got plus-one insurance. what's your dream? at ikea, we help you live it. make the dream yours. (cheering) good evening. thank you for joining us. he's one of the most popular comedians of our time. hailed as a genius. even considered by some a champion of feminism. but now louis ck stands accused

of multiple instances of sexual misconduct. tonight the comedian saying it's all true. a shock to many of his fans. but in retrospect, has he been revealing his true self all along? here's my "nightline" coanchor juju chang. >> reporter: these stories are true. four words that have confirmed the explosive allegations of sexual misconduct against one of the biggest names in comedy. >> there's no greater threat to women than men. we're the number one threat to women. >> reporter: louis ck. just hours ago acknowledging that the accusations that he masturbated in front of three women and behaved inappropriately with two others are true. >> louis ck was revered in comedy. he was considered by many people a feminist and a person who empowered women. so to have these allegations come out was really a shock to fans. >> reporter: a team of "new york times" reporters, including cara buckley and melana risik, broke

the bombshell story. >> there had been rumors for years and years. >> reporter: emboldened by the seismic shift of people speaking out after the harvey weinstein scandal, two female comedians telling these reporters what happened with louis ck all those years ago. >> they had this big break in 2002, got to perform at the u.s. comedy arts festival in aspen, which is a high bar for comedy. after their show louis ck invited them back to his hotel to hang out. they thought, cool, he's a comedian we admire. >> and they're together. >> they're together. they didn't think his intentions were anything but collegial. before they sat down, before they had a chance to take off their coats and hats, he said, can i take out my penis? they laughed it off. then he proceeded to live totally naked and began masturbating. >> they laughed because they thought it was a joke? >> they thought it was a joke. >> did they consent to doing this? >> they said they did not consent. they couldn't believe it was happening and then when it was over, they fled the room and

they were in a state of shock. >> reporter: the comedy duo says they initially didn't report what happened to authorities. why did they feel they couldn't go to police? >> they weren't sure whether it was illegal, or whether their story would get the right attention from the police. everything that happened to them was, they felt, very surreal and they didn't know what to do. >> reporter: they say they realized something needed to be done. they tried to shame ck by telling their story within the comedy world. >> they began to tell everyone that they could. and they said people began sort of to back away as if the information they were saying was dangerous. their takeaway was, we're being warned, we shouldn't talk about this. >> best-selling author, comedian, and virgin until i was 27 -- >> reporter: heather mcdonald, actress and comedienne based in los angeles. she knows the dark side of the entertainment world too well. >> the minute you talk about somebody that's powerful, they can ruin you. they can blackball you, they can keep projects from happening. and so when people do say, let

me tell you this story, oftentimes someone will say, i'd keep that to yourself. >> reporter: the comedy duo told the "times" reporters it was ck's manager, dave becky in particular, who intimidated them. >> mr. becky has denied that he threatened any of these women. what do the women you've talked to say? >> they say becky is an incredible powerful kingmaker in the comedy world. especially if you're new to the field and you're just making your way in it. you wouldn't want to anger that person, you wouldn't want to start off on the wrong foot with that person. >> reporter: among other accusers, rebecca corey who was working on a television pilot produced by courteney cox and david arquette when she says she was approached by ck. >> 2005, she was a producer and actor on a show "midnightly news." louis ck was a guest. he pulled her aside and said, can i masturbate in front of you? she said no, horrified. word reached courteney cox and david arquette. they talked about whether to shut down production.

rebecca decided against it. but she was absolutely appalled. >> reporter: the "times" reports arquette and cox confirm the incident. cox writing in an e-mail that what happened to rebecca was awful. mcdonald says even though the comedy world is raunchy at times -- >> i'm married so i can pay people to touch me. >> reporter: it's not a justification for harassment. >> people were saying this about the comics that spoke up, the female comics, that they had an edgy, dirty act. and that is no excuse. a female comic does not mean that she cannot be sexually harassed, that she cannot be sexually offended. >> reporter: louis ck part of an exclusive group of hollywood heavyweights now joining another club. men all accused of varying degrees of sexual misconduct. >> we're there to do standup, we don't want to see your penis in the green room. >> reporter: louis ck rose to fame poking fun at his appearance. >> i'm the guy women see and

they go, huh? i'm like, i know, but let me talk to you for a minute. >> reporter: and his sexual hang-ups and peccadillos as in this hbo special. >> these days my problem is simple, trying to find a place in my house where i can masturbate without somebody bothering me. >> reporter: he turned what seemed like raw self-awareness into mega stardom. live tours. comedy specials. ♪ and a hit tv show that he wrote, directed, and edited. but his material, which never shied away from talking about his sexual impulses, often turned dark. >> women try to compete. i'm a pervert, you don't know. i have really sick sexual thoughts. no, you have no idea. you have no idea. >> reporter: comedy that so many may have chuckled at but psychologist and sex therapist chris donahue says this is 92 no laughing matter. >> louis ck has a history of frequently making jokes about

masturbation and sexual assault, normalizing sexually assaulting women, and has a history of that. so that is a red flag and that is a huge concern. >> what? no, no, no -- >> reporter: in an episode of "louis" from 2014, his character tries to drag his long-time crush into the bedroom against her wishes. it drew ire at the time and it's now taking on new meaning. >> you want to do something, you want to try something but you don't -- you can't, for some reason you can't. so i'm going to take control. and i'm going to make something happen. >> reporter: at the time ck responded to the criticism saying, i don't think you can call it rape, it was a kiss on the mouth. rape is a real serious and bad thing. in 2014, he spoke to abc news about his willingness to push boundaries in his comedy. >> i think sex is a fascinating subject and it's a hilarious subject because it's awkward, and it's high-stakes, and it makes you feel great or makes

you feel terrible. it's a huge array of experience. >> reporter: and it's the real darkness behind the comedy that may lead to his downfall. in his lengthy statement, louis ck says that he is remorseful. the power i had over these women is that they admired me and i wielded that power irresponsibly which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried. he adds, there is nothing about this that i forgive myself for, saying, i have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything i want, i will now step back and take a long time to listen. but netflix has already canceled his standup special. while hbo's removing his projects from their on demand services. they also announced he will no longer be participating in an upcoming comedy benefit. and just this evening, fx announced they were cutting ties with the comedian. >> china is a minor -- >> minor what? >> his latest "i love you daddy" scheduled to be released next

week has been shelved. some of its scenes had already garnered criticism. >> he really likes to fly close to the sun without getting burned. there's a scene of a character aggressively mimicking masturbation. so it really is the million-dollar question. life imitating art? art imitating life? >> reporter: "times" reporter cara buckley says she is confronted him after the screening. >> and i said, it seems very audacious for you to put an extended scene of someone masturbating considering the rumors. and he said, i never thought of that. and i just thought -- huh. okay. >> reporter: while the current accusations do not involve physical contact, donahue says this kind of harassment must still be taken seriously. >> people often believe and louis ck actually talked about this in his statement, that if i'm not physically touching someone, that i'm not necessarily assaulting them or harming them. but it does. it can create an emotional psychological trauma. >> reporter: donahue hopes that ck's response today will be a wakeup call to other men.

>> what we're doing in the media and in culture is talking about how many women have been sexually assaulted or raped this year. that's not how we should look at it. the question should be, how many men have raped or section wahl assaulted this year? talk about it in an active way, hold men accountable, center them around the dialogue. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm juju chang in new york. next, inventors assemble. meet the rocket scientist who turned himself into a real-life iron man. are you ready to fly like a superhero? after my dvt blood clot, i had a lot on my mind. could this happen again? was my warfarin treatment right for me? 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... eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. eliquis had both and that 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. both made eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if switching to eliquis is right for you. ♪ endless shrimp is here like new nashville hot shrimp crispy, spicy, and drizzled with sweet amber honey. plus the delicious classics you love, like garlic shrimp scampi. try all the shrimp you want, however you want 'em. but hurry, it ends soon. i neverunderwear that's this, but actually pretty.leak always discreet boutique. hidden inside is a super absorbent core that quickly turns liquid to gel. so i feel protected... ...and pretty.

new always discreet boutique. when you've got an uncontrollable cough, take delsym, the #1 12-hour cough medicine. it helps control the impulse to cough for 12 hours. which means, you're controlling your cough on your morning commute. and later when you're joking with beth... even when most cough medicines stop, delsym is still working. ♪ and when your days' over, your cough is still under control. thanks to the #1 12-hour cough medicine. delsym. the cough controller. ♪ that adjusts on both sidesumber semi-to your ideal comfortly bed your sleep number setting.

and snoring? does your bed do that? right now during our semi-annual sale, our queen c4 mattress with adjustable comfort on both sides is only $1499. save $300. plus 36 month financing. ends monday. visit sleepnumber.com for a store near you.

flying can be painful these days. long lines, baggage fees, flight attendant comedy routines. thanks to a british inventor you can fly without any of that hassle. but you may have to pay close to a half million dollars. here's abc's james longman. >> reporter: from comic book seer res superman to wonder woman, to the alien e.t. flying, one of the most enduring dreams of mankind, immortalized in film. ♪ ♪ but for one british man, those dreams have become a reality. meet the real-life iron man, uk inventor richard browning. this former royal marine is the inventor of the gravity suit. powered by six jet engines with over 1,000 horsepower, browning has taken the dream to fly to new heights. literally. he's just broken the guinness

world record for fast els flight in a jetsuit. with speeds topping 32 miles per hour. >> one day you woke and up thought, this is boring, i want to make a jet pack? >> not exactly. i suppose throughout my especially as a kid, i used to enjoy making things, take things apart, working with my father in his workshop. i've always been technically minded, at least in my day job career. >> reporter: browning says inventing is in his blood. like marvel's superhero tony stark, he's had his trials and failures. watching robert downey jr. fly, did you think, i recognize that guy? >> i love the clip in the first "iron man" film of where he is learning. he's built it, he's in his garage, crashing around, trying to learn the balance. 90% of things we tried didn't work. when they didn't work, often that meant i would then fall over are. only a few feet off the ground or whatever.

but learning from failure has been the fuel that's driven our journey. >> reporter: browning impressed with how the physics of flight seemed so true to life in the movie. but in terms of the balance and control, it's hugely similar. you can see from our learning and testing clips that actually, as i say, full credit to marvel for coming up with and imagining what it would be like to have that thrust coming off the body. >> have you met him, robert downey jr.? >> no, we've had a lot of social media link us. you know. in that way. but no. >> we should get him to come down and try on your suit. >> i hear it's in his contract now, he refuses to put on the marvel iron man suit because it's awfully uncomfortable. >> robert, if you're watching, this is really comfortable, you're going to want to try it on. so tell me the journey in development, how did you get here? >> i suppose our ground zero point was standing in a lane, you can see the clip of this. one small gas turbine mounted on my arm.

we had a mop bucket as a fuel tank. it was all pretty rudimentary. and we rammed this thing up. >> reporter: he was experimenting with multiple engines ask seeing results. >> we went from two engines to four. and i really am now starting to jump around like i'm on the moon. you can see that's now a huge amount of thrust. it's still not quite enough to get me and the equipment off the ground but it's close. >> reporter: now the sky really is the limit. as high as a plane needs to go? >> as high as you like. after a while you become limited by the temperature the human body is comfortable at. >> you'll pass out but it will keep going? >> don't go too high. it's limited by can we transition to a point where a parachute would safely save you? that's a critical point we need to solve. >> should i be concerned there's a skull and cross bones? i got a chance to fire it up. see if you can crush your arm. although taking off is too dangerous for anyone not properly trained.

he says his suit even caught the attention of the military. >> the military are very excited about this, we've got military collaboration going on, search and rescue collaboration going on as well. and it has occurred to me that in this day and age, if you need to get rapid response, i think we can do this faster and more nimbly than a helicopter can. >> reporter: the goal, he says, make flying a reality for more people. >> that feeling when you did start to lift off and disengage from the ground and you weren't coming back unless you flared your arms out, that was phenomenal, that was really exciting. >> that was what it was all about. >> absolutely, absolutely. >> reporter: one of these will kate moss you. >> even though we've only been out for six months doing this, we've already had our first client, if you like, pay a significant amount of money to come over, have their own custom flight suit built. >> how much? >> the latest version now that we're running, there's an example of it in the back here which runs a much better setup, that's $450,000. >> reporter: sky-high costs aside, for browning, the possibilities are end is already. >> i've become a huge believer

in the creativity that you see behind science fiction. because it is an example of unbounded human creativity. where you don't care about whether you can really build it, you just imagine. it's fantastic. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm james longman in london. and next, with veterans day coming up, a look at the first-ever documentary filmed and directed by an active duty soldier. "no greater love."

when you're close to the people you love, does psoriasis ever get in the way of a touching moment? if you have moderate to severe psoriasis, you can embrace the chance of completely clear skin with taltz. taltz is proven to give you a chance at completely clear skin. with taltz, up to 90% of patients had a significant improvement of their psoriasis plaques. in fact, 4 out of 10 even achieved completely clear skin. do not use if you are allergic to taltz. before starting you should be checked for tuberculosis. taltz may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you are being treated for an infection or have symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz. including worsening of symptoms. serious allergic reactions can occur. now's your chance at completely clear skin. just ask your doctor about taltz.

now's your chance at completely clear skin. well it's a perfect nespresso hold on a second.orge. mmm. ♪ [mel torme sings "comin' home baby"] hey there. want a lift? ♪ where are we going? no don't tell me. let me guess. ♪ have a nice ride. ♪ how far would you go for coffee that's a cup above? i brought you nespresso. nespresso. what else?

finally, as we approach veterans day tomorrow, a rare glimpse into combat deployment through the eyes of an army chaplain in afghanistan. no greater love is the first-ever documentary filmed and directed by an active duty soldier. >> my name is justin roberts. for three years i was assigned as chaplain to the 2nd 327th infantry battalion also known as no slack. i wanted to recount the deployment to afghanistan.

so i decided to carry a camera. but it wasn't the photos, it wasn't the video that changed my life. it was understanding the stories behind them. >> we were going into two known enemy strongholds. no one had ever dared go up there. >> the russians hadn't even been up there. >> i hear this crack. then i hear something really odd. >> rpg! >> i had to make peace with the fact that i was going to die. >> casualties started adding up. >> i brought him over here, i'll bring him back. >> we want to thank all of those in uniform and those who have served. "no greater love" is in theaters now. speaking of love it was the chinese philosopher lao tsu said, being deeply loved by

someone gives you strength. loving someone deeply gives you courage. thank you for watching abc news. as always here online at abcnews.com and on our "nightline" facebook page. thank you for the company, america. have a good weekend.