this is "nightline." >> tonight, he too? >> i was sexually assaulted. >> terry crews played the tough guy and muscle-bound pitchman for old spice. and a cop on "brooklyn 99." he says at one hollywood party he became a victim of sexual assault. >> i wake up every morning like, is this a bad dream? did this really happen? >> now opening up to michael strahan in an abc news exclusive interview. why he's filing a criminal complaint against a major hollywood executive. plus -- ♪ there's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark ♪ >> scars to your beautiful. at just 21 alexia is turning the music world upside down with powerful messages about body

images and self-love. what she says it's all about staying true to herself. ♪ oh oh >> "nightline" will be right back. 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)

really? really? really? really? really? see zero in a whole new way. get zero down, zero deposit, zero first month's payment, and zero due at signing on select volkswagen models. now with the people first warranty. 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) "nightline" continues with michael strahan and the terry crews interview. >> sexual assault is a crime. it is a crime. you cannot violate a person's

personal boundaries. >> reporter: terry crews, the former nfl linebacker turned actor. adding his voice to the tidal wave of people sharing their claims of sexual assault in hollywood. >> and people say, wow, man, you should just laugh it off, forget it. no, i'm not going to forget it. >> reporter: crews known for his comedic macho roles on "brooklyn 99." >> i just happen to be a great person who's naturally beloved by all. >> reporter: or the old spice pitchman. >> i want to study your manliness! >> reporter: he says his tough guy persona didn't prevent him from becoming the victim of a powerful man. >> i was sexually assaulted by adam bennett, who was the head of the motion picture department at william morris endeavor. >> reporter: february of 2016, crews says he and the hollywood super agent adam venet were at the same party. venet has represented some of hollywood's biggest names. liam hemsworth.

emma stone. sill advice store stallone. eddie murphy. adam sandler. >> you're talking about a very, very powerful man who has access to studio heads, what they do affects every part of the business from producers, writers, actors, they own finance companies, the whole thing -- did you know him before the party? >> i did not know him. i heard of him. we had never, ever even had a conversation, okay? so i just heard -- actually, i was actually looking forward to meeting him. >> reporter: instead of a professional meet and greet, crews claimed vinet leared at him from across the room. >> he looked me in my eyes, sticking his tongue out, overtly, sexually, to me. it was no mistake that this was a sexual-type tongue move. and i'm going -- i'm thinking it's a joke, i'm thinking is this how this guy breaks the ice? i don't understand what this is. >> reporter: confused, crews said he reached out to shake his hand. >> i reached my hand out and he takes his right hand and under

mine, immediately squeezes, grabs my genitals. and just -- i'm yelping, hey, hey! whoa! and he goes -- and he still -- and he jumps back and he still does this tongue stuff. and he's making weird noises. and he comes back again. and grabs me again. and i stop his hand, pushed him back more forcefully. i'm like, what are you doing? >> reporter: according to crews the alleged groping happened in front of his wife, rebecca king crews. she confirmed her husband's account to abc news. >> so she's witnessing the entire thing? >> she's witnessing the whole thing. and we're just -- i cannot -- i can't even begin to describe to you how bizarre this is. again, it's so bizarre. i wake up every morning like, is this a bad dream? did this really happen? because a lot of people will look and go, here he is, former nfl linebacker, 6'3", 240 pounds. just muscles everywhere. how could he be assaulted?

>> that plays into the total stereotype of black men, that we have to be violent. >> reporter: crews said his wife's calming influence prevented the incident from escalating. >> i felt nothing but rage. rage, mike. but my wife prepared me. she said, terry, you cannot handle these kind of things with violence. you can't hit back. if you hit people and if you do this stuff, you're going to be under the jail. >> reporter: also at the party, crews says, was adam sandler. one of vinet's clients and crews' costar in the movie "blended." >> i would like to welcome you to our fourth annual blended family! >> i went immediately to adam sand 11, adam, come get your boy. something's wrong. >> did adam see any of this? >> first of all, adam was talking to someone else. he looks over and he sees vinet giggling and laughing.

he's like -- i said, dude, he grabs my genitals. adam's like what? we're still trying to contemplate what this is. >> reporter: adam sandler did not return our request for comment about the alleged incident last year. crews said he abruptly left the party. you're in the car. what's that conversation like in the car? >> i couldn't talk. because you just keep replaying it. keep replaying it. like, did this happen? what in the world? and then you want to go back. you want to stop the car and turn around. you want to get this guy. and you know what? the thing that calmed me down, my wife kept grabbing my arm. she said, i'm proud of you. mike -- i'm telling you, man -- i know how close i came to losing it all. just when you get emasculated like that, and when i tell you the way he look the at me, the way he giggled, it was one of those things where he was like, hey, man, no one's ever going to

believe you. >> did you think it was a way of him maybe exercising power? >> it was. first of all, this whole thing, from weinstein to all what's happening in hollywood, is about an abuse of power. an abuse of the position you have. and what happens is, they have fooled everyone into thinking it was part of the job. >> reporter: while he didn't go public with the alleged incident, crews insists he sounded the alarm immediately. >> i told my agent at the agency. i told my manager. adam. >> reporter: crews says adam sandler called him right after the party. >> adam called me on the way home from the event to apologize -- >> that same night? >> that same night because it was that traumatic. you understand? when i left he was like, oh, man, i'm sorry, i'm sorry. i understand something really, really bad went down. and i'm going, this is crazy. >> reporter: the next day, he gets another call. >> i get a call from my agent saying that vinet's going to

call you. i get a call, it's him on the line. i'm sorry, i was drunk, i wasn't myself that night. and i said, hey, man, you got to understand the depth of what you did. in front of my wife. i said, you don't even know how close you got to really being hurt. and i said, you need some help. you need to go get help. and he was like, yeah, okay. >> was it sincere did you feel? >> no, no. like when people are sorry because they got caught. >> reporter: at the time crews himself was represented by the same agency, william morris endeavor. for over a year he remained publicly silent. but shortly after the harvey weinstein scandal broke, he tweeted, this whole thing with harvey weinstein is giving me ptsd, why, because this kind of thing happened to me. adding a high-level hollywood executive came over to me and groped my privates. >> when i tweeted, i didn't mention the name. i didn't mention anybody.

but what happened was, i started getting calls from the agency. hey, hey, what's going on, is everything okay? no, it's not okay. i been waiting a year. and i haven't heard anything. what happened with him? where is his accountability? and i'm sitting here and it's a year later. what have you done? i paid william morris endeavor 10% of everything i made for the last 15 years. i did not deserve to get molested. >> reporter: since going public, crews filed a police report. tmz captured leaving an lapd office last week. >> why did you decide to file the police report today? >> oh, because you know, people have to be held accountable. >> no i understand that. are you planning to file a lawsuit as well? >> uh -- yeah. >> yeah? >> yep. we're going to go all the way. >> reporter: law enforcement sources confirm to abc's station kabc that vinet was named as crews' alleged harasser on the

report. >> i have been victimized but i have made the choice to not be a victim. >> reporter: terry crews said he ended herewith relationship with the agency last week. william morris endeavor tells abc news that vinet has been suspended following the internal investigation into the matter. vinet himself declined to comment. do you think this has hurt your career, coming out? >> i don't know. i don't know. but this is what i have to say. i've learned a long time ago to always do the right thing and the universe takes care of me. that's the deal. you might have $400 million in cash. but i'd rather have $400 million in influence, honor is the way you have to do it. you have to have honor. if i can't do it with honor, what's the point? this is the deal, weinstein's money ain't helping him now. kevin spacey's money is not helping him right now. that's the deal. it's all disappearing. if you have honor, that's something no one can take away

from you. >> reporter: crews hopes that going public will force hollywood to change. >> it's like cutting a tree down by the leaves. because once that leaf is gone, the root is still there. we have got to battle at the root. hollywood doesn't even get the morals to its own movies. that's what's so crazy. >> reporter: this hollywood strongman, stronger than ever. >> i mean, man, it's the emancipation proclamation. everyone's trfree now. everyone's free. it's like a huge sigh of relief. you cannot violate any boundaries anymore. life has no limits but it should have plenty boundary. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm michael strahan in new york. >> our thanks to michael. wme telling us they launched an investigation as soon as they were made aware of the situation in october of this year, adding that the investigation resulted in adam vinet being suspended without pay and demoted from his

position as head of the motion picture department. next, she's staying true to herself and her wardrobe. why pop star alessia cara shows she doesn't do glam for glamorous award shows. ♪

ai 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. ♪

pop music and high fashion usually go hand in hand. but superstar singer alessia carr ras turning that all on its head. in a recent vma performance she

cast aside her fancy dress and earrings for a casual, everyday look. why is she stressing down for one of the most glamorous nights in music? here's abc's nick watt. >> reporter: starry, spangly night in l.a., the muse imvideo awards and on stage alessa kara rips off the glam. makes a bold statement about body image. that there's no need for trappings. ♪ the world could change its heart ♪ ♪ you're beautiful >> reporter: she is a shy 21-year-old canadian who still lives with her parents. >> it was my way of saying, here i am at the vmas just like everybody else, in my regular clothes with no makeup on, regular hair. and i'm still singing my song and people are still listening to me. >> reporter: people are listening. most streamed new female artist of this year. that's her. singing "how far i'll go."

from "moana." ♪ there's no telling how far i'll go ♪ >> the only thing people want to hear at my shows is that song. that's the one that they wait for. which is so crazy. >> you do give to it them? >> of course i give to it them. give the people what they want. this is where the magic happens. >> reporter: when she arrived for our interview and to work on album number two, no big entourage, eyeliner or ego. >> if you ever want to tell me that i suck, press one of the buttons and say -- >> you suck? >> "you suck" and i'll hear you and then i'll try not to suck. >> reporter: six platinum singles, among them "stay" and "scars to you're beautiful." ♪ you're beautiful just the way you are ♪ ♪ you don't have to change a thing the world could change its heart ♪ ♪ no scars to you're beautiful the scars we're beautiful ♪ >> reporter: taylor, beyonce, j. lo. cara says there's absolutely nothing wrong with the glam. but -- >> you don't want to play that game? >> yeah, no, i just -- it's not

even about me like trying to be different. it really is just me trying to be myself in a world of people that feel like they can't be themselves. and we see that every day regardless of if you're in the industry or not. >> reporter: cara is a small-town girl from brampton, ontario. >> i come from a very traditional italian family. i wasn't allowed to do much. my parents are very strict. >> reporter: always wanted to sing. >> at first i never really thought i could make a career out of it. especially because i was very shy. i couldn't even sing in front of my parents at first. so i started posting videos on youtube to i guess -- learn how to sing in front of people without actually being in front of them. ♪ it's not about money money money ♪ ♪ we don't need the money money money ♪ ♪ just make the world dance don't care about the price tag ♪ >> small young canadian singer makes a break on youtube. we've heard this before. >> i know, where have we heard

that? >> reporter: we're talking justin bieber, same route, if case you're not up on current canadian pop. ♪ tell me you need me when you call me on the phone ♪ >> reporter: the management company contacted the then 16-year-old cara via twitter. >> i kept in mind that it could be dangerous to talk to people i didn't know. so i asked my dad to talk to them instead. when he got off the phone he's like, okay, well, we're going to go to new york. because they want us to meet them and to sing for them. and whatever happens, happens. >> reporter: what happened is a platinum top ten debut album and her latest single a collaboration with logic and khalid raising suicide awareness. just went double platinum. ♪ we'll still be there just to test with the love ♪ ♪ see the light in the dark and when it's never your reflection you'll thank god ♪

>> reporter: she wants to make a difference. >> this job is such a demanding thing and a very scary thing. this industry, anyways, is kind of difficult to maneuver. so i think i might as well make it worth it. >> all you have to do is wait -- >> reporter: she tours the world, recently playing a benefit at the hollywood bowl and her dad always travels with her. does he approve of the tattoo? >> oh, you saw this. you know what? he doesn't necessarily love it. but -- >> reporter: and yes, she really does still live under his roof. >> so uncool. rock star life. come home, "clean your room, do the dishes." >> reporter: she says she's blessed to have this chance, loves the music and deals with the rest. >> social media is a blessing and a curse, as we know. if i ever take time to look at the comment and stuff, especially from other women, which kind of sucks. it's kind of unfortunate. >> saying? >> saying that i, you know, i

dress very horribly and i don't look the part. they call me names, say i look homeless. just because i have a pair of jeans on. it's like, that's how we all dress. >> reporter: dressing like that on tv, performing before millions at the vmas, that makes a maturity well beyond her 21 years. >> i'm a normal person in an abnormal person, let's say that. ♪ you're beautiful the stars are beautiful ♪ >> reporter: i'm nick watt for "nightline" in los angeles. next, a leonardo da vinci painting just became the most expensive sold at auction at a price you won't believe. go slow. ♪ come on mom! ♪

let's go! ♪ mom! slow down! for the ones who keep pushing. always unstoppable. 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. ♪ ♪ it feels good to be back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

finally tonight, a rediscovered low naud dough da vinci painting is now the most expensive painting ever sold at auction. the depiction of christ "savior of the world" has been sold for more than $450 million.

it's over 500 years old and only one of 20 original paintings known to have been created by da vinci. it was da vinci who said, a beautiful body perishes but a work of art dies not. thank you for watching abc news. and as always, we're online at abcnews.com and our "nightline" facebook page. thanks for the company, america. good night.

(♪) (♪) it all starts with a wish. the lincoln wish list event is here. sign and drive off in a new lincoln with zero down and a complementary first months payment.