US comedian Louis CK has confirmed allegations of sexual misconduct brought against him by several women are true saying he is sorry for his actions.

Key points: Five women detailed sexual misconduct allegations against the comedian, three of them said he had masturbated in front of them

Five women detailed sexual misconduct allegations against the comedian, three of them said he had masturbated in front of them Louis CK says "[I] can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them" — read CK's statement in full

Louis CK says "[I] can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them" — read CK's statement in full CK is among the latest Hollywood figures to be accused of misconduct in recent weeks

"These stories are true," he said in a statement.

Five women detailed sexual misconduct allegations against the Emmy-winning comedian in a New York Times report published on Thursday (local time), including three women who said he had masturbated in front of them.

CK released his statement after his upcoming film I Love You Daddy was scrapped for release on Friday, and Netflix Inc cancelled a planned special with the comedian because of the allegations.

"I have been remorseful of my actions. And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I'm aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves," his statement added.

Cable television network FX, a unit of 21st Century Fox, also severed its ties with CK and Time Warner's TBS network said it was suspending production on an upcoming animated comedy The Cops which CK co-created and was due to star in.

"He will no longer serve as executive producer or receive compensation on any of the four shows we were producing with him: Better Things, Baskets, One Mississippi and The Cops," FX Networks and FX productions said in a statement.

Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast, and the production company Illumination issued a joint statement saying they have "terminated their relationship" with CK on an upcoming sequel to last year's animated film The Secret Life of Pets.

CK was the voice of the lead character, a Jack Russell terrier named Max, in the original film, which according to Hollywood trade paper Variety grossed $US875 million. Variety said the sequel was due to open in June 2019.

The comedian's publicist, Lewis Kay, announced on Twitter that "as of today, I no longer represent Louis CK".

In his statement, CK apologised to the cast and crew of several projects he had been working on, his family, children and friends, his manager and the FX network.

The 438-word statement ends with the comedian vowing to stop talking and leave the spotlight, stating "I will now step back and take a long time to listen".

The comedian had previously declined comment on the New York Times story and Reuters was unable to independently confirm any of the accusations.

CK is among the latest Hollywood figures to be accused of misconduct in a wave that began when dozens of sexual harassment allegations were reported last month against film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Louis CK's full statement:

"I want to address the stories told to the New York Times by five women named Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia who felt able to name themselves and one who did not. "These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my [penis] without asking first, which is also true. "But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your [penis] isn't a question. It's a predicament for them. "The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly. "I have been remorseful of my actions. And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I'm aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. "I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would never have put them in that position. "I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn't want to hear it. "I didn't think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it. "There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with. "I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work. "The hardest regret to live with is what you've done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. "I'd be remiss to exclude the hurt that I've brought on people who I work with and have worked with who's [sic] professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production: the cast and crew of Better Things, Baskets, The Cops, One Mississippi, and I Love You Daddy [sic]. "I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused. "I've brought anguish and hardship to the people at FX who have given me so much The Orchard who took a chance on my movie and every other entity that has bet on me through the years. "I've brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother. "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. "Thank you for reading."

AP/Reuters