Nate Parker Expected His Rape Accuser To “Pop Up” After Birth Of A Nation Release

On tomorrow's episode of Steve Harvey, Nate Parker discusses his reaction to news of the suicide of the woman who accused him of rape in 1999. The Birth of A Nation star says that he was anticipating the woman to "pop up" as he did press for the movie, but was ultimately sad to learn about her death. "It shocked my soul to hear that news," Parker told Harvey. "I wasn’t prepared for it. When I gave my first statement, I didn’t know where this woman was in the world. I thought she’d pop up once [the rape accusation] resurfaced." In August, Variety reported that Parker's accuser died from suicide in 2012. At the time, Parker wrote in a Facebook post that he was saddened by this development, but maintained that he was falsely accused. He was acquitted of the rape charge in 1999. In a 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper on October 2, Parker declined to apologize for the incident or any of his conduct. During the Steve Harvey taping, however, Parker says he could have been more empathetic in his handling of the situation. "I was being indignant, saying ‘I’m innocent. I was falsely accused so that’s that!’ Not realizing that one, there should be empathy for any woman," he said. "When I heard that news, it was devastating to hear that I, at any point, had a connection with someone who felt like it was time for them to take their own life. It was devastating." See the full clip below: