The Birth of A Nation debuts in theatres Oct. 7, which is why Parker sat down with Variety for an exclusive interview about some troublesome sh—now, two months before the press run to promote the film really revs up. In 1999, as a student at Penn State University, Parker and his roommate Jean Celestin— the co-writers “The Birth of a Nation”— were charged with raping an unconscious 20-year-old female student while she visited their apartment. 

Parker was exonerated, mostly because he'd had previous consensual sex with the woman in question, as if a "yes" once (or however many times) is a "yes" forever. Celestin was convicted of rape and served six months in jail.  According to the Variety article, he appealed the verdict, and a second trial was thrown out because the victim didn’t want to testify again. Variety notes that the woman sued the university and received a $17,500 settlement. 

The Variety interview is creepy as f--k. Parker refers to the rape accusation/trial as "a very painful moment in my life". He cites the obstacles he's had in his life: "I grew up very poor. My father passed away. There are so many things that happened." He adds, that he is "an advocate of justice. I'm an older man now. I've matured a lot." He also mentions his wife and five daughters. Twice. Finally he says, "I have since moved on."