JOHN HINCKLEY JR. SENDS NEW MESSAGE TO JODIE FOSTER 45 YEARS AFTER ATTEMPTING TO KILL PRESIDENT REAGAN.
More than four decades after one of the most shocking moments in modern American history, John Hinckley Jr. has spoken publicly once again about Jodie Foster — the actress he obsessively fixated on before shooting President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
In a new video interview for The Mark Joseph Show, Hinckley, now 71, offered a brief message to Foster:
“I just wish Jodie Foster well. I know she’s doing quite well. I hope she has a good life.”
John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 in an attempt to impress Jodie Foster, shared a new message for the star on the "Mark Joseph Show."
“I just wish Jodie Foster well, you know,” Hinckley said. “I don’t really see her movies, but… pic.twitter.com/b3Dp1xRTox
— Variety (@Variety) August 12, 2026
A Delusion That Turned Violent
Hinckley’s attempted assassination of President Reagan took place on March 30, 1981, outside the Washington Hilton. Reagan suffered a punctured lung, broken rib and severe internal bleeding. Three others were wounded, including White House press secretary James Brady, who was permanently disabled and later died in 2014 due to complications from the shooting.
Hinckley’s motive was rooted in a deeply delusional obsession with Foster, then an 18‑year‑old Yale student. After seeing her in Taxi Driver, he convinced himself that committing a dramatic act would win her affection.
He was later found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent decades in a psychiatric hospital. He was released under strict conditions in 2016, and fully freed from court oversight in 2022.
Read also – Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen catching a pedophile in his new film ‘PRIMETIME’.
#OTD 1981: Hoping to impress actress Jodie Foster, John Hinckley Jr. shot and wounded President #RonaldReagan as he left the Washington Hilton Hotel after a speaking engagement. #Presidents #the80s pic.twitter.com/mp6NWtr6eA
— Tammi Minoski 🟦 (@TammiMinoski) March 30, 2024
“She Could Have Been a Target”
In the interview, Hinckley acknowledged that Foster herself might have been in danger during his psychotic spiral.
“She definitely could have been a target. Fate went the other way. It was Reagan instead of her.”
He also admitted that he believed Foster would “join him” after the incident — whether he ended up in prison or a hospital — a belief he now recognizes as entirely delusional.
Read also – Demi Lovato & Jonas Brothers Ignite Nostalgia at Camp Rock 3 Premiere
Foster’s Trauma Still Echoes Today
Jodie Foster has rarely spoken about Hinckley, but in a 2024 conversation with actress Jodie Comer, she revealed that the incident left lasting emotional scars. She recalled performing in a college theater production when Hinckley shot the president between the first and second weekend of the show.
“He shot him in order to impress me, and he had written letters to me. It was a big moment in my life.”
Foster suggested that the trauma from that period is one reason she may never return to live theater.
Hinckley’s Story Continues
Hinckley’s autobiography, John Hinckley Jr.: Who I Really Am, published in 2025, details his mental state during the time of the shooting.
