John Hinckley Jr. Reflects on Past Actions and Jodie Foster

John Hinckley Jr., known for the 1981 assassination attempt on former President Ronald Reagan, recently expressed his well-wishes for actress Jodie Foster. He stated, “I just wish Jodie Foster well. I don’t really see her movies, but I wish her well, and I know she’s doing quite well. And that’s all I can say: I just, I wish Jodie well, and I hope she has a good life.”

Speaking on the “Mark Joseph Show,” Hinckley, now 71, shared his past delusions at the time of the shooting. He believed that his actions would somehow unite him with Foster, then known for her role in “Silence of the Lambs.” “I wanted to have like this union with Jodie Foster and live the rest of my life with her and all these things that, of course, were delusional,” he explained.

Hinckley’s fixation on Foster began after watching her in “Taxi Driver.” His obsession led him to believe that the shooting would capture her attention. Shortly after the shooting, it became public knowledge that he was obsessed with Foster and believed the attack would make her notice him.

“I believed at the time that Foster would ‘join me wherever I was. You know, I didn’t know if I was going to be in jail or hospital or what, but after things settled down, I had this notion that she was going to join me wherever I was,'” Hinckley continued.

The assassination attempt severely injured Reagan, leaving him with a broken rib, punctured lung, and internal bleeding. Former White House press secretary James Brady was also injured, suffering brain damage and partial paralysis from being shot in the head. Brady’s condition contributed to his death in 2014, which was ultimately ruled a homicide. Two other individuals were wounded in the incident.

Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and subsequently sent to a psychiatric hospital. He spent several decades there before being released in 2016. By 2022, he was living in Virginia free from any court-imposed restrictions.

During his conversation with Joseph, Hinckley admitted that Foster could have been a potential target in his delusional state. “She definitely could have been a target. It’s just fate went the other way,” Hinckley said. “But, yeah, she could have been a target. But, as fate turned out, it was Reagan instead of her.”

In a 2022 interview with CBS, Hinckley expressed remorse for his actions. “I shot four people, and I’m sorry to the Reagan family, the Brady family, the other families of the victims,” he said. “I’m sorry to Jodie Foster for bringing her into this.”

Hinckley’s reflections reveal a man acknowledging the harm he caused and the effect of his mental state on his decisions.