John Hinckley Jr Jodie Foster Message Revealed 45 Years After Reagan Shooting

Forty-five years after attempting to assassinate President Ronald Reagan to impress a teenage actress, John Hinckley Jr. is breaking his silence with a surprising statement. The infamous 1981 shooting remains one of the darkest moments in American history, completely driven by an intense obsession with a Hollywood star. Now, the 71-year-old is speaking out again, and his latest John Hinckley Jr Jodie Foster message is unexpectedly brief. He simply hopes she is having a good life.

Hinckley delivered the remarks during a rare video appearance on The Mark Joseph Show podcast. A preview of the interview, airing on Wednesday, August 12, was shared exclusively by Entertainment Weekly. In the short clip, the man who nearly killed a sitting president reflected on the actress who unwittingly fueled his violent actions. He admitted he does not watch her films today but genuinely wishes her the best.

“I just wish Jodie Foster well, and I hope she has a good life.”

The conversation dug deep into the delusional state that led him to the Washington Hilton on March 30, 1981. Host Mark Joseph recently produced the 2024 Ronald Reagan biopic starring Dennis Quaid, and he asked Hinckley point-blank about the twisted planning behind the attack. Hinckley explained that his young mind was fully detached from reality after watching the 1976 film Taxi Driver. He completely believed that shooting the commander in chief would spark a lifelong romance.

He explained his fractured thought process to the podcast host, noting he fully expected Foster to join him after the dust settled. He did not care whether he ended up in a prison cell or a psychiatric ward. He was convinced they would live out the rest of their lives together in total unity.

Even more chilling, Hinckley confessed that the young actress could easily have been the victim of his violence instead of the president. He bluntly stated that she was absolutely a potential target.

"She definitely could have been a target. It’s just, fate went the other way."

The real world consequences of his delusions were devastating for everyone involved. Reagan suffered severe internal bleeding, a punctured lung, and a broken rib. Three other men were struck by the gunfire, including White House press secretary James Brady. Brady suffered permanent disabilities and eventually died from his profound injuries in 2014.

Hinckley was ultimately found not guilty by reason of mental illness. He spent decades confined to a psychiatric hospital before receiving a discharge in 2016. The court officially lifted all of his remaining restrictions in 2022. He plans to release a detailed autobiography titled John Hinckley Jr.: Who I Really Am in 2025 to further explain his history and mental state.

Meanwhile, Foster has spent her life carrying the heavy burden of that horrific day. The 63-year-old Oscar winner rarely speaks about the tragedy. She was a student at Yale University when the shooting occurred and the event fundamentally altered her career trajectory. She recently opened up during a June 2024 conversation with Jodie Comer for Interview magazine. She revealed that the intense trauma surrounding the assassination attempt is the primary reason she avoids performing live theater today, noting that the shooting happened right in the middle of her college play's run.