John Hinckley Jr.'s Heartfelt Message to Jodie Foster 45 Years After Ronald Reagan Assassination Attempt

In a remarkable turn of events, John Hinckley Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 to gain the attention of actress Jodie Foster, has expressed well wishes for her 45 years later. In an upcoming interview on "The Mark Joseph Show," Hinckley Jr. expressed his desire for Foster's well-being and success. During a preview clip of the interview, set to air on Wednesday, Hinckley Jr., now 71, shared his sentiments with Entertainment Weekly, stating, "I just wish Jodie Foster well, you know. 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 is just, I wish Jodie well, and I hope she has a good life." The assassination attempt on March 30, 1981, left Reagan with serious injuries, including a punctured lung and a broken rib. A .22 caliber bullet narrowly missed his heart, while three others were injured, including former White House press secretary James Brady, who later died in 2014 due to complications from the attack. Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982 and spent over 34 years committed at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital before his release in 2022. In the podcast, Hinckley Jr. revealed to Joseph, who directed the upcoming film “Reagan” starring Dennis Quaid as the late president, that his goal for the shooting was to win Foster's affections. "I wanted to have a union with Jodie Foster and live the rest of my life with her and all these things that, of course, were delusional," he explained. When Joseph compared Hinckley Jr.'s actions to those of Mark David Chapman, who fatally shot John Lennon in 1980, Hinckley Jr. shared his thoughts on what he had expected would happen after the shooting. "I thought she would, you know, after things settled down, join me wherever I was," he shared. "I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be in jail or the hospital or what after things settled down. I had this notion that she was gonna join me wherever I was." Foster, now 63, has previously spoken about the impact the assassination attempt had on her life. In a 2024 interview with People, she recalled the immediate aftermath, stating, "The world fell apart, there were Secret Service people everywhere, I had bodyguards, and I had to be taken to a safe house." She also revealed that a man once brought a gun to one of her plays shortly after the shooting. "It was a traumatic moment," she said, "and I’ve never admitted that maybe that has something to do with how I never wanted to do a play again. It was all part of that." The "Silence of the Lambs" actress has continued to make an impact in Hollywood despite the challenges she faced.