Full Breakdown
John Hinckley Jr. Sends a Message to Jodie Foster 45 Years After the Reagan Assassination Attempt
8/13/2026, 1:50:30 AM
The Recent Interview
On the “Mark Joseph Show” podcast, recorded for an episode airing Wednesday, August 12, John Hinckley Jr., now 71, told host Mark Joseph that he “just wish[es] Jodie Foster well.” He added that he does not follow her movies but believes she is doing “quite well” and hopes she “has a good life.” The interview was previewed by *Entertainment Weekly* and marks the first time Hinckley has spoken publicly about Foster since the 2024 *Interview* magazine conversation in which the actress described the lasting trauma of the 1981 shooting.
The 1981 Attempt on President Reagan
On March 30, 1981, Hinckley, then 25, opened fire outside the Washington Hilton Hotel as President Ronald Reagan was leaving a speech. He fired six shots from a .22-caliber revolver. Reagan was hit by a bullet that ricocheted off his limousine, sustaining a broken rib, a punctured lung and internal bleeding. Three others were wounded: White House press secretary James Brady (who was left permanently paralyzed and died in 2014), police officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy. All survived.
Hinckley later explained that he acted to impress Foster, who was 18 and had risen to fame after playing a child prostitute in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film *Taxi Driver*. He had stalked her while she attended Yale, sending letters and making repeated phone calls.
Legal Outcome and Subsequent Release
A federal trial in 1982 found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity on all 13 charges. He was committed to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he remained for more than three decades. In 2016 he was released to live with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, under court-ordered therapy and travel restrictions. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman granted unconditional release in 2022, noting Hinckley’s lack of ongoing mental illness or violent intent.
Foster’s Perspective on the Incident
Foster has spoken sparingly about the shooting. In a 2024 interview with *Interview* magazine, she said the event caused “so much trauma” that it contributed to her decision to stop performing live theater. She recalled the night of the attack, describing the “world fell apart” with Secret Service agents and bodyguards surrounding her, and affirmed that she cooperated fully with the FBI, the Secret Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office at the time.
Official Statements & Responses
- Judge Paul L. Friedman, when granting unconditional release in 2022, emphasized Hinckley’s lack of ongoing mental illness or violent intent.
- Mark Joseph, host of the podcast, noted that the interview coincided with renewed public interest after a recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting at the same Hilton venue.
- No representative for Foster responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I just wish Jodie Foster well, you know,” — John Hinckley
- “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,” — John Hinckley
- “She definitely could have been a target. It’s just fate went the other way,” — John Hinckley
These statements capture Hinckley’s current sentiment toward Foster and his retrospective view of the motivations that drove the 1981 attack.
