Decades after the Reagan assassination attempt, shooter John Hinckley Jr. has a message for Jodie Foster, whom he was trying to impress. The John Hinckley Jr. Shares Message To Jodie Foster 45 Years After Reagan Shooting first appeared on The Blast

More than four decades after attempting to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, John Hinckley Jr. has a message for Jodie Foster, the woman he was trying to impress at the time. Hinckley became obsessed with the actress after watching her in the 1976 film “Taxi Driver,” ultimately carrying out the 1981 shooting in an attempt to gain her attention.

John Hinckley Jr. Sends His Well Wishes To Jodie Foster

John Hinckley Jr. became infamous for his assassination attempt at President Ronald Reagan in 1981, all to impress a young Jodie Foster. The 71-year-old is reflecting on his past in a rare interview, and he has a message for the actress.

“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,” Hinckley said in a preview clip of an episode of “The Mark Joseph Show,” per Entertainment Weekly.

Hinckley had been obsessed with Foster for several months before the shooting and even relocated to Connecticut upon learning that the actress was enrolled at Yale University. He repeatedly attempted to contact her, sending letters and poems that he slipped under her door.

Foster, who was 18 at the time, rejected his advances and set firm boundaries.

The Shooter Wanted To Have A ‘Union’ With The Actress

During the interview, Hinckley was asked what his intended outcome of the assassination was. Noting he was “delusional” at the time of the incident, he said he wanted to “have a union” with the actress and live the rest of his life with her.

Joseph argued that he would have known that prison was a possibility, but Hinckley said in his mind, Foster would be with him, wherever that may be. “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,” he said.

Moreover, he shared that Foster could also have been his target, but said “fate” had other plans, and Reagan became his intended target instead.

Inside The 1981 Attempted Assassination Of Ronald Reagan

On March 30, 1981, Reagan was at the Washington Hilton Hotel to deliver a speech to a labor union group. As the president exited the hotel and walked to his awaiting limousine, Hinckley opened fire. One bullet ricocheted off the armor plate on the presidential vehicle and hit Reagan, puncturing his lung and narrowly missing his heart.

Three other people were injured, including the press secretary, a Secret Service agent, and a police officer. Reagan was rushed to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.

In 1982, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Psychiatric experts testified that he had major depression and was diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and narcissistic traits.

He was sent to a psychiatric facility where he underwent long-term treatment. He was released from the hospital under strict supervision in 2016, and restrictions were fully lifted in 2022.

Hinckley Wrote A Final Letter To Jodie Foster Before The Shooting

Young Jodie Foster pic.twitter.com/JKfcCruvtO

— – (@xxxx90s) March 15, 2016

FBI agents discovered a letter the shooter wrote to Foster before the attempted assassination. It was never sent, however, and was left in his hotel room. He told her his plan “to get Reagan” and confessed his undying love for her.

Hinckley said that he left “dozens of poems, letters and love messages,” hoping Foster would like him in return, but said he never approached her directly because he was shy and didn’t want to be bothersome. He took comfort in the fact that the actress, at least, knew his name and his feelings for her.

“At least you know that I’ll always love you. Jodie, I would abandon the idea of getting Reagan in a second if I could only win your heart and live out the rest of my life with you, whether it be in total obscurity or whatever,” he wrote.

Hinckley said Foster was the reason for the assassination, as he wanted to “impress” her, and he was willing to sacrifice his freedom or his life to change the actress’ mind about him. He signed off, writing, “I love you forever.”

John Hinckley Jr.’s Theory About Jodie Foster

In January, shortly after the release of his memoir, Hinckley shared his theory about Foster, saying that his obsession and assassination attempt on Reagan deeply traumatized the actress, that she no longer wanted to be with men and became a lesbian, as The Blast previously reported.

Foster addressed her sexuality publicly in 2013 at the Golden Globe Awards, saying that she already came out to her family and close friends “about a thousand years ago.”

The actress has rarely talked about Hinckley in the years since the attempted assassination.

The John Hinckley Jr. Shares Message To Jodie Foster 45 Years After Reagan Shooting first appeared on The Blast