{"id":23338,"date":"2026-08-12T18:09:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=23338"},"modified":"2026-08-12T18:09:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:09:23","slug":"john-hinckley-jr-sends-message-to-jodie-foster-45-years-after-reagan-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=23338","title":{"rendered":"John Hinckley Jr sends message to Jodie Foster 45 years after Reagan shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot former President Ronald Reagan in 1981 to impress Jodie Foster, said he wants nothing but good things for the actress.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">&#8220;I just wish Jodie Foster well,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I don\u2019t really see her movies, but I wish her well, and I know she\u2019s doing quite well. And that\u2019s all I can say: I just, I wish Jodie well, and I hope she has a good life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The 71-year-old explained on the &#8220;Mark Joseph Show&#8221; in an exclusive preview shared with Entertainment Weekly that when he shot Reagan 45 years ago in a delusional state, he believed he would spend the rest of his life with the &#8220;Silence of the Lambs&#8221; actress.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><strong>REAGAN SHOOTER CALLS LINK TO WASHINGTON HOTEL \u2018SPOOKY\u2019 AFTER ALLEGED TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AT SAME SITE<\/strong><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/john-hinckley-jr-jodie-foster.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/john-hinckley-jr-jodie-foster.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/john-hinckley-jr-jodie-foster.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/john-hinckley-jr-jodie-foster.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/john-hinckley-jr-jodie-foster.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/john-hinckley-jr-jodie-foster.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/john-hinckley-jr-jodie-foster.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/john-hinckley-jr-jodie-foster.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/john-hinckley-jr-jodie-foster.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"A split image of John Hinckley Jr.'s mugshot and Jodie Foster\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>John Hinckley Jr., at left in his 1981 mugshot, spoke about Jodie Foster in a new interview.<\/span> <span>(Bureau of Prisons\/Getty Images; Jamie McCarthy\/WireImage)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The full episode will air on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;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, but I was believing those things at that time. So, the best outcome would have been to just have like this union with Jodie Foster,&#8221; Hinckley told Joseph after the host asked what he believed at the time would be the best thing that could come out of the shooting.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/jodie-foster-vie-privee-cannes-film-festival.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/jodie-foster-vie-privee-cannes-film-festival.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/jodie-foster-vie-privee-cannes-film-festival.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/jodie-foster-vie-privee-cannes-film-festival.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/jodie-foster-vie-privee-cannes-film-festival.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/jodie-foster-vie-privee-cannes-film-festival.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/jodie-foster-vie-privee-cannes-film-festival.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/jodie-foster-vie-privee-cannes-film-festival.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/jodie-foster-vie-privee-cannes-film-festival.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Jodie Foster attends the red carpet for Vie Priv\u00e9e at the Cannes Film Festival.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>John Hinckley Jr. said he wishes Jodie Foster well.<\/span> <span>(Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">He explained that he believed at the time that Foster would &#8220;join me wherever I was. You know, I didn\u2019t 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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">It came out shortly after Hinckley\u2019s assassination attempt that left Reagan with a broken rib, punctured lung and internal bleeding, that Hinckley was obsessed with Foster after seeing her in &#8220;Taxi Driver&#8221; and thought the shooting would make her notice him.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><strong>JODIE FOSTER HAUNTED BY HORRIFIC DOG TRAGEDY, BELIEVES SHE GAVE UP WHAT SHE LOVES MOST FOR SUCCESS<\/strong><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/john-hinckley-jr-portrait-williamsburg.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/john-hinckley-jr-portrait-williamsburg.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/john-hinckley-jr-portrait-williamsburg.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/john-hinckley-jr-portrait-williamsburg.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/john-hinckley-jr-portrait-williamsburg.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/john-hinckley-jr-portrait-williamsburg.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/john-hinckley-jr-portrait-williamsburg.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/john-hinckley-jr-portrait-williamsburg.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/john-hinckley-jr-portrait-williamsburg.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"John Hinckley Jr. stands for a portrait in Williamsburg, Virginia.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>John Hinckley Jr. stands for a portrait in Williamsburg, Va., in 2022.<\/span> <span>(AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity after shooting the former president outside the Washington Hilton two months after he was elected.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Former White House press secretary James Brady was shot in the head and suffered brain damage and partial paralysis, which led to his death in 2014. His death was ruled a homicide.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Two other men were also wounded in the shooting.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Hinckley was committed to a psychiatric hospital after the trial and released in 2016. By 2022, he was living in Virginia without any court restrictions.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><strong><u>LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/reagan-assassination-attempt-hilton-hotel.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/reagan-assassination-attempt-hilton-hotel.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/reagan-assassination-attempt-hilton-hotel.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/reagan-assassination-attempt-hilton-hotel.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/reagan-assassination-attempt-hilton-hotel.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/reagan-assassination-attempt-hilton-hotel.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/reagan-assassination-attempt-hilton-hotel.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/reagan-assassination-attempt-hilton-hotel.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/reagan-assassination-attempt-hilton-hotel.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"President Ronald Reagan waves to crowd outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., before assassination attempt.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>President Ronald Reagan waves to the crowd outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., just before an assassination attempt on March 30, 1981.<\/span> <span>(Consolidated New Pictures\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Hinckley admitted to Joseph, however, that, in his delusional state, Foster could have been a target herself.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;She definitely could have been a target. It\u2019s just fate went the other way,&#8221; Hinckley said. &#8220;But, yeah, she could have been a target. But, as fate turned out, it was Reagan instead of her.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><strong><u>CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In a 2022 interview with CBS, Hinckley apologized for his actions.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/taxi-driver-jodie-foster-robert-de-niro.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/taxi-driver-jodie-foster-robert-de-niro.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/taxi-driver-jodie-foster-robert-de-niro.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/taxi-driver-jodie-foster-robert-de-niro.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/taxi-driver-jodie-foster-robert-de-niro.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/taxi-driver-jodie-foster-robert-de-niro.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/taxi-driver-jodie-foster-robert-de-niro.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/taxi-driver-jodie-foster-robert-de-niro.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/taxi-driver-jodie-foster-robert-de-niro.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Jodie Foster and Robert de Niro stand with director Martin Scorsese on the Taxi Driver set.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Jodie Foster on the set of &#8220;Taxi Driver&#8221; with Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese.<\/span> <span>(Corbis via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I shot four people, and I\u2019m sorry to the Reagan family, the Brady family, the other families of the victims,&#8221; he said at the time. &#8220;I\u2019m sorry to Jodie Foster for bringing her into this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Brie Stimson is a Los Angeles-based entertainment and breaking news writer for Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}