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John Hinckley Jr., Who Attempted to Assassinate Ronald Reagan, Starting a Podcast and Asking for Guests
John Hinckley Jr., who attempted to assassinate then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan in 1981, is starting a podcast.
Hinckley — who was found not guilty by reason of insanity and remained under institutional psychiatric care for years — shared a post to his X account on Friday, September 18, with a photo of his promotional art that featured him holding a guitar.
The John Hinckley Spotlight, the poster read, adding that the podcast promises “provocative conversations, real people, music & more.”
“I’m starting a podcast on my Youtube channel!” Hinckley wrote in the caption.
“I’m looking for interesting guests,” he added. “If you would like to be a guest on my podcast, send short bio to easternnights84@yahoo.com.”
More than 45 years ago, Hinckley believed that the attack on Reagan would impress actress Jodie Foster.
After he was institutionalized, he was eventually released from psychiatric care with conditions on September 10, 2016, and was granted unconditional release on June 15, 2022.
In reply to his podcast post, one X user wrote, “Have you reached out to Jodie Foster?”
Another person wrote, “Brother, I think Jodie Foster and Ron Reagan (the son) would be an excellent 1-2 punch for first guests on your podcast! I don’t think you need to do anything to get their attention other than sending an email to their reps though.”
For years, Foster would not speak about Hinckley. However, she addressed the incident in a 1999 interview with Charlie Rose on 60 Minutes II.
“I don’t like to dwell on it too much,” the Taxi Driver actress said. “I never wanted to be the actress who was remembered for that event. Because it didn’t have anything to do with me. I was kind of a hapless bystander. But…what a scarring, strange moment in history for me, to be 17 years old, 18 years old, and to be caught up in a drama like that.”
“I had talked myself into thinking that maybe I was a little anonymous, and that I was like everybody else, and that nobody was watching me,” she continued.
“Then of course came the glare of all the cameras…trying to find me, and hiding places, and press conferences and paparazzis,” she said. “It was a really hard time for somebody who was 18.”
