John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Reagan to impress Jodie Foster, said he wishes her well

John Hinckley Jr., who shot then-President Ronald Reagan in 1981 in an attempt to impress actor Jodie Foster, opened up about the crime and its motivation on a recent podcast. 

Hinckley said on “The Mark Joseph Show" podcast, a preview of which was published by Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday, that he is wishing her well, NBC News reported. 

“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. 

Hinckley shot the president as he was leaving the Hilton Hotel. Reagan survived, but the attack left White House Press Secretary James Brady paralyzed. Brady died in 2014. Hinckley, who is now 71, said at the time that he expected the attack would impress Foster, who was 18 years old at the time. The Academy Award-winning actor achieved fame after playing a child prostitute in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film “Taxi Driver.” 

Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent decades in a phychiatric hospital. He was released in 2016 and allowed to live with his elderly mother in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was required to attend therapy, and his travel is restricted, until a judge granted him full freedom from court oversight in 2022.