John Hinckley Jr.: podcast appearances and interviews

John Warnock Hinckley Jr. was born on May 29, 1955. He is known for attempting to assassinate United States President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981, in Washington, D.C. Using a revolver, Hinckley wounded Reagan, a police officer, a Secret Service agent, and the White House Press Secretary James Brady, who was left disabled and died from his injuries more than three decades later. Hinckley's motivation was linked to his fixation on actress Jodie Foster, which originated after watching her in the film Taxi Driver. Following the attack, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent over thirty years under institutional psychiatric care. The public's reaction to the verdict influenced legislative changes that tightened the insanity defenses in several states and at the federal level. In 2016, a federal judge authorized his release from psychiatric care, citing that he was no longer considered a threat to himself or others, under certain conditions. After 2020, Hinckley was permitted to publicly share his artwork, writings, and music under his own name. His restrictions were fully lifted in June 2022. In 2025, he published an autobiography titled John Hinckley Jr.: Who I Really Am by Wild Blue Press, which provides a detailed account of his life, the shooting, trial, institutionalization, and eventual release.