Reagan Shooter John Hinckley Jr. Pushes Wild Theory About Jodie Foster's Sexuality

John Hinckley Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is promoting a new memoir, and he’s doing it with a claim that has people stunned. Hinckley said he believes his failed assassination attempt not only altered the course of American history, but also had a deeply personal and lasting impact on actress Jodie Foster. According to Hinckley, he has a theory that the 1981 shooting “traumatized” Foster to the point that she turned away from men and became sexually attracted to women.

According to TMZ, Hinckley also believes the trauma wasn’t just from the shooting itself, but from what he describes as his public fascination with Foster, something he thinks pulled her into the story in a way that impacted her personal life for years to come.

In his account to the outlet, Hinckley claimed Foster was dating men in the early 1980s and only became a lesbian in the years following the attempt on Reagan’s life. Foster later publicly spoke about being gay during the 2013 Golden Globes Awards, and Hinckley reportedly said this is the first time he’s ever shared this theory publicly.

He’s now putting it out there while promoting his new book, "John Hinckley Jr.: Who I Really Am."

Hinckley has long been linked to Foster due to his fixation on her after seeing her in the 1976 film "Taxi Driver." He told TMZ that his obsession began in the late 1970s and intensified when Foster attended Yale University.

According to Hinckley, he went as far as visiting Yale’s registrar’s office to obtain her dorm number and phone number. He claimed he would call her and slip poems under her door, but never asked her out, saying she didn’t appear interested.

In his telling, that rejection spiraled into something darker. Hinckley said that in his depression, delusion, and obsession, he believed he “could impress Jodie by killing the president.”

Hinckley also described being consumed by "Taxi Driver" and said he identified with Travis Bickle, the film’s troubled main character. In the movie, Bickle considers shooting a presidential candidate after being rejected by a love interest, but doesn’t follow through. Instead, the character ends up being praised as a hero for killing the men exploiting Foster’s character, Iris.

Hinckley told TMZ he attempted to replicate that idea in real life, believing that shooting Reagan could somehow “win over” Foster. Regarding his current mental health treatment, Hinckley admits he has been on antidepressants for many years and he is currently voluntarily taking Zoloft and Risperdal for anxiety.

Hinckley said he traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. in March 1981 with the goal of assassinating Reagan. He claimed he sold two .38 caliber guns to pay for his bus ticket and lodging, and then went to the Hilton Hotel where Reagan was scheduled to speak, armed with a .22 caliber revolver.

Hinckley told the outlet he was in the crowd outside when Reagan arrived and believed the president was waving directly at him, which startled him before he waved back.

He said he waited until Reagan left after the speech, then pulled the revolver and fired six shots within seconds. The bullets wounded Reagan, police officer Thomas Delahanty, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and White House Press Secretary James Brady.

Hinckley said he believed the Secret Service would kill him immediately, but instead the crowd turned on him, jumping him and beating him until authorities restrained him and took him into custody.

He was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent more than three decades in a mental institution.