John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 over a supposed obsession with actress Jodie Foster, claims he’s facing repercussions of cancel culture in his pursuit of a music career.
Although he was freed from federal constraints in 2022 after spending three decades in a psychiatric facility, Mr. Hinckley’s efforts to establish himself as a musician have met resistance. The 68-year-old’s attempts at holding concerts have repeatedly been hindered by venue cancellations, citing concerns over stirring trouble.
He was scheduled to perform at the Hotel Huxley in Naugatuck, Connecticut, on March 30 — exactly 43 years since he shot Reagan — but the gig was postponed indefinitely.
“I think that’s fair to say: I’m a victim of cancel culture,” Mr. Hinckley said in an interview with the New York Post. “It keeps happening over and over again.”
“They book me and then the show gets announced and then the venue starts getting backlash,” he said. “The owners always cave, they cancel. It’s happened so many times, it’s kinda what I expect. I don’t really get upset.”
Mr. Hinckley said he’s not the man he was when he shot the president, but people want to “dwell on the past.”
A message on the venue’s Instagram posted last week read, “You Guessed It: Postponed Until Further Notice (They’re killin us here).”
Mr. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity after he shot and wounded Reagan and spent nearly 30 years in a mental hospital. He was released under supervision in 2016.
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