Reagan's attempted assassin John Hinckley Jr. blames cancel culture after his folk music concert gets canceled 

On March 21, 2024, 68-year-old John Hinckley Jr., who was set to perform at the Hotel Huxley in Naugatuck, Connecticut, on March 30, 2024, tweeted that his show was called off due to cancel culture. He told New York Post:

"I think that's fair to say: I'm a victim of cancel culture. It keeps happening over and over again."

Hinckley is an assassin-turned-country music singer. He attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and his Connecticut concert marked the 43rd anniversary of his assassination attempt.

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More about John Hinckley's canceled concerts

John Hinckley's upcoming March 30, 2024, concert isn't the first time his concert was canceled. While talking to New York Post, Hinckley revealed that almost a dozen of his shows had been called off since 2022. He said:

"They book me and then the show gets announced and then the venue starts getting backlash. The owners always cave, they cancel it. It's happened so many times, it's kinda what I expect."

Hinckley fired six shots with a caliber pistol on March 30, 1981, at President Reagan, wounding him as he exited the Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. Later, he revealed that his move was inspired by watching Taxi Driver and was an attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster, his celebrity crush. John Hinckley was deemed not guilty due to insanity and was admitted to a psychiatric unit for institutional care.

He was released in 2016 on supervision after spending nearly 30 years in care. He started his YouTube channel in December 2020.

In June 2022, he was released unconditionally. During an appearance on CBS Mornings, in June 2022, John Hinckley publicly apologized to the families of his 1981 victims. He also said:

"I have true remorse for what I did. I know (the victims) probably can't forigve me now, but I just want them to know that I am sorry for what I did. I don't know anybody else who's certainly had a life like I've had. I mean, what I tell people now, if you want to get to know John Hinckley, listen to his songs."

His debut show in Market Hotel, Brooklyn, in July 2022 was sold out but was canceled due to safety concerns after the venue received backlash. While speaking about the canceled concert, the Market Hotel wrote:

"It is not worth a gamble on the safety of our vulnerable communities to give a guy a microphone and a paycheck for his art who hasn't had to earn it, who we don't care about on an artistic level."

Ever since his release, he has posted his songs Lonely Dreamer, I Will Be Your Man and Never Ending Quest on Spotify and YouTube. As of March 2024, he boasts around 36.3k subscribers on his YouTube channel.