Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Brooklyn Venue Cancels Would-Be Reagan Assassin John Hinckley Jr.'s Concert After Backlash

Brooklyn Venue Cancels Would-Be Reagan Assassin John Hinckley Jr.'s Concert After Backlash
John Hinckley/YouTube

John Hinckley Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan 41 years ago, will not be performing at his previously scheduled concert in Brooklyn, New York.

The venue hosting the aspiring musician canceled the sold-out event over security concerns of "vulnerable communities."


Two months after Reagan's first inauguration on March 30, 1981, Hinckley tried to impress actress Jodie Foster–whom he was obsessed with–by trying to kill the President outside a hotel in Washington D.C. with a .22 caliber revolver.

He failed in his mission but ended up wounding Reagan, several members of his security detail, and his Press Secretary James Brady–who became permanently disabled as a result of his injuries.

Brady died in 2014, and because Hinckley critically wounded him, Brady's death was ruled a homicide.

Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was consequently committed to a psychiatric institution for over three decades.

Since being released from institutional psychiatric care in 2016, he was released albeit with many restrictions while living full-time at his mother's home in addition to other strict conditions imposed on him.

This week, his remaining restrictions were lifted and he became a free man.

Hinckley had been trying to establish himself as a music artist while under court supervision. He started a YouTube channel featuring him performing covers and original songs–many of which were also featured on Spotify.

Here is a clip of him performing one of his original songs, "You and I Are Free."

John Hinckley Sings “You and I Are Free” Original Songyoutu.be

He gained over 24,500 YouTube followers by late December 2021.

The 67-year-old was scheduled to perform in front of his fans on June 15 at the Market Hotel concert hall in Brooklyn but after "serious consideration," they announced the cancellation of his performance.

The venue said they initially approved the performance because "it sounded like an interesting gathering and a memorable night."

They added that hosting "provocative happenings for its own sake was valid" and that it sends a message that "mental health issues and a criminal past can be recovered from and atoned for, after serving one's debts to society."


However, they maintained:

“If we were going to host an event for the principle, and potentially put others at risk in doing so, it shouldn’t be for some stunt booking — no offense to the artist."
“We might feel differently if we believed the music was important and transcended the infamy, but that’s just not the case here.”


Twitter was flummoxed over how Hinckley's performance was greenlit in the first place.






The Market Hotel concluded its post with:

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

More from Entertainment/music

Rob McElhenney
Gilbert Flores/ Variety/Getty Images

Rob McElhenney Just Shared A Video Explaining His 'Kinda Douchey' Decision To Legally Change His Name

What's in a name? A lot, apparently.

To be fair, a name represents a lot of things: a person's identity, the family they originate from, and possibly even some of the cultural and historical background of that family.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic
Disney/Marvel Studios

Pedro Pascal Adjusts Accent

Pedro Pascal was advised to tone down the Mid-Atlantic accent for his upcoming role as the stretchy Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards in Fantastic Four: First Steps.

In a video interview with Vanity Fair, he reflected on his past and current work and talked about working with a dialect coach for the Marvel movie, which is set to premiere on July 25th.

Keep ReadingShow less
Country Singer Gavin Adcock went on a drunken rant over Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" success.
Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Country singer rants over Beyoncé album

Country singer Gavin Adcock became the title of his next album, “Own Worst Enemy,” after going on an unhinged rant about the legitimacy of Beyoncé's Grammy-winning and record-breaking Cowboy Carter in the country music genre.

Adcock, whose upcoming album is set for release next month, was filmed during a live performance last weekend, complaining that Beyoncé and her album are not “country music.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Dionne Warwick; Tiny Chef
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images; @ToonHive/X

Dionne Warwick Is Ready To Go To War With Nickelodeon Over 'Tiny Chef' Cancellation

You know your campaign against a show's cancellation is achieving widespread attention when you get people like venerated singer Dionne Warwick advocating for you.

Nickelodeon's The Tiny Chef Show was recently cancelled, much to the dismay of its viewers and creators. It was also a genuinely surprising decision, since the show has won an Emmy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman relaxing in sunhat and sunglasses
Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash

People Explain Which 'Small Luxuries' They Can't Live Without

Many of us have committed to being fairly financially frugal and not overspending on silly, unnecessary things.

That is to say, sometimes, it's fun to splurge on something one time to see what it's like to experience that small luxury.

Keep ReadingShow less