Forget Beyoncé, Ronald Regan Shooter John Hinckley Jr. Wants To Be A Country Singer But His Shows Keep Getting Canceled

Sheesh, everyone's a country singer these days. Beyoncé's venture into country music may be controversial, but music fans probably didn't know that Ronald Regan shooter John Hinckley Jr. is trying to enter the genre. Hinckley tried to assassinate the president in 1981. He spent the next several decades in a mental hospital after being found not guilty by reason of insanity before being released in 2016.

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Hinckley has amassed a following on YouTube of more than 36,000 followers. He uses the platform to share his music. He's also attempted to perform publicly. However, venues keep canceling on him because in Hinckley's own words, "Owners don't want the controversy."

The question at the heart of the matter here is can anyone ever be truly forgiven for their past deeds? Hinckley may have served the time in rehabilitation, but he still can't escape his past actions. Speaking with the New York Post, Hinckley vented about not being able to perform. So far, venues in New York, Georgia, Virginia, and Illinois have canceled on him. What's a starving artist to do?

"They book me and then the show gets announced and then the venue starts getting backlash," he told the outlet. "The owners always cave, they cancel. It's happened so many times, it's kinda what I expect. I don't really get upset."

Although Hinckley sold out a show in Brooklyn in 2022, the venue ultimately canceled on him due to backlash. "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," the Market Hotel explained.

Country Fans Aren't Happy About John Hinckley Jr

Taking a look at the comment section online, it's clear that Hinckley hasn't earned the public's forgiveness. One person wrote, "How is Reagan's shooter a free man? He was deemed insane in 1981 and after sitting in an insane asylum for 30 years, he is now normal?"

Another commented, "No, really. Imagine that, a guy who tried to assassinate a president and killed a secret service agent can't get a gig. Crazy."

Hinckley doesn't want to focus on what he did in the past. He says he's trying to move forward, but the question to you dear reader, is some actions unforgivable? Can you move forward from shooting a U.S. president?

"I'm just not the person I used to be. I have a different mindset than I did long, long ago," he said. "I don't want to dwell on the past," Let's stay in the present."

He believes he's a victim of cancel culture.

"I'm just caught up in the cancel culture, I guess," Hinckley said. "It would be a venue for new artists, distinguished artists and they wouldn't get canceled [at] the last minute like I'm getting canceled. It's just kinda where the center of the music scene is or was," he said. "And there is a lot going on in New York."