March 30, 1981: An Obsessed Jodie Foster Fan Gives Fans A Bad Name

This Week In Fandom History · Apr 5, 2026 · 1h 2m

Yikes. This week, V and Emily try their best to be Carefully Neutral (well, V does) as they delve into the sordid, obsession-fueled assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr, who wanted very badly to impress child actress Jodie Foster. After the event, though, came the fallout: the idea of "the obsessed fan" became a cultural boogeyman of the early '80s. So what was fandom supposed to do if not write scathing LOCs in Star Trek zines? We look at how the demonization of "fans" played out in the dialogue of actual fans in fannish spaces, and really, we did our best to be…