Barack Obama says aliens are 'real' but that he hasn't 'seen them'

Former President Barack Obama said Saturday on a podcast that aliens are “real,” but added that he has not seen them himself.

“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” Obama told YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen in an interview. “They’re not being kept in Area 51, there’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States,”

Obama also said that when he first became president, the first question he wanted to answer was “where are the aliens,” prompting laughter from both him and Cohen. He did not elaborate on what he meant by saying they are “real,” and the conversation moved on.

Public interest in extraterrestrial life and UFOs has remained high. President Donald Trump previously said during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience that the subject is one of the most common topics he is asked about. Questions have particularly been asked in recent years following reports of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, including leaked radar footage captured by US Air Force drones showing objects in the Middle East. In 2021, the Pentagon released three unclassified videos from the Navy showing objects moving in ways that servicemembers were shocked about, as it appeared to defy the physical capabilities of any known aircraft.

Obama had previously teased the topic of aliens. In 2021, during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, he said, “When it comes to aliens, there are some things I just can’t tell you on air.” He added that the sightings of UAPs were real and that authorities were unable to determine their origin.

“But what is true — and I’m actually being serious here — is that there’s footage and records of objects in the skies that we don’t know exactly what they are,” he said.

In 2023, Congress passed the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act amid public scrutiny of the issue. The Department of War has also established the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, tasked with collecting data on UAPs and updating the public about its findings.