In a candid podcast interview released on Saturday, former President Barack Obama addressed long-standing speculation about extraterrestrial life, stating that aliens are real but that he has not personally encountered them. The remarks, made during a conversation with YouTuber and political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, come amid renewed public interest in unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, following recent leaks of military footage.
Obama's comments were brief but provocative. "They’re real, but I haven’t seen them," he told Cohen when asked about extraterrestrials. The former president offered no elaboration on what he meant by "real," and the interview did not pursue further questions on the subject. Instead, Obama used the opportunity to dismiss popular conspiracy theories, particularly those centered on the secretive U.S. Air Force base known as Area 51 in Groom Lake, Nevada.
"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 said, casting doubt on claims that the government is concealing alien technology or bodies at the site. Area 51 has fueled decades of intrigue among conspiracy theorists, who point to its restricted access and classified operations as evidence of a cover-up involving crashed UFOs and extraterrestrial remains.
The timing of Obama's interview aligns with a surge in discussions about potential alien visitations. In early February, investigative journalists George Knapp and Jeremy Corbell released leaked radar footage captured by U.S. Air Force Reaper drones approximately 13 years ago in the Middle East. The footage, which purportedly shows UAPs exhibiting unusual flight patterns, has reignited debates over unexplained aerial sightings reported by military personnel.
According to the New York Post, the leaked material depicts objects moving in ways that defy conventional aircraft capabilities, prompting questions about their origins. This follows the Pentagon's official release of three unclassified Navy videos in 2021, which captured bizarre objects maneuvering through the sky. In one instance, a UAP was observed rotating against the wind, eliciting reactions of astonishment from U.S. servicemen aboard the vessels.
Obama's latest statements echo his previous engagements with the topic. During a 2021 appearance on "The Late Late Show" with host James Corden, the former president teased the audience with cryptic remarks. "When it comes to aliens, there are some things I just can’t tell you on air," he said, leaving viewers speculating about classified information from his time in office.
He went on to affirm the legitimacy of UAP sightings in that interview, emphasizing the government's inability to fully explain them. "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," Obama stated. These admissions highlighted ongoing investigations into aerial anomalies, which the U.S. government now refers to as UAPs rather than the more sensational term UFOs.
The shift in terminology reflects broader efforts within the Department of Defense to destigmatize reporting of such incidents. In recent years, Congress has held hearings on UAPs, with officials testifying about hundreds of unresolved cases. For instance, a 2021 preliminary report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence detailed 144 incidents of UAPs encountered by U.S. military aviators between 2004 and 2021, many of which remain unidentified.
Knapp and Corbell, who have long advocated for transparency on UFO matters, described the recently leaked drone footage as a significant development. "This is radar data from a combat zone, showing objects that shouldn't be there," Knapp told reporters in February, according to accounts from UFO research communities. Their release has drawn attention from both skeptics and believers, with some experts suggesting the phenomena could be advanced foreign technology rather than extraterrestrial.
Despite Obama's dismissal of Area 51 conspiracies, the base continues to captivate the public imagination. Established in the 1950s for testing experimental aircraft like the U-2 spy plane, Area 51's veil of secrecy has led to persistent rumors. A 2019 "Storm Area 51" event on Facebook drew millions of virtual RSVPs, though only a few hundred people actually gathered near the site in Nevada's desert.
Government officials have occasionally addressed these theories. In 2013, CIA Director John Brennan acknowledged Area 51's existence but attributed its mystique to Cold War-era aviation projects, not aliens. More recently, the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, established in 2022, has been tasked with investigating UAP reports, aiming to separate potential national security threats from misidentifications.
Obama's podcast appearance with Cohen, which covered a range of topics from politics to personal anecdotes, underscores his continued influence in public discourse post-presidency. The interview, available on Cohen's YouTube channel, has garnered thousands of views within hours of release, with social media users debating the implications of the former president's words.
While Obama stopped short of endorsing extraterrestrial visitation, his confirmation that aliens are "real" has sparked varied reactions. UFO enthusiasts hailed it as validation, while critics argued it was a lighthearted nod to scientific consensus on microbial life elsewhere in the universe. Astronomers, for instance, point to the discovery of thousands of exoplanets since the 1990s as evidence that life beyond Earth is statistically probable, though intelligent contact remains unproven.
The broader implications of such discussions extend to national security and scientific inquiry. Increased congressional oversight, including a 2023 hearing where whistleblower David Grusch alleged government possession of non-human biologics, has pressured agencies for more disclosure. However, officials maintain that most UAPs are likely mundane, such as drones or optical illusions, with no confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial involvement.
As interest in UAPs persists, Obama's remarks serve as a reminder of the intersection between popular culture and policy. With ongoing investigations and potential for future revelations, the question of what lies beyond our skies remains open. For now, the former president has drawn a line: aliens exist, but their whereabouts—and whether they've visited Earth—stay firmly in the realm of mystery.