Obama Claims 'Aliens Are Real' — But Prez Insists He Hasn't 'Seen Them' in Bizarre Podcast Interview
Barack Obama joked he wanted to know 'where are the aliens' as soon as he became president.
Feb. 16 2026, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Former President Barack Obama has claimed "aliens are real" but insisted he hasn't "seen them" in a strange new interview, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In a conversation with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama seemingly confirmed the existence of aliens and touched on whether they're being kept in the secret facility Area 51.
What Did Barack Obama Say?
Obama insisted aliens were not 'being kept' in Area 51, during a podcast interview.
Toward the end of the interview, Cohen fired off a series of questions in a "lightening round" to the former president, with the first one asking if aliens are real.
Obama shockingly responded that extraterrestrials are "real" but that he hasn't "seen them."
"And they're not being kept in… what is it? Area 51," he continued. "There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States."
The ex-commander-in-chief was then asked what the first question he wanted to answer upon becoming president was, and, while laughing, he said, "Where are the aliens?"
Barack Obama Explains His Aliens Comments
The former president took to Instagram to reveal 'odds are good there's life out there.'
After Obama's remarks went viral, the 64-year-old posted the clip of his comments and included a statement alongside the footage, insisting he was attempting to "stick with the spirit of the speed round" but felt the need to "clarify" what he said due to it garnering attention.
"Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there," he shared. "But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us."
"Really!" he added in an attempt to emphasize he was being transparent.
Obama previously claimed there were 'records of objects in the sky.'
Obama had previously spoken about aliens during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
While there, he revealed it was true there were "records of objects in the sky," referring to "footage" as evidence. He did note, however, we "don't know exactly what they are."
"We can’t explain how they moved, their trajectory," he continued at the time. "They did not have an easily explainable pattern. And so, you know, I think that people still take seriously trying to investigate and figure out what that is."
What Is Area 51?
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Research that occurs at Area 51 is top secret.
Area 51 is a highly classified United States Air Force facility that is located in Groom Lake, Nevada. There have been many conspiracy theories about Area 51, including a popular one dating back to 1947.
The theory claims alien remains from a flying saucer that supposedly crashed were taken from Roswell, New Mexico, to Area 51. The purpose of taking them there was supposedly for reverse engineering experiments in an attempt to recreate the extraterrestrial spacecraft.
There has also been a lot of secrecy regarding Area 51, as the research that occurs there is considered top secret/sensitive compartmented information.
While there have been rumors about the facility for years, the CIA finally acknowledged its existence in June 2013 via a Freedom of Information Act request that was filed in 2005.
