Former President Barack Obama is weighing in on one of the most enduring mysteries in American culture: aliens.
During a recent interview with YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked directly whether extraterrestrials are real.
“Uh, they’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” Obama replied, before quickly clarifying that no aliens are being housed at Nevada’s infamous Area 51.
“And they’re not being kept in, uh, what is it? Area 51,” he added. “There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”
The remark was delivered with humor, though speculation about secret government programs and hidden facilities has long fueled documentaries and online debate. Some conspiracy theorists argue that any alleged alien technology would be kept in tightly compartmentalized programs — potentially even hidden from presidents.
When asked what question he most wanted answered upon entering the White House, Obama quipped with a laugh, “Where are the aliens?” It was unclear whether he was joking or offering a subtle nod to longstanding public curiosity.
Obama is not the first president linked to UFO intrigue. After his 1976 election, President Jimmy Carter reportedly asked then-CIA Director George H.W. Bush for access to UFO files, only to be rebuffed. Former Clinton Chief of Staff and Obama counselor John Podesta was also a vocal advocate for greater transparency regarding government UFO records, once calling the failure to secure their release his “biggest failure” in 2014.
Area 51 and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio are frequently cited in claims about secret programs studying alien craft. In 1989, Bob Lazar publicly alleged he worked on a classified project at Area 51 involving reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology — claims that continue to spark debate decades later.
In recent years, the subject has gained new credibility in Washington. Lawmakers including former Sen. Marco Rubio and the late Sen. Harry Reid pushed for transparency around what are now called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). A landmark 2017 New York Times report revealed a secret Pentagon program studying unexplained aerial encounters, complete with military fighter-jet footage of objects that appeared to defy conventional flight capabilities.
A subsequent House hearing featured whistleblower David Grusch, who alleged that the U.S. government recovered crashed alien craft and “non-human biologics” through secret programs — claims that intensified public interest.
While Obama dismissed the idea of hidden aliens at Area 51, the broader debate over UAPs remains very real — and far from settled.
