Obama’s podcast answer sparks social buzz

Former President Barack Obama said “they’re real” during a lightning-round question on a podcast, a clip that blew up over the weekend and prompted him to clarify his meaning. The exchange happened on Brian Tyler Cohen’s interview, released Saturday.

When asked “Are aliens real?” Obama answered, “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them, and 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.” He later laughed and moved on as the speed round continued.

Clarification from Barack Obama

After the clip circulated widely, Obama returned to the topic on Instagram to add context. He said he was “trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round” but wanted to clarify his view.

His clarification stressed two points:

• Statistically, the universe is vast, so the odds are good that life exists elsewhere.
• The distances between solar systems are immense, making the chances we’ve been visited low, and he saw no evidence during his presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact.

Obama’s follow-up made clear he wasn’t claiming firsthand knowledge of alien contact or hidden extraterrestrials at government facilities.

Area 51 and conspiracy theory context

Secrecy around Area 51 has long fueled UFO conspiracies. The Nevada test site’s secrecy spawned viral stunts such as the 2019 “Storm Area 51” event, which drew huge online interest but only a few thousand attendees in person. The CIA acknowledged the site’s existence in 2013, but not tales of crashed UFOs or secret alien bodies.

The coverage also referenced a 2025 documentary, The Age of Disclosure, which claimed an “80-year cover-up of non-human intelligent life.” In that film, a clip showed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying unidentified objects had been seen over nuclear facilities and hinting presidents operated on a need-to-know basis. Rubio later told Fox News his documentary comments described allegations he’d heard while in the Senate and weren’t his firsthand experiences, calling some selective editing “OK because you’re trying to sell a show,” though he did not fully disavow the remarks.

Wider social and political fallout

The podcast also touched on other viral controversies. Obama was asked about a Trump Truth Social video that superimposed the Obamas’ faces on apes; he described a loss of decorum in social media and television, saying some who once valued propriety now show “no shame” about such posts. The Truth Social video was taken down after backlash, and Trump declined to apologize.

What Obama’s comments mean

Obama’s initial quip and his subsequent clarification underscore two things found in his statement. A belief in the statistical possibility of extraterrestrial life. And skepticism that humans have been visited or that evidence was seen during his presidency. He denied any knowledge of aliens being held at Area 51 or similar underground facilities. Framing his view as cautious and evidence-based.

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