For decades, the American imagination has been captivated by the prospect of extraterrestrial life and the shadowy lore surrounding Area 51, the highly secretive military base nestled in southern Nevada’s desert. Now, on February 15, 2026, former President Barack Obama has reignited this national conversation with a candid, if somewhat enigmatic, declaration: aliens are real—but he’s never seen them himself.
Speaking on the No Lie podcast with Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama didn’t mince words when asked about the existence of extraterrestrials. “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” he said, his tone both matter-of-fact and tinged with the humor that’s become his trademark. Yet, for all the intrigue his comment generated, the former president was quick to cast doubt on the most persistent of alien-related conspiracy theories. “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 added, as reported by The Independent and New York Post.
Area 51 has long served as a lightning rod for speculation, its very existence shrouded in secrecy. For generations, conspiracy theorists have claimed that the government is hiding everything from crashed alien spacecraft—supposedly recovered at Roswell in 1947—to the remains of extraterrestrial beings themselves. Over the years, the rumors have grown only more elaborate: some allege the base is a testing ground for intergalactic weapons, time travel machines, teleportation technology, or even weather control devices. But Obama’s remarks, delivered with a dose of skepticism, suggest that if such secrets exist, they’re hidden from even the highest office in the land.
“What was the first question you wanted answered when you became president?” Cohen asked during the podcast. Obama’s response, delivered with a laugh, was simple: “Where are the aliens?” It’s a question that has echoed through the corridors of power and the pages of science fiction alike, and one that continues to fascinate the public.
Interest in the prospect of alien contact has only intensified in recent years. Leaked government documents and videos have fueled a wave of curiosity about so-called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), the official term now favored over the classic “UFOs.” According to New York Post and The Independent, leaked radar footage from U.S. Air Force Reaper drones, recorded about 13 years ago, reportedly shows UAPs flying over the Middle East. These videos, shared by journalists and prominent UFO researchers, have added fresh fuel to the debate over what exactly is being seen in the skies.
The Pentagon itself stepped into the conversation in 2021, releasing three unclassified Navy videos showing bizarre objects tearing through the sky as bewildered U.S. servicemen looked on. In one particularly striking instance, a UAP was seen rotating against the wind—a maneuver that left both experts and laypeople scratching their heads. Obama, for his part, has acknowledged the legitimacy of such sightings. “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 told James Corden during a 2021 interview on The Late Late Show.
Despite his willingness to entertain the possibility of life beyond Earth, Obama has consistently maintained that he has never seen direct evidence of aliens. “When it comes to aliens, there are some things I just can’t tell you on air,” he joked to Corden, a sentiment that has only stoked the fires of speculation. Yet, time and again, he’s returned to a sober assessment: the U.S. government has records and footage of unexplained aerial phenomena, but their origins and flight patterns remain a mystery.
The former president’s comments come at a time when the conversation about non-human intelligence is reaching a fever pitch—not just among the public, but within the halls of government and the media. In late 2025, Dan Farah, director of the documentary The Age of Disclosure, went so far as to predict that a sitting president would soon step up and confirm to the world, “We’re not alone in the universe.” As Farah told Entertainment Weekly, “It’s the most significant moment a leader could possibly have.” While the White House declined to comment at the time, the anticipation was palpable.
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has played a more ambiguous role in the ongoing saga. In a July 2024 conversation with influencer Logan Paul, Trump admitted, “Probably I can’t say I am [a believer]. But I have met with people that are serious people that say there’s some really strange things that they see flying around out there.” Later, in September, he told podcaster Lex Fridman that he would push to release more footage of UAPs, saying, “I’ll do that. I would do that. I’d love to do that. I have to do that.” By October, Trump was musing about the possibility of life on Mars and other planets, telling Joe Rogan, “There’s no reason not to think that Mars and all these planets don’t have life.”
All of this has stoked a renewed wave of public interest—and skepticism. While some see the mounting evidence of UAPs as a sign that humanity is on the cusp of a historic revelation, others remain convinced that the truth is still out there, hidden behind layers of government secrecy and plausible deniability. The persistent allure of Area 51, with its barbed-wire fences and no-trespassing signs, continues to draw curiosity-seekers and conspiracy theorists alike. After all, if a former president can’t get a straight answer, what hope do the rest of us have?
Yet, for all the speculation and intrigue, Obama’s remarks serve as a reminder that the search for extraterrestrial life is as much about what we don’t know as what we do. The skies may hold mysteries, but for now, the evidence remains tantalizingly just out of reach. As the world waits for further disclosures—whether from government officials, whistleblowers, or the next viral video—the question lingers: are we truly alone, or is the truth simply waiting to be uncovered?
In the end, Obama’s candid admission and the ongoing debate over UAPs highlight just how much the question of alien life continues to grip the human imagination. Whether the truth lies buried in the Nevada desert or somewhere far beyond our reach, one thing is certain: the conversation is far from over.