Barack Obama walks back alien remark, says no evidence of extraterrestrial contact

Former US president Barack Obama moved to clarify comments he made during a podcast appearance that briefly ignited headlines suggesting he had confirmed the existence of aliens.

Speaking with American podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama participated in a rapid-fire question segment when he was asked, “Are aliens real?” He replied, “They’re real but I haven’t seen them,” before joking that they were not being hidden at Area 51.

The remark quickly spread across social media and international news outlets, prompting speculation and sensational headlines about extraterrestrial life.

Hours later, Obama posted a clarification on Instagram, saying he had been responding in the spirit of the speed round. He explained that while the universe is vast and the statistical probability of life elsewhere may be high, he saw no evidence during his presidency that extraterrestrials had made contact with Earth.

“There’s life out there” in a statistical sense, he wrote, but the distances between solar systems make the likelihood of visitation extremely low. “I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”

Previously declassified documents revealed that the site was primarily used for high-altitude testing of aircraft such as the U-2 spy plane, which contributed to a surge in UFO sightings during the Cold War era.

Obama’s clarification appears aimed at cooling speculation, emphasizing that his earlier remark was not a confirmation of alien contact but a lighthearted response during a quick-fire interview segment.