Former President Barack Obama has sparked some buzz after telling the world that aliens are real. Obama made the revelation when he sat down for an interview with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen on Saturday.

What did Obama say about the existence of aliens?

Obama’s viral moment happened when Cohen brought up the popular topic while asking a series of questions in the lightning-round segment of his show.

“Are aliens real?” Cohen asked.

Obama answered without hesitation.

“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” he said. “They’re not being kept at Area 51. There’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy, and they hid it from the president of the United States.”

Cohen proceeded to follow up with the next question on his list of topics.

“What was the first question you wanted answered when you became president?” he said.

Obama, however, couldn’t help himself from launching one more joke about aliens.

“Where are the aliens?” he said in response to the host’s question.

What has the U.S. government said about the existence of aliens?

While the U.S. government has never confirmed that aliens are real, there has been some research on the possible existence of extraterrestrial beings. According to USA Today, the Department of War has denied statements from people who claimed to see UFOs. The department said the sightings are usually airplanes, balloons or drones.

In 2024, Congress held hearings on UFOs to respond to whistleblower reports, NewsNation reported. However, the details of that hearing have not been confirmed, per NewsNation.

A 2025 study concluded that about 50 percent of Americans believe the government is hiding secrets about UFOs.

Obama’s statement about aliens still has people wondering if he was actually serious about the existence of extraterrestrial creatures.

So was Obama joking abt aliens or…?

— d. w. (@theeonlyme) February 15, 2026

Many of the comments on social media are also directed at Cohen, who failed to ask a follow-up question after the startling response.

And you didn’t ask him to elaborate on that??

— Lilly Wilson (@RealLillyWilson) February 15, 2026