Former President Barack Obama is walking back comments that sent the internet into a tailspin this weekend. During a Valentine’s Day interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked point-blank if aliens are real. "They’re real, but I haven’t seen them," Obama replied, sparking an immediate international media firestorm.
The remark came during a high-speed "lightning round" at the conclusion of a heavy interview. Obama also joked that his very first question upon entering the Oval Office in 2009 was, "Where are the aliens?" While he played along with the segment’s fast-paced energy, the former president issued a formal clarification on Instagram Sunday evening to dampen the growing conspiracy theories.
"I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify," Obama posted. He explained that while the statistical odds of life in a vast universe are high, the chances of physical visitation are low. "I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!" he added, hoping to put the rumors to rest.
Obama did, however, use the moment to debunk the long-standing Area 51 myths. He told Cohen that there is no secret underground facility unless there is an "enormous conspiracy" that was hidden even from the President of the United States. He has previously admitted that the government possesses records of objects in the sky—often called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs)—that defy easy explanation.
The lighthearted alien talk stood in stark contrast to the rest of the interview, which focused on the civil unrest currently gripping the country. Obama delivered a blistering critique of federal immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota. He described the deployment of masked agents as "rogue behavior" that mirrors tactics used by authoritarian dictatorships.
The former president’s comments follow weeks of protests in the Twin Cities after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.