By Micah Jonah
February 16, 2026
Former United States President, Barack Obama has clarified remarks he made on a podcast about extraterrestrial life after comments suggesting aliens are real sparked widespread speculation online.
Appearing on a programme hosted by political commentator, Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked during a rapid-fire question segment whether he believes extraterrestrials are real.
“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” Obama replied. He added that aliens were not being kept at Area 51 and joked that any such secret would have required an “enormous conspiracy” hidden even from the US president.
The remarks quickly circulated a cross media platforms, fuelling long-running conspiracy theories that the US government is concealing evidence of alien life at the highly classified military site in Nevada.
On Sunday, Obama sought to clarify his position in a post on Instagram, saying the viral clip did not fully reflect his views due to the fast-paced nature of the questioning.
“Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good, there’s life out there,” he wrote. “But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us, really!”
During the same podcast episode, Obama joked that one of the first questions he wanted answered upon taking office was about the existence of aliens.
Area 51 has long been a focal point for speculation about extraterrestrial activity. In 2019, an online campaign to“storm” the base drew millions of sign-ups, though only a small number of people ultimately gathered near the site. The event ended with a handful of arrests and evolved into a festival-like gathering.
Declassified documents released in 2013 confirmed that the facility was used for testing advanced US aircraft projects, including the U-2 and Oxcart surveillance programmes.
In the podcast, Obama also addressed recent political controversies, including a social media post by US President, Donald Trump and broader discussions surrounding the 2028 US election.
