Obama Said Aliens Are Real Then Walked It Back 24 Hours Later
- Cristina Gomez
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Former President Barack Obama made headlines this weekend after stating that aliens are real during an interview with journalist Brian Tyler Cohen on the No Lie podcast, published on February 14th, 2026. When asked point blank during a lightning round segment whether aliens are real, Obama responded immediately and without hesitation, confirming that aliens are real but adding that he has not personally seen them. He also pushed back on long-standing theories about Area 51, the classified Air Force facility in Nevada, saying there is no underground facility there unless there is an enormous conspiracy that was hidden from the sitting president.
This is at least the sixth time Obama has publicly addressed the topic of UFOs and extraterrestrial life, going back to 2013 when he became the first sitting president to publicly mention Area 51 during the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. In 2021, during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Obama confirmed that there is footage and records of objects in the skies that the government cannot explain, noting their movement and trajectory did not have an easily explainable pattern.
However, roughly 24 hours after the podcast clip went viral, Obama posted a clarification on Instagram. He wrote that he was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round but wanted to clarify that while the universe is vast enough to support the likelihood of life existing somewhere, the distances between solar systems make visitation unlikely. He added that he saw no evidence during his presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact.
The walk back itself raised questions. Former presidents rarely issue public corrections over casual podcast answers, which led many in the UFO research community to ask whether there is still a stigma attached to this topic even at the presidential level.
Adding another layer, according to an interview between journalist Ross Coulthart and experiencer Chris Bledsoe, a man named Tim Taylor, who held high-level security clearances through the National Reconnaissance Office, allegedly briefed President Obama at Camp David on phenomena witnessed at the Bledsoe property in North Carolina. Coulthart noted that there was a turning point with Obama after that exchange, where his public statements on UAPs became noticeably more forward. This account has not been independently verified, but the timeline aligns with Obama’s shift from humor to serious acknowledgment.
Obama is far from the only president to engage with this topic. As referenced in a previous article, President Truman requested a briefing from Project Blue Book in 1952 after unknown objects were tracked over Washington D.C. President Eisenhower was allegedly briefed after winning the 1952 election. President Carter witnessed a UFO in 1969 and later asked NASA to investigate, only to be declined. President Reagan witnessed a UFO firsthand in 1974 and later addressed the possibility of an alien presence during a speech at the United Nations in 1987. George H.W. Bush reportedly said Americans cannot handle the truth when asked about UFOs. And Bill Clinton admitted that there are things flying around in our skies that have not been fully identified.
The question remains whether Obama’s original answer or his Instagram correction tells the fuller story.
Sources
Adeosun, A. (2026, February 15). Barack Obama says aliens are real, but not in area 51. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/barack-obama-says-aliens-are-real-but-not-in-area-51-11526045
Brian Tyler Cohen. (2026, February 14). Barack Obama BREAKS SILENCE on Trump’s ape video, Bad Bunny, and 2028 election [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI-hgSE5QIw
Cillizza, C. (2021, May 19). Barack Obama just said something very interesting about UFOs. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/19/politics/barack-obama-ufos
Gomez, C. (2025, July 28). US President UFO briefings and their UAP sightings. UFO News. https://www.ufonews.co/post/us-president-ufo-briefings-and-their-uap-sightings
Instagram. (n.d.). https://www.instagram.com/p/DUy9E_UD9RR/
Jimmy Kimmel Live. (2015, March 13). President Barack Obama denies knowledge of aliens [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYzRY2XpLBk
NewsNation. (2025, June 18). Chris Bledsoe on presidents’ interest in UAPs, NASA missions and summoning orbs | Reality Check [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrGeReWlHLg
WION. (2026, February 15). “They are real”: Obama says Aliens exist | WION News [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hckznib9y8Y
Wollner, A. (2013, December 9). The secret’s out: Obama acknowledges existence of Area 51. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2013/12/09/249731240/the-secrets-out-obama-acknowledges-existence-of-area-51
