Brian Tyler Cohen called 'insane' for zero follow up questions on Obama’s 'aliens exist' remark

WASHINGTON, DC: Political commentator and Journalist Brian Tyler Cohen is facing serious backlash online after he failed to press former President Barack Obama on his jaw-dropping revelation about existence of aliens.

The former president said aliens are "real, but I haven’t seen them,” before jokingly dismissing conspiracy theories about secret underground facilities at Area 51.

Instead of digging deeper, Cohen moved on from the topic. That decision quickly became the fodder for trolls.

Brian Tyler Cohen gets flak from netizens

Social media users blasted Cohen for not asking obvious follow-up questions after what was described as an unprecedented moment.

“And then when he said ‘they’re real’, an affirmative answer unprecedented in the history of the American presidency- you didn’t ask ‘how do you know that?” Jesse Michels, host of the 'American Alchemy' podcast and a UFO enthusiast, wrote.

"Imagine getting a former president to say "aliens are real" in plain english for the first time and then you ask ZERO follow up questions! You asked, he answered, you moved on. Bro that's f**king insane," wrote Jay Anderson, host of the Project Unity podcast, which focuses on UFOs.

A user that goes by Derek guy and has amassed following over in-depth posts on men's fashion and its history, also mocked the exchange.

“Obama: ‘Yes aliens are real’. Interviewer: ‘Haha. OK, let's move onto the next topic.”

All these netizens were on the same page about that Cohen missing a rare opportunity to probe what Obama meant- whether he was joking, referencing unidentified aerial phenomena or speaking more broadly about the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

Obama dismisses 'Area 51' conspiracies

In the interview, Obama clarified that while he believes aliens are real, he has not seen them and dismissed long-running theories that extraterrestrials are being hidden 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,” he said, laughing.

He also quipped that one of the first questions he wanted answered after taking office was, “Where are the aliens?”

Though Obama’s comments were delivered in a lighthearted tone, the broader topic of UFOs has drawn serious attention in recent years.

In September 2025, the House Oversight and Government Reform Task Force heard testimony from military personnel about unexplained aerial phenomena.

Air Force veteran Dylan Borland described a 2012 encounter at Langley Air Force Base involving a silent, triangular craft with unusual characteristics, alleging his reports were dismissed by the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.