'They're real:' Obama confirms aliens exist but says Area 51 holds no secrets

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Barack Obama confirmed the existence of extraterrestrial life during a candid conversation with journalist Brian Tyler Cohen on Saturday, February 14. While affirming that aliens are real, Obama dismissed the long-standing conspiracy theories surrounding secret facilities at Area 51.

During a “lightning round” segment, Cohen asked Obama directly, “Are aliens real?”

“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them, and they’re not being kept in, what is it—” Obama began, before Cohen interjected with “Area 51?” The former president nodded but quickly clarified, “There’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy, and they hid it from the president of the United States.”

The brief exchange ended in laughter when Obama revealed that one of the first questions he was asked upon taking office was, “Where are the aliens?”

Obama confirms alien existence while debunking Area 51 myths

Obama’s comments offered a lighthearted glimpse into the topic of UFOs, but congressional hearings in recent years have highlighted serious encounters. In September 2025, the House Oversight and Government Reform Task Force heard testimony from military personnel reporting unexplained aerial phenomena.

Air Force veteran Dylan Borland recounted a 2012 encounter at Langley Air Force Base with a triangular craft exhibiting unusual properties. “This craft interfered with my telephone, did not have any sound, and the material it was made of appeared fluid or dynamic,” Borland told the committee. He said his reports were dismissed by the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and claimed that he faced workplace retaliation, leaving him unemployed.

Military veterans share UFO sightings in official testimony

Borland’s testimony was part of broader disclosure efforts, including a 2024 incident where an MQ-9 Reaper drone encountered a mysterious orb. Representative Eric Burlison presented the footage to the task force, noting that the orb remained operational even after a direct hit. “I’m not going to speculate what it is. But the question is, why are we being blocked from this information?” he asked.

Lawmakers, including Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna, chairwoman of the UAP task force, criticized the intelligence community for withholding data. She stressed the public’s right to transparency, stating, “The American people are not fragile and do not need to be shielded like children from reality.”

Obama’s remarks, combined with congressional disclosures, highlight the ongoing balance between public curiosity, national security, and official transparency regarding unexplained aerial phenomena.