Barack Obama Says Aliens Are Real, but Not in Area 51
February 15, 2026
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Former President Barack Obama made a striking statement about extraterrestrial life during a wide-ranging interview with journalist Brian Tyler Cohen published on Saturday.
When asked directly whether aliens are real, Obama responded affirmatively—”They’re real”—while simultaneously debunking long-standing conspiracy theories about Area 51.
Newsweek reached out to a spokesperson for the Obamas via email on Saturday for comment.
The Moment Obama Revealed His First Presidential Priority
The exchange occurred during a “lightning round” portion of Cohen’s interview, where the journalist prefaced his question by noting the rare opportunity to speak with a president of the United States. Cohen asked directly: “Are aliens real?”
Obama’s response was immediate and unequivocal: “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them, and they’re not being kept in, what is it—”
Cohen interjected: “Area 51?”
“Area 51,” Obama confirmed. “There’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy, and they hid it from the president of the United States.”
Cohen then asked what the first question Obama wanted answered when he became president. Without hesitation, Obama replied: “Where are the aliens?”
The exchange ended with laughter from both men as Cohen repeated, “Where are the aliens?”
Veterans Report Retaliation After Sightings
Obama’s remarks coincide with dramatic testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, where military veterans described mysterious unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).
In September 2025, Air Force veteran Dylan Borland testified that a triangular aircraft hovered above him for several minutes at Langley Air Force Base in 2012, displaying characteristics that defied conventional aviation physics.
“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 task force. He claimed the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) dismissed his report and that he subsequently faced workplace retaliation, security clearance manipulation, and blacklisting from federal intelligence employment. “I am unemployed now and have no job prospects,” Borland said.
Congressional Task Force Alleges Defense Department Cover-Up
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and chairwoman of the UAP task force, accused the Defense Department and intelligence community of a “lack of transparency,” claiming the task force has been denied access to video and files related to UAP incidents. “
The American people are not fragile and do not need to be shielded like children from reality,” Luna said during the September hearing.
Republican Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri presented video he said showed an MQ-9 Reaper striking an unidentified orb off Yemen’s coast in October 2024, according to The American Legion. The orb continued flying after being hit by a Hellfire missile, he said. “I’m not going to speculate what it is. But the question is, why are we being blocked from this information?” Burlison asked.
What Happens Next
The AARO maintains it has found no verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial activity.
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