In a topic that has historically sparked global fascination — extraterrestrial life, UFOs and state secrets — former U.S. President Barack Obama has once again placed it at the center of public debate with remarks that quickly went viral.

During an interview on the podcast hosted by political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama responded candidly to a direct question:

“Are aliens real?”

“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” he replied.

The brief yet striking remark spread across social media platforms and international news outlets within hours.

The Clarification

Following the online reaction, Obama posted a statement on Instagram clarifying the context of his answer. He explained that he was speaking in statistical terms.

The universe is so vast, he noted, that it is highly probable life exists elsewhere. However, he emphasized that during his eight years in the White House he saw no evidence that extraterrestrials had made contact with Earth.

“The distances between solar systems are so enormous that the probability we’ve been visited is low,” he said, distancing himself from conspiracy interpretations.

The Enduring Myth of Area 51

In the same interview, the former president dismissed the notion that alien specimens or secret underground facilities are being hidden at Area 51, the Nevada military installation that for decades has fueled speculation about alien technology and UFO wreckage.

Secrecy surrounding the site persisted until 2013, when the CIA declassified documents officially acknowledging its existence. The base had been established under President Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s to test the Lockheed U-2 spy plane, designed for high-altitude missions during the Cold War.

It was later used to develop advanced aircraft, including the Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

Despite official confirmations, theories involving UFO crashes, reverse-engineered alien spacecraft and extraterrestrial bodies stored in secret hangars continue to circulate widely in popular culture.

Extraterrestrial Life: Between Science and Speculation

The possibility of life beyond Earth is not a fringe issue within the scientific community. NASA and other space agencies are studying exoplanets located in habitable zones, analyzing anomalous radio signals and examining the chemistry of Mars and moons such as Europa and Enceladus.

Meanwhile, the UFO phenomenon — now officially referred to as UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) — has been the subject of Pentagon reports and congressional hearings in recent years. To date, however, no conclusive evidence has confirmed an extraterrestrial origin.

Obama’s remarks, rather than validating conspiracy theories, appear aligned with a scientific perspective: life may exist somewhere in the universe, but there is no proof of visits or contact.

The Media Impact

Whenever a high-level institutional figure addresses this subject, public interest surges. Obama is not just any former president — for eight years he had access to classified national security briefings. Any comment he makes about extraterrestrials inevitably generates attention.

Still, his final message was clear: statistical probability does not equal evidence.

The extraterrestrial phenomenon remains suspended between scientific curiosity, media speculation and collective imagination. And as the universe continues to expand — both literally and symbolically — the question remains open.