Do aliens exist? Obama jokes that they’re real – but not at Area 51

It’s a question that’s been debated and debunked for decades: Are aliens real?

The word “alien” can create mental images of different creatures in people’s heads thanks to Hollywood − gentle and wrinkly in Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” blue and rambunctious in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” and the stereotypical green beings with big eyes come to life in “Invaders from Mars.”

Former President Barack Obama jokingly confirmed their existence in a Feb. 14 interview with podcast host and YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen before shutting down the conspiracy that creatures from outer space are held at Area 51, the remote and classified United States Air Force facility in the Nevada desert.

‘I haven’t seen them’: Obama debunks Area 51

In the interview, Cohen held a lightning round of questions with the former president, including asking about a pressing issue for some people in the United States: Do aliens exist?

“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” Obama said in response to Cohen’s question. “They’re not being kept 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.”

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Proceeding with the lightning round, Cohen then asked Obama, “What was the first question you wanted answered when you became president?”

“Where are the aliens?” Obama responded quickly before laughing.

Aliens remain topic of interest for Americans

Questions around the existence of aliens and life beyond Earth have swirled for years, with interest reignited by recent hearings on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or UAPs. They’re commonly called UFOs, or Unidentified Flying Objects.

More: Congress holds hearing on UAPs (or UFOs). What are they?

USA TODAY previously reported that nearly half of Americans believe the U.S. government is concealing information about UFOs, which have become synonymous with alien lifeforms.

Still, the Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense, advises that most UAP sightings can actually be identified as planes, balloons, drones and weather events.

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on X @katecperez_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Obama jokes that aliens are real, debunks Area 51 in podcast interview