Update: Obama drops announcement on aliens after interview clip goes viral - Brian Tyler Cohen

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Video: Brian Tyler Cohen posted a near-hour interview clip with former President Barack Obama; one short exchange about aliens went viral.

Obama’s on-camera line: “Uh, they’re real, but I haven’t seen them… they’re not being kept in Area 51 unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president.” Cohen initially interpreted this as a joking/qualifying remark that Obama believes life likely exists elsewhere but saw no evidence of visitation.

After the clip spread, Cohen contacted Obama’s team; Obama posted a clarification on Instagram: the universe is vast so life is statistically likely, but interstellar distances make visitation unlikely, and he saw no evidence during his presidency of extraterrestrial contact.

Cohen uses the episode to discuss how viral clips can be misread and how conspiracy theories spread online; he contrasts harmless curiosity about aliens with more dangerous conspiracies (e.g., QAnon, Epstein-related theories).
He interviewed experts on QAnon who estimate belief levels in the low single digits (millions of Americans) and discuss how such movements have been absorbed into wider political media.

Cohen’s takeaways: always ask follow-ups in interviews, persistence pays off for clarification, don’t underestimate the reach of online conspiracies, and remain open-minded about extraterrestrial life while staying skeptical.