Earlier this year, Barack Obama sparked a few headlines during a conversation about aliens. Since then, a prominent figure in the scientific community has weighed in on the story. This was Neil deGrasse Tyson, a decorated scientist famous for bringing cosmic concepts to the public.
Barack Obama Previously Discussed Aliens During A Podcast Discussion Back In February
Tyson is an astrophysicist who has been known for serving as the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City. Over the years, he’s been known for writing for various scientific publications, such as StarDate and Natural History. He also hosts the StarTalk podcast series. Thanks to his work, he’s also received multiple awards over the years, such as the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal in 2004.
Recently, Tyson weighed in on comments made by former U.S. President Barack Obama. Back in February, Obama spoke about the possibility of aliens with host Brian Tyler Cohen.
During the conversation, Obama shared, “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them. They’re not being kept in Area 51. There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.” At the time, Cohen didn’t ask any follow-up questions about the situation.
Following this, various news outlets reported that Obama believed, or at least supported the belief, in extraterrestrials. Obama himself later took to social media to explain that he was trying to keep with the spirit of the round.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson Also Appeared On The Podcast To Promote His New Book
Obama explained, “Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”
Recently, Tyson himself appeared on Cohen’s podcast to promote his new book, Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter. During this time, he weighed in on Obama’s words.
On his end, Tyson felt that Obama’s response was reasonable. He noted, “He’s scientifically literate, and he gave the scientifically literate reply. He’s citing what any scientist would tell you about the likelihood of life in the universe.”
“To suggest that we are alone in the universe, you’d only be thinking that for some philosophical or religious reason, not for any reason based in science. So, my answer is yes. There’s life. It’s highly likely there’s life out there in the universe.”
“When I asked @BarackObama if aliens exist, his answer was essentially, ‘yes they exist, but we don’t have any evidence of it–‘”@neiltyson: “Because he’s scientifically literate… He’s citing what any scientist would tell you about the likelihood of life in the universe. But… pic.twitter.com/Aq9wqxgka8
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) May 25, 2026
Tyson felt that Obama’s position caused his words to be taken out of context. He continued, “Because he was president, people wanted to read into it on levels that were just off the scale and out of control. And so, I was intrigued by that reaction. Because as an educator, I like knowing that I can anticipate how people will respond to certain information, and if I ever get it wrong, it’s like, how did I misthink their motives or their brain wiring in this?”
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.
