The candid exchange offered a rare glimpse into what presidents may know when it comes to one of America's most enduring mysteries.

The former president made the remarks when interviewer Brian Tyler Cohen asked him directly: 'Are aliens real?'

Obama's answer was direct: 'Uh, they're real, but I haven't seen them,' he said, before immediately addressing speculation surrounding Area 51, the secretive US military facility in Nevada that has long been at the center of extraterrestrial conspiracy theories.

'And they're not being kept in uh what is it? Area 51!' Obama continued. 'There's no underground facility unless there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.'

His comments — delivered with a mix of humor and authority — amounted to a clear rejection of claims that the U.S. government is secretly housing alien life forms at the classified base.

Area 51 has fueled decades of speculation, particularly since the Cold War, when its remote desert location and classified operations made it a natural target for rumors about UFOs and extraterrestrial cover-ups. 

The US government has acknowledged the facility's existence but has consistently said it is used for testing advanced military aircraft.

Cohen then asked what question he most wanted answered upon entering the White House.

'Where are the aliens?' Obama replied with a laugh. 

The exchange came as part of a wide-ranging interview in which Obama reflected on his presidency and post-White House life. 

Later in the interview the former president admitted that any return to elected office would likely cost him his marriage, joking that his wife Michelle would leave him if he ever attempted a political comeback.

The former president made the candid admission during a wide-ranging interview in which he faced up to the fact his days in politics are firmly behind him.

'First of all, I'm not a politician anymore and I can't be, right?' Obama began. 

'I mean, I guess technically I could run for, you know, city council or something, but I'm not in elected office. I don't have levers of power. I'm term limited out. And by the way, I believe in the Constitution and also I believe in my marriage and Michelle would divorce me if I even if I could run again.'

The remark, delivered with Obama's trademark humor, offered a rare public window into the influence Michelle Obama holds over her husband's decisions.