Former President Barack Obama wants a new job if aliens are discovered.
Late-night host Stephen Colbert demanded answers from Obama about whether aliens were real during a recent interview that aired on Tuesday’s “The Late Show.” Colbert explained that Obama made headlines earlier this year when the former president told podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen that aliens are “real” but he hasn’t seen them.
Obama later clarified his comment, saying he saw “no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us.” Colbert jabbed Obama for walking back his comments on aliens during their conversation.
He said “no one buys” Obama’s explanation for his comments before letting the former president reiterate what he meant.
“For those of you who still think that, you know, we’ve got little green men underground somewhere, one of the things you learn as president is government is terrible at keeping secrets,” Obama said.
“If there were aliens or alien spaceships or anything under the control of the United States government that we knew about, seen, photographs, what have you, I promise you, some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend and press,” he added.
Colbert, who was interviewing Obama at his new presidential center, then joked that Obama’s new building looked like an alien spaceship.
“There’d be like some hints out there, like a Presidential Center would look like a scout ship that’s just come down from low orbit and landed in Chicago,” Colbert quipped.
Colbert then asked if Obama wished aliens were real, which led the former president to make a job pitch to Colbert. Obama explained that he would be a good first point-of-contact for aliens.
“I actually do,” Obama said.
“I’m putting in a plug now. First contact. I think I would be a good emissary for the planet. I feel I’ve got a diverse background, some experience in statecraft, diplomacy. I’m friendly. So I actually think, you know, I can do a pretty good job,“ Obama joked.
Colbert leaned into the joke, thanking the former president for interviewing for the mock role of emissary for Earth.
“We will keep that in mind. Thank you so much,” Colbert said. “All right, and we have your phone number here on the resume.”