Spielberg or Obama? Both men eyeing hypothetical alien liaison role

Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAYThu, May 21, 2026 at 4:04 PM UTC

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Steven Spielberg or former President Barack Obama? Both men have recently expressed interest in a hypothetical alien liaison role for Earth if aliens ever visited.

In his latest appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert", which aired May 20, the prominent filmmaker said he wanted to be tapped as Earth's ambassador to aliens if the extraterrestrial beings ever decided to take a trip to our planet.

"I think I should represent us," Spielberg said lightheartedly to Colbert. "I love Barack. We're friends. I love him, love his family. But he had his eight years."

The 79-year-old added, "I think the whole thing is, I made 'Close Encounters'...I made 'E.T.,' co-produced 'Men In Black' and 'War of the Worlds'. I made all these movies where I played an ambassadorial role."

Spielberg wants the aliens to show themselves

Steven Spielberg, director of the upcoming film "Disclosure Day," reacts onstage during the Universal Pictures and Focus Features presentation at CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., April 15, 2026.

Spielberg joked that despite his clear interest throughout his illustrious career, the aliens "never shown themselves to me."

"Why is that? It's so unfair," he continued.

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Spielberg was on the late-night show talking about his upcoming sci-fi film, "Disclosure Day." The film, about a whistleblower (Josh O'Connor) and a meteorologist (Emily Blunt) who try to unveil long-held government secrets about extraterrestrial life, premieres in theaters on June 12.

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Obama pitched that he would be a 'good emissary for the planet'

Earlier this month in a sit-down with Obama, Colbert and the former president further discussed comments he made on a podcast, during which he joked that aliens are "real, but I haven't seen them."

At one point, Colbert asked Obama, "Do you wish they were real?"

"I actually do," Obama responded. "First contact, I think I would be a good emissary for the planet. I got the background, some experience in statecraft and diplomacy. I'm friendly, so I actually think I can do a pretty good job."

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Obama or Spielberg? Both want to be Earth’s alien ambassador

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