President Obama has become the first president to mention Area 51 – the long rumored area where the government is allegedly hiding UFOs and aliens – and he did it at the Kennedy Center Honors Reception.
Obama did it while joking about Shirley MacLaine’s numerous claims about it.
"Now, when you first become President, one of the questions that people ask you is, what's really going on in Area 51?" he started off saying, USA Today reports. "When I wanted to know, I'd call Shirley MacLaine."
He added, "I think I just became the first President to ever publicly mention Area 51. How's that, Shirley?"
TIME reports the official name for the area known as Area 51 is Nevada Test and Training Range and Groom Lake but there have been numerous conspiracy theories surrounding it, including that it’s used as a testing place for rumored projects like the U-2 spy plane.
Others honored at the Kennedy Center Honors Reception besides MacLaine were Billy Joel, Herbie Hancock, Martina Arroyo and Carlos Santana.
image: Wikimedia Commons