Will Smith: My son asked Obama about 'the aliens'

Actor Will Smith says he recently found himself in a "not cool" situation when his 13-year-old son, Jaden, asked President Barack Obama about the existence of extraterrestrial aliens.

"I was at the White House with my family and we were getting a tour and, you know, Barack and Michelle and Sasha and Malia," Smith recalled to BBC Radio 1 host Chris Moyles on Wednesday. "And it's me, Jada and the kids and we're walking through the White House. And the night before Jaden had said to me, 'Dad, I got to ask the president about the aliens.' I was like, 'Dude, no.' It's not cool. It's not cool. It's embarrassing."

"You have to take that opportunity," Moyles observed.

"I was like, 'Jaden, do not ask the president,'" Smith continued. "So we get into the Situation Room and Jaden gets the look in his eyes and he leans over and says, 'Dad, what's my punishment?' And I was like, 'Jaden, do not.' And you know, Barack is talking about the Situation Room and Jaden says, 'Excuse me, Mr. President.' I was like, 'Hey, Barack, man...' And Barack said, 'Don't tell me.' And in perfect form, and this is why he's the president, and he stopped and looked at Jaden said, 'The aliens, right?'"

"And he said, 'I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of extraterrestrials, but I can tell you if there had been a top-secret meeting and if there would have had to have been a discussion about it, it would have taken place in this room.'"

Smith, who stars in the upcoming Men in Black III and other classic science fiction movies like Independance Day, added that he didn't really need confirmation from the president.

"I already have the top-secret information," the actor said. "I just can't share it. You don't think that I've made all of these movies and not been briefed by the White House. Of course, I know. I just can't tell you."

Smith and his family visited the White House in April to take part in Easter celebrations.

In response to a "We the People" petition asking the Obama administration to "formally acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race," the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy in September officially denied any knowledge of alien life.

"The U.S. government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race," Phil Larson said in an official White House statement. "In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public's eye."

Watch this video from BBC Radio 1, broadcast May 16, 2012.

(h/t: Digital Spy)