Podcast UFO

We apologize in advance for any audio issues during the livestream, as this is a live press event with multiple speakers. Please note that some witnesses are speaking in Portuguese, with English translation provided. (two sessions) Martin attended and livestreamed a historic press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2026. For the first time publicly, Brazilian neurosurgeon Dr. Italo Venturelli described his 1996 hospital encounter with a living, non-human intelligent being connected to the Varginha incident. Organized by investigative journalist and filmmaker James Fox, the event featured Brazilian witnesses, medical and forensic testimony, and new e...

Journalist Leslie Kean joins Martin Willis at the National Press Club following the UAP/UFO press conference to share her candid reaction to the historic event. Kean reflects on the emotional testimony of witnesses, the extraordinary effort behind organizing the press conference, and why the case presented is one of the most important she has encountered. She emphasizes the credibility of the witnesses, the significance of international cooperation, and the urgent need for access to hard data such as photographs, videos, flight logs, and medical records that remain sequestered by authorities. In this conversation, Kean also discusses the alleged involvement...

Martin reconnects with journalist and producer Chrissy Newton for a concise, wide-ranging discussion that traces her path into UAP reporting—from early PR work and influential documentaries to the personal experiences that sustain long-term interest in the subject. Chrissy recounts her father’s Ontario UFO sighting and how firsthand encounters often become the spark that turns curiosity into a lifelong pursuit, even as friends and family react very differently to the topic. The conversation then shifts to bigger themes shaping today’s UAP landscape: overlapping rabbit holes in national security, politics, science, and media; the ebb and flow of public attent...

Martin Willis welcomes back Erling Strand, founder of Project Hessdalen, for an in-depth discussion on one of the world’s most enduring and scientifically studied unexplained phenomena—the Hessdalen Lights of Norway. In this wide-ranging conversation, Strand reflects on his first encounters in the early 1980s and how an initial curiosity evolved into a decades-long, instrument-based research program. He explains the four primary categories of observations reported in the Hessdalen Valley, ranging from brief flashing lights to long-duration luminous objects, radar-tracked targets traveling at extreme speeds, and rare daylight sightings of structured craft-like forms. The discussion explores hard data collected over...

In last week’s blog, we looked at a case from Spain that involved three airmen who were stationed at a Spanish Air Force base near Talavera La Real. It was investigated by Juan José Benítez who wrote a report (page 4 of the pdf) and sent it to Flying Saucer Review. The report was translated into English by Gordon Creighton, and it was published in the Vol. 23, No. 5, February 1978 issue.According to Benítez, the three airmen, José María Trejo, Juan Carrizosa Luján, and José Hildago were on guard duty after midnight on November 12, 1976. Trejo and Carrizosa were in their s...

In the Vol. 23, No. 5, February 1978 Flying Saucer Review, there is a report (page 4 of the pdf) out of Spain headlined, “Encounter at Talavera.” It was written by Juan José Benítez and translated by Gordon Creighton. Benítez got the story from the main witnesses who were three airmen stationed at a Spanish Air Force base near Talavera la Real, close to the Spanish-Portuguese border. He describes the case as “simply staggering.”Benítez explains that the incident occurred on November 12, 1976, and that he got the story firsthand from the witnesses, but kept the details to himself because the three men involved had...

In this in-depth conversation, Martin Willis is joined by Anna Brady-Estevez, a senior technology investor and former government innovation leader, for a wide-ranging discussion on UAP, scientific rigor, and the future of advanced research. Anna shares her personal journey into the UAP topic—from early curiosity and cultural stigma to firsthand sightings and high-level exposure through government, science, and finance. Drawing on her experience funding hundreds of advanced technology companies across energy, space, and national security, she explains how UAP-related questions increasingly overlap with real, cutting-edge research already underway.Topics explored include:Why UAP remained stigmatized for decades—and what has...

Filmmaker and investigator James Fox returns for an in-depth discussion of his latest release, Moment of Contact: New Revelations of Alien Encounters. The conversation revisits the 1996 Varginha, Brazil incident—often called “Brazil’s Roswell”—and examines new testimony that has emerged since the film’s premiere. Fox shares updates from recent travels to Brazil, including additional witness accounts, hospital testimony, and details involving alleged creature encounters and military involvement. The discussion also broadens to government secrecy, whistleblowers, crash-retrieval programs, and why the Varginha case remains one of the most complex and controversial UFO investigations on record.SHOW NOTES

by UFO History Buff & Author, Charles Lear ~ This past week, I found myself in the position of having two co-workers who are UFO witnesses and decided to take advantage of this and have them tell their stories for this blog.The first story is that of Ilya Vett, 54, who has been with the organization for over three years, and he first told it to me not long after I met him. He grew up in the area of New Paltz, New York, which is near Pine Bush and the Hudson Valley. Both of those areas are notorious for UFO flaps i...

Martin Willis with UFO-Jack co-hosting react to the newly released Steven Spielberg Disclosure Day teaser, which Martin says “gave me the willies” and immediately compelled a discussion. They cue up the teaser and then break down its most striking lines—“If you found out we weren’t alone…,” “People have a right to know the truth,” “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you… so I’m gonna show you,” and the nun’s reflection on why a vast universe would exist “yet save it only for us.” Martin and Jack highlight how the teaser leans into suspense and emotion, avoids showing aliens or...

In last week’s blog, we looked at the beginning of the modern crop circle phenomenon that first got the attention of the media and UFO researchers in 198o. This was described in the 1986 report compiled by Paul Fuller and Jenny Randles (written by Randles) for the British UFO Research Association titled Mystery of the Circles. According to Randles, the idea that UFOs had something to do with the mystery came from the fact that the first circles appeared in the West Country in the area of Warminster, which had become famous in the 60’s as a UFO hotspot. When we left...

Within UFOlogy, there are several areas of specialization, such as abductions, landing traces, humanoids, contactees, military encounters, etc. They often have their own specialized literature put out by individual researchers or organizations, and many have come and gone in terms of popular fascination and press coverage. One aspect that has fallen by the wayside is crop circle research, also known as “cereology.” Its early history, and the reasons for it falling out of favor with the press, and even among UFOlogists, is summed up neatly in the 1986 report, Mystery of the Circles, “compiled by” by Paul Fuller and Jenny Randles (Randles is...

In this in-depth episode of Podcast UFO, host Martin Willis is joined by Len Filppu, a lifelong experiencer whose 1967 Brockport, New York UFO sighting became a pivotal moment that reshaped his understanding of reality, consciousness, and the unexplained. Len recounts witnessing a low-flying, fiery orange object, accompanied by a smaller white orb, moving silently across the sky—an event corroborated by multiple police officers and dozens of civilian witnesses across western New York. The sighting later inspired the animated short documentary Psychedelic in the Sky, which explores not only the event itself, but the deeper psychological and spiritual impact it ha...

In this special round-robin episode, Podcast UFO host Martin Willis is joined by an exceptional panel to review one of the most consequential years in modern UFO/UAP history. Filmmaker Dean Alioto, Surprise guest, Matt Ford of The Good Trouble Show, UFO Jack, and Allie & Justin, hosts of UAP Society’s UAP News Show, come together to discuss the major strides, controversies, and revelations that shaped the UAP conversation throughout 202 controversies, and revelations that shaped the UAP conversation throughout 2025. Topics covered include: Congressional hearings, whistleblowers, and renewed legislative efforts surrounding UAP disclosure Scientific re-evaluation of historical and modern UAP data In...

Retired law enforcement officers Dave Rich and Marianne Robb join host Martin Willis for a wide-ranging conversation on why first responders can be uniquely strong UAP/UFO witnesses—and why the professional fallout after reporting can be just as traumatic as the encounter itself. They break down how academy/scenario-based training shapes observation under stress, then pivot into major police-involved cases including the multi-agency “Lumberton” triangle flap (four nights of sightings across multiple counties), RCMP officer Jim Blackwood (flashlight interaction), Lonnie Zamora (Socorro), and Val Johnson (1979)—including the physical damage to his patrol car and the long-term consequences for witnesses who spea...

by UFO History Buff & Author, Charles Lear ~ In the course of researching UFO cases in Spanish speaking countries, one is bound to run into Scott Corrales and Inexplicata: The Journal of Hispanic UFOlogy. It exists today as a website, but in the fall of 1998, Corrales put out the first print version. In issue number 3, put out in the spring of 1999, Corrales celebrates the public reception of the first two issues and notes that there were 1800 visitors to the inexplicata.com website. In that issue is an article by Javier Garcia Blanco headlined “Roadside Encounters: UFOs, Aliens and Missing Time,” that Corra...

Interview with Chris & Sean O'Leary in a first-of-its-kind account of a family that reports nearly 70 years of repeated alien encounters. Their experiences began in 1959 when their mother was allegedly taken in broad daylight by a silent triangular craft. What followed were decades of abductions involving underground installations, medical procedures, Mantis beings, and the revelation of a hybrid child created through non-human intervention. As a child, one sibling was reportedly taken alongside the mother and later alone, guided through craft interiors and operating rooms. In the 1970s, a daytime landing in the family’s backyard allegedly resulted in the entire family be...

In this special episode of Podcast UFO, host Martin Willis interviews Ed Wilson, author of The Simpkinson NASA Archive: UFOs & Hidden Under Our Nose, for an in-depth discussion of one of the most intriguing and overlooked UFO cases tied to the space program. Ed Wilson is an historian and collector of rare books and documents, as well as the primary investigator of the Simpkinson (Gemini) UFO incident. During this interview, he presents newly uncovered material, including rare D-15 footage acquired from the National Archives*, and explains how decades-old NASA imagery remained hidden in plain sight. This compelling conversation examines the...

In this episode, Martin Willis sits down with Jesse Merl — multi-exit tech entrepreneur, media personality, and creator of the popular YouTube channel Jesse ON FIRE. Known for tackling big cultural issues with sharp insight and zero sugar-coating, Jesse brings a unique, media-savvy perspective to the UFO/UAP conversation. Together, Martin and Jesse explore how digital platforms, influence dynamics, and the modern information ecosystem shape the way UFOs are seen, shared, and understood. This conversation goes far beyond sightings: it dives into the cultural forces and hidden power structures behind disclosure, the role of viral media, and how government narratives collide wi...

In this deep-dive conversation, Swedish UFO researcher and AFU archivist Clas Svahn joins Martin Willis to explore newly declassified documents from Sweden’s security police and military— including a major 1970s operation to intercept unknown craft crossing into Norway. Clas also discusses a rare 1971 humanoid encounter, Sweden’s most compelling historic UFO cases, and new scientific insights into strange lights (will-o’-the-wisps). We take a broader look at mysterious sightings across Russia, China, and Europe, and get updates on AFU’s latest collections and its growing global role in preserving UFO history. A must-watch for anyone fascinated by Scandinavian UFO research...