The belief in conspiracy theories exploded with the popularization of the internet and social media, but one has largely fallen out of favor. Not with Goldie Hawn, though. Having grown up in the mid-20th century, the “Private Benjamin” star came out of age amid the fascination with UFOs during the Cold War. A spike in sightings in the ’50s and ’60s led to government investigations and reflected the collective anxiety that took over the West over the constant threat of nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
But Hawn doesn’t just believe that the Earth receives occasional visitors from outer space; she saw them with her own eyes. She’s far from alone. Plenty of celebrities believe in aliens — and do most Americans. Even though the UFO frenzy has subsided, nearly half of Americans believe that extraterrestrials have visited us, according to a 2021 Gallup report. An even larger share of Americans — 65% — believe other forms of intelligent life are out there, the Pew Research Center found in 2021.
However, Hawn is among only 18% of Americans who claim to have seen a UFO, according to YouGov. Her belief in extraterrestrial life stems from a life-long fascination with what’s beyond our atmosphere. “We can never ever lose our wonder,” Hawn said on the “Time to Walk” podcast in 2023 (via USA Today). “It’s just no fun. It’s really an important aspect of being an adventurer, where nothing is impossible.” But she still wasn’t prepared when she came face to face with aliens.
Goldie Hawn initially dismissed alien encounter as a dream
Goldie Hawn joined the group of celebrities who believe they had an alien encounter when she was 20. She had recently moved to California to work as a dancer and often spent time gazing at the night sky. “I saw all these stars and all I could think of was, ‘How far does this go?'” Hawn recalled on “Time to Walk.” During one of her musings, Hawn expressed her wish to see proof. “I said, ‘I know you’re out there. I know we’re not alone. And I would like to meet you one day,'” she said.
A few months later, she spent the night in a friend’s car in West Covina, California, when she was awakened by strange sounds. “I looked out the window and I saw these two or three triangular-shaped heads,” Hawn said. The silver creatures had no ears, a thin mouth, and a small nose. They pointed at her and talked among themselves. “I could not move, I was paralyzed,” she said. She initially dismissed the encounter as a dream but now believes it happened.
That wasn’t the only time Hawn showed her belief in higher forces. Whenever Hawn faces tragedies, she turns to the universe. That’s what she did when she nearly lost her son, Oliver Hawn, as a newborn. “I stood up and I just connected to the universe. I put my hand on him, and I asked God, I said, ‘Come through me, use me to heal my son,'” she told People.
